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Compact or instant keg coolers

post #1 of 12
Thread Starter 
Is anyobdy aware of a "compact" kegerator designed for the home-brew 5gallon size kegs? I have some limited onder-counter space I would like to use, and don't need to chill a full size keg.

Or... is there anytyhing along the lines of an "instant on-demand" chiller for a tap? Something along the lines of a unit with the guts of a wanter-fountain that chills the beer instantly as it makes it's way to the tap...

Thanks.
post #2 of 12
I have the older version of this:

http://www.themanregistry.com/Produc...s.aspx?PID=954

Mine is great, but it doesn't work with the new Heineken mini-keg design...which is fine because I'm not all that enamored with Heineken anyway.

I got mine at JCPenny in an after-christmas closeout for super cheap though...less than $30. You might want to look around there for inventory now and then check back post-holidays.
post #3 of 12
post #4 of 12
I'd buy one of these, but then I'd quit my job and drink all day
post #5 of 12
bring it to work, problem solved - NEXT
post #6 of 12
oh yeah. My bad. So stupid of me
post #7 of 12
Steve -

I think the smallest you're gonna see for a 5gal keg is a home built one using either a mini fridge, or a small chest freezer with an external control. I built one using a 5 cu ft chest freezer, external control from Johnson controls and tap in the top.

As for on-demand cooling, there are lots of cold plates out there for this, think picnic cooler filled with ice and a tap on it. Don't think they'll work unless they're in ice. Check some of the homebrew forums for ideas.

Craig
post #8 of 12
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the replies all.

For those with the 5L mini-keg dispensers, are you buying the kegs already filled, or home brewing? I'm considering the latter, and wondering if all the 5L kegs are "comaptible" in terms of the dispensers.

I'm considering THIS AVANTI DISPENSER for my bar.

I've also thought about buying a remote liquid chiller such as this HAWS UNIT and plumbing up a normal 5 gallon homebrew-keg to chill on demand.

Any thoughts on those ideas? Or recommendations for a good homebrew forum to ask these questions on?

Thanks again.
post #9 of 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by scaesare View Post

Thanks for the replies all.

For those with the 5L mini-keg dispensers, are you buying the kegs already filled, or home brewing? I'm considering the latter, and wondering if all the 5L kegs are "comaptible" in terms of the dispensers.

I'm considering THIS AVANTI DISPENSER for my bar.

I've also thought about buying a remote liquid chiller such as this HAWS UNIT and plumbing up a normal 5 gallon homebrew-keg to chill on demand.

Any thoughts on those ideas? Or recommendations for a good homebrew forum to ask these questions on?

Thanks again.



scaesare - Someone else here on the board was looking into buying that mini-kegerator you linked above...I've seen that link before here. You might want to see if you can find the thread either here in the Games forum or the "Theater Items" one.

I don't home brew, I just buy the 5L Kegs from my local wine/beer shop. They don't often have a great selection (4-5 usually - like spaten, warsteiner, etc) but they can order just about anything.
post #10 of 12
You could check into something like a premix soda dispensor, here is a link to some pictures of some new ones:

http://www.bevcore.com/stellent/grou...ecial%20Events

The pictures on the top would be the ones that needed ice. The two on the bottom would be the models that plug in. If you have ever been to a church picinic or a school carnival I am sure you have seen one of these. They would have the 4 or 5 soda kegs conected to them.

Like someone mentioned you can use something like a jockey box which is basically a big stainless steel plate in a cooler which you fill with ice. The beer goes in warm and comes out cold.

I really like the idea of the soda dispensor and have been watching for one close to me on eBay as they are heavy and expensive to ship.

Here is a good homebrew forum with a section for kegging type of info:
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/

Mike
post #11 of 12
Thread Starter 
Thanks Mike... although that system is too large for what I want above the counter... but it is an interesting idea...
post #12 of 12
Steve,

Another thing you may want to consier, if your bar is next to a storage room, closet, etc. is to store the kegs in a fridge in another room and run the tap through a wall then it would take no space at all. Here is an example:

http://www.micromatic.com/forum/us-e...questions.html

Mike
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