Where do you guys keep your kegs when your kegerator is full?

coreyman

coreyman

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I do 5 gallon batches in corny kegs. I'm getting my first kegerator this weekend. I have a seltzer that will be on tap for my wife, my APA that will be on tap for myself, Pepsi Zero for when we don't want alcohol, and a root beer for my son. That's a full kegerator! I want to have another beer and seltzer ready for when these get emptied so I'm guessing there will be a lag time between swapping out the kegs.

There are a few options I see.

1. Build a Keezer.
Cons: This can be quite expensive to build and run. Our local used goods market is terrible, so I'd be buying a new freezer.
2. Leave the seltzer and beer in the fermenter until I'm ready to swap the keg.
Cons: Picking up off flavors from various processes.
3. Keg the beer and carbonate it after it's done fermenting and leave at room temp.
Cons: What are potential cons here? I'm not thinking of any immediately.
 
4: screw everybody else its my kegerator! :D

Seriously though, I would transfer to the kegs and carbonate later, it only takes a few days to carbonate and carbonating at room temp is gonna take allot of pressure and time. I would preasure them up a little, just to keep some positive pressure on the seals.
 
coreyman said:
2. Leave the seltzer and beer in the fermenter until I'm ready to swap the keg.
Cons: Picking up off flavors from various processes.
3. Keg the beer and carbonate it after it's done fermenting and leave at room temp.
Cons: What are potential cons here? I'm not thinking of any immediately.
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I personally think once beer is done fermenting, it needs to be kept cold. The beer will keep much better and there is a boat load of evidence out there that points to that.

I think you have 3 choices. A keezer for beer, drink more and faster (sorry liver) or back off on brewing. I vote for a keezer.

I have 2 keezers. The big one is for keeping beer, the second is for fermenting. If you are going to ferment in a keezer, make sure you vent the co2 outside the keezer or you will end up with a rust bucket instead of a keezer. The co2 mixes with condensing water to form carbonic acid and the whole inside starts to rust really bad.
 
With all due respect to your wife and son, my beer fridge is MY beer fridge... to each their own though of course
 
As noted, warm beer is not ideal, but that's what I do when the situation arises.
 
Donoroto said:
As noted, warm beer is not ideal, but that's what I do when the situation arises.
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Unless of course it is something dark and robust that will benefit from aging.
You don't want to leave it too long, but beer is stored warm in bottles and cans in many stores, including my local stores. It isn't ideal, but no harm will come a week or three
 
Minbari said:
4: screw everybody else its my kegerator! :D

Seriously though, I would transfer to the kegs and carbonate later, it only takes a few days to carbonate and carbonating at room temp is gonna take allot of pressure and time. I would preasure them up a little, just to keep some positive pressure on the seals.
Click to expand...
Yup!
Pepsi Zero and root beer can be kept in bottles and cans in a normal refrigerator. Or, can't soda be kept warm until ready better than beer?
Maybe that gives you a little more room?
Hell, I'm for ditching the Pepsi Zero entirely and making some sun tea in the warmer months.
 
Sandy Feet said:
Yup!
Pepsi Zero and root beer can be kept in bottles and cans in a normal refrigerator. Or, can't soda be kept warm until ready better than beer?
Maybe that gives you a little more room?
Hell, I'm for ditching the Pepsi Zero entirely and making some sun tea in the warmer months.
Click to expand...

Craigerrr said:
With all due respect to your wife and son, my beer fridge is MY beer fridge... to each their own though of course
Click to expand...

The whole idea was that this would be our 'drink fridge' so that we can save space in the main fridge. Pepsi Zero will be rotated to the flavor of the month for whatever nonalcoholic beverage the wife and I are drinking at the moment. You all make a good point though, the root beer may be kicked out if I have something else that needs to go in with higher priority :)

Craigerrr said:
Unless of course it is something dark and robust that will benefit from aging.
You don't want to leave it too long, but beer is stored warm in bottles and cans in many stores, including my local stores. It isn't ideal, but no harm will come a week or three
Click to expand...

Yeah I ferment warm already with Hothead Kveik and other yeast strains that can withstand the ambient temperature in my house!
 
coreyman said:
The whole idea was that this would be our 'drink fridge' so that we can save space in the main fridge. Pepsi Zero will be rotated to the flavor of the month for whatever nonalcoholic beverage the wife and I are drinking at the moment. You all make a good point though, the root beer may be kicked out if I have something else that needs to go in with higher priority :)



Yeah I ferment warm already with Hothead Kveik and other yeast strains that can withstand the ambient temperature in my house!
Click to expand...
I was having fun before, but for real, my fermentation chamber (refrigerator) in the garage is mine. The wife can have the big closet. She can have all the space she wants except a tiny office space, my refrigerator in the garage, and a very small area next to it for a shelf with my brewing equipment.
I keep a mini refrigerator in the office that can store extra beer, soda and water, and for Thanksgiving, the fermentation refrigerator and freezer is public property as long as everything is cold crashed already. The mini refrigerators can hold a lot of beverages, and they are cheap to buy.
 
Sandy Feet said:
I was having fun before, but for real, my fermentation chamber (refrigerator) in the garage is mine. The wife can have the big closet. She can have all the space she wants except a tiny office space, my refrigerator in the garage, and a very small area next to it for a shelf with my brewing equipment.
I keep a mini refrigerator in the office that can store extra beer, soda and water, and for Thanksgiving, the fermentation refrigerator and freezer is public property as long as everything is cold crashed already. The mini refrigerators can hold a lot of beverages, and they are cheap to buy.
Click to expand...

My only problem is that my electric bill is already insanely high in the summer. I've got 2800sq ft and am approaching $1000/mo in electricity during the hot months keeping thermo on 72. I'd like to reduce the amount of powered devices until I can get that under control ( need to replace 53 windows in my house )
 
coreyman said:
My only problem is that my electric bill is already insanely high in the summer. I've got 2800sq ft and am approaching $1000/mo in electricity during the hot months keeping thermo on 72. I'd like to reduce the amount of powered devices until I can get that under control ( need to replace 53 windows in my house )
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72!!!? YIKES. I keep mine at 82 in the summer, and that feels cool when it is 92-97 degrees and 80 percent humidity outside. At $1,000, I might look into some solar. I have a friend that has a big house and pays $150/month for the panel payments and has an electricity bill in the summer next to nothing as he gets credits with the power company giving them electricity back. Ceiling fans help a bunch too.
My house is small, and I only pay around $165 in the middle of the summer with two big refrigerators and one mini. This was BEFORE I replaced my POS 1986 windows.
 
Sandy Feet said:
72!!!? YIKES. I keep mine at 82 in the summer, and that feels cool when it is 92-97 degrees and 80 percent humidity outside. At $1,000, I might look into some solar. I have a friend that has a big house and pays $150/month for the panel payments and has an electricity bill in the summer next to nothing as he gets credits with the power company giving them electricity back. Ceiling fans help a bunch too.
My house is small, and I only pay around $165 in the middle of the summer with two big refrigerators and one mini. This was BEFORE I replaced my POS 1986 windows.
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To me there is no way in hell 82 would feel 'cool' at 80 percent humidity! I would never stop sweating in 'places' just sitting around in my shorts :D.

I've already got a few quotes for solar and my payments would be upwards of $400/mo with our current power consumption, so I need to lower consumption before I go that route.

I do want solar, but there are other things that will have a bigger impact with less cost that I can replace and will help my solar bill be lower when I do decide to go that route. I have a SEER 10 packaged AC unit that's over 20 years old. I want to upgrade it to SEER 20. Yeah my windows are similar, pre 1986, single pane, wooden, the last quote I got for windows replacement was $45,000. So I'll be doing window replacement on my own over time room by room.
 
Wow, that is crazy. I have a 1500sqft 4bed and i thought $200 a month was allot, lol. We also set at 72. Mo has crazy humidity too
 
It is all what you are used to. When I have to run my heat in the winter, it is set around 75 LOL.
At 72 inside, I would probably, literally be sick all of the time unless I constantly wore a jacket, and I get pissed when I have to wear shoes LOL.
 
Sandy Feet said:
It is all what you are used to. When I have to run my heat in the winter, it is set around 75 LOL.
At 72 inside, I would probably, literally be sick all of the time unless I constantly wore a jacket, and I get pissed when I have to wear shoes LOL.
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Yeah, we run at 64-67 in the winter.
 
I really like my monthly electricity bill :D:D:D
It's zero

Just not looking forward to having to replace the batteries in a year or 2.

And like @Sandy Feet says, you get used to higher temperatures. I'm wearing a jersey in the morning now (77 F).
Gonna be shoes, socks and longs pretty soon:(
 
Zambezi Special said:
I really like my monthly electricity bill :D:D:D
It's zero

Just not looking forward to having to replace the batteries in a year or 2.

And like @Sandy Feet says, you get used to higher temperatures. I'm wearing a jersey in the morning now (77 F).
Gonna be shoes, socks and longs pretty soon:(
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Well then technically your power bill is the price of batteries spread out over 2 years. :p
 
I had to look at my KWH charge for reference. Mine is one of the highest in the entire state, and it still does not approach that number. Wow!
If I ran an AC at 72 in the summer, it would probably not turn off. I would need a commercial unit for that.
If you go along the coast or a couple of hours south of here, it does not go below 80 overnight in the summer. Here in the summer, it is easily 82 by 8AM, and on the summer mornings, the humidity is usually in the 90 percent plus range. It doesn't get cool until we get our usual, massive thunderstorm around dinner time with crazy lightning and torrential rain.
 
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