The Amazing Transformation of Ross' Kegerator

Today we are going to study one homebrewer’s chest freezer as it makes an icredible transformation from being a rundown appliance to a beautiful piece of beer pouring art. The story starts with a white chest freezer that has clearly seen better days. Ross’ first step was to clean up any dents, dings, or rust, fill in any holes and then cover it with primer paint.

After the repairs are finished the improvements begins. The first thing Ross added was a nice shiny coat of black enamel paint and when that was dry the hardware was ready to be installed. The initial upgrade included a 2x8 inch wooden collar coated in silicone caulk which was mounted around the lip of the freezer. Then the collar  was wrapped in a coating of stainless steel print vinyl for looks. The original freezer lid was remounted on top of the collar which adds height to the Kegerator and also gave Ross a bulkhead to drill holes for his tap lines. If he would have gone right through the original walls Ross would risk damaging the cooling and insulating capabilities of the unit.

After Ross was finished with the Body it was time to add the tap lines and accessories. The Kegerator includes a few bottle openers (because we know even with this awesome setup beer can still be enjoyed in a bottle), a drip tray that was welded on to the body of the Kegerator, and five  taps, four that can be hooked up to corny kegs, and one that is fitted for a Sankey( just in case Ross feels like bringing in some commercially brewed beer). The whole system is run on a 5 lb. internally stored Co2 tank. Ross however has plans to add a 20 lb. external Co2 tank in order to have enough gas to efficiently serve and carbonate all his kegs at the same time without the risk of running out.

While the initial setup already provided an awesome Kegerator, we know the work of a homebrewing fanatic …. I mean enthusiast is never done.  Ross has continued to upgrade his system since the original build.  New additions include two additional taps, as well as salvaged chair legs for tap handles. For personalization his handles have been outfitted with mini picture frames in order to display customized labels for his brews. There is also a basket on the interior that holds a variety of useful items like tools, extra keg connectors and most importantly more beer in bottle form. The Kegerator as it stands right now holds ten kegs: nine Cornies and one sixth barrel Sankey and has tap connections for six Cornies and one Sankey. This gives the Kegerator the ability to serve seven beers at once and still have room to carbonate an additional two kegs at the same time!

This Kegerator from very humble beginnings is now really something to behold,  and it just continues to get better and better as Ross continues to apply his imaginative skill to develop a truly awesome and ever improving home kegging system.

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