[quote=“StormyBrew”]I have a low tolerance, for PITA. And mine is a PITA with 4 kegs, and I’m a sloooooow drinker.
To avoid the extra lift, I put a swinging door on my collar. Taps are to the left and door is to the right.
you can just make it out in this pic.
Edit: OBTW, you’ve done an awesome build…I need to make a lower collar with wheels like you did.
:cheers: [/quote]
I definitely cant tolerate PITA either, my friend! I work 3rd shift which generally makes me a miserable prick so I try to do everything with as little friction as possible. That’s why I had my buddy build the collar as I would’ve probably thrown in the towel days ago. Besides, he is in the construction business and custom built my bar as well. I’m a slow drinker myself but my wife and I enjoy throwing parties and entertaining so I went with 4 taps for variety. I think the bigger PITA was constantly opening the freezer door to pour a pint from the picnic taps or better yet, bottling the 4 batches while my freezer was at the shop!
Nice job on your keezer! I’m guessing your an owner/fan of AUDI automobiles. I think I’ve seen that thru google or HBT before.
The bottom line is do what works for you! I just felt as if I was being told my build was incorrect or crappy. Personally I think it’s ( . )( . ) and probably a top 5 of all builds that I’ve seen. Who knows, I may change the way the collar is mounted after using for a while but I’m guessing not.
I was a bit surprised by the attachment to the lid (yes mines is the opposite), but I don’t see any issue with it. It looks like you have ample clearance to easily drop a keg in. At first i thought it would get in the way but a second look and it looks just fine. The biggest pain that one could do is to put the taps in the middle, which you didn’t.
One thing that i want to change on mine, is that i want to move the CO2 tank to outside of the keezer. It always seems like a hassle trying to pull the tank out as my beer lines are always in the way.
[quote=“mppatriots”]I was a bit surprised by the attachment to the lid (yes mines is the opposite), but I don’t see any issue with it. It looks like you have ample clearance to easily drop a keg in. At first i thought it would get in the way but a second look and it looks just fine. The biggest pain that one could do is to put the taps in the middle, which you didn’t.
One thing that i want to change on mine, is that i want to move the CO2 tank to outside of the keezer. It always seems like a hassle trying to pull the tank out as my beer lines are always in the way.
I say good job.[/quote]
Thanks!
The collar has the same clearance that the lid had so no issue dropping kegs in.
I thought about the co2 bottle on outside as well but this setup works best for me with my keezer/bar space and the fact that I have plenty of room yet in keezer. I didn’t run the beer/gas lines yet but I’m gonna try to have everything pinned or tucked out of the way. Offset taps is a must for clearance in and out. Drip tray just arrived today so I must prepare that for mounting and then I should be in business.
Nice job on your keezer! I’m guessing your an owner/fan of AUDI automobiles. I think I’ve seen that thru google or HBT before.
The bottom line is do what works for you!
:cheers: [/quote]
Thanks and yes, my keezer was inspired by Quattro and the TT. All the “parts” for the taps are from the first generation TT coupe and roadster. I’ve got a 2001 in the garage with more “invested” in it then I’d really like to admit.
FWIW, I believe your bottom line is correct: do what works for you!
I assume your talking to me Heywood…i’m not 100% sure what the first 4 will be. I have a Holiday ale to keg before the keezer gets delivered tomor so that will definitely be the first brew pulled through that beauty. I’m sure some hop blasted something or another’s will be coming too a tap real soon but I also have lots of bottled beer (7+ cases) to get rid of or at least start on before wifey deposits more money into my HSA (homebrew savings account)!
LOL, no, that’d be trick but would be way more work than this guy wants to do. I just put a door in the collar so I would have to lift kegs any higher than the top of the standard freezer wall.
To avoid the extra lift, I put a swinging door on my collar. Taps are to the left and door is to the right.
[/quote]
Can I get a picture or two of that door in action? I’m curious.[/quote]
Here’s a couple:
cheers[/quote]
Do you get any condensation inside that thing? It seems like we went all out with the installation of insulation and you have zero. I was thinking of mounting a fan inside of mine as well to help push cold air but by the looks of yours I won’t need it.
Do you get any condensation inside that thing? It seems like we went all out with the installation of insulation and you have zero. I was thinking of mounting a fan inside of mine as well to help push cold air but by the looks of yours I won’t need it.[/quote]
I have insulation (foam tape) all around the bottom of the collar (more since this pic was taken) and sides/bottom of the collar door. The lid fits very tightly against the top of the collar just like it would to the top of the freezer. But yes, I do get some condensation. I have two of the dehumidifiers, in my keezer, that many here use. Seems to help quite a bit.
I don’t know if there is any way to totally prevent condensation in a keezer. Even in freezer duty you get condensation. If there is a way to totally eliminate condensation, I’d sure like to know it.
You’re right about the total elimination of condensation inside but I wondered how yours was with no insulation visible in the pics. I see now where you insulated and it sounds like you have it sealed up very well. Can you tell me what dehumidifying units you are using? I did see posts about them in the past but that was before I started doing all of my keezer homework. I’m going to throw some damp rid in there to start and see how much I get from that.
I have two of these. ^^^. Once they get “full” you plug them in to any wall socket and the dry out again (you’ll see a color change of the pellets from pinkish to a blue-purple.
Brewmanchu, WOW!!! That is beautiful. You were really thinking outside of the box when you built that lid the way you did. Did you think about replacing the freezer lid with a solid piece of wood? I would have used the oak and done an oak plywood top. Stained a dark black translucent but still allowed the wood grain to come through. Some day I will have a smaller one in the house to hold my go to beer.
Thanks Dog! My buddy that performed the build is great at what he does and the keezer is just a small showing of that. I pretty much told him how I need the unit to perform and he knocked it out of the park with his creativity and craftsmanship. I’m super psyched to get some brew running through that thing.
Never thought about your idea but that is awesome as well. I guess the lid really has no place being put back on besides cost of more material and labor or more insulation concerns.
We are going to promote custom keezer builds locally and online in the near future because this one turned out great and was a blast to build!
[attachment=1]2013-12-20_09.02.22.jpg[/attachment]My buddy surprised me this morning with this custom vinyl decal of my brewery logo. Absolutely sets it off!
