Jeff Flowers on September 25, 2013 4 Comments Having your very own home draft system is a dream come true for almost every beer geek. There’s nothing quite like enjoying a cold, draft beer in the comfort of your living room or backyard. Forget the hassle of opening beer bottles and the excess waste they create. Owning your own kegerator is the perfect set-up that every beer geek needs. Types of Home Draft Beer Systems There are several home draft beer systems you can choose from. Before going out and buying the first kegerator you find, make sure you know the differences between the two most common types of kegerators so you know which one will be best for you. Mini Kegerators The mini kegerator is the smallest kegerator that you will find. It’s designed to tap and serve a 5-liter keg, but only contains approximately 10½ pints. Because of its smaller size, it’s perfect for those that don’t drink beer very often. Additionally, if you don’t have much space in your kitchen or man-cave, then a mini draft beer system may be the best fit for you, because it can fit easily on a countertop or corner table. Another great benefit of having a mini-kegerator, is how easy it is to find 5-liter kegs of beer. Many grocery stores carry them along with their six-packs and cases of beer. Specialty craft beer and liquor stores also typically carry a wide variety of 5-liter kegs. Full Size Kegerators The most common type of kegerator is the full size system. This is your typical draft beer system that you envision when you think of a kegerator. There are many kinds of full-size kegerators available to you. The two most common are the single-tap and the dual-tap. Just like the draft beer system you see at your favorite bar, this system works the exact same way. You can fit many different size kegs into this larger single tap system, including half barrel kegs, pony kegs and slim quarter kegs. Each size keg will serve a different amount of beer, so be sure to know how much each size keg holds before you go out and buy more beer than you need. If you aren’t sure about how many beers are in a keg, it would be wise to check out our handy keg comparison chart. Full size kegerators also work better at keeping your kegs at your chosen temperature. Make sure you get a home draft system that has foam insulation or refrigeration within the tower, as this helps keep the beer inside the lines stay at the right temperature before it’s poured. Cleaning Your Draft System Like anything you buy for your home, a home draft beer system does require a little bit of maintenance. Draft beer is ideally dispensed through a six-foot line that connects the keg and the faucet. It’s important to clean all of the components of your home kegerator regularly. Not only does this help protect your investment in the equipment, but it also ensures that you have the freshest, best-tasting beer. Cleaning the various components of your system is easy and doesn’t take much time. We would recommend buying a cleaning kit because it will make the process much easier for you, but it is possible to clean your kegerator without a kit. For more information, please refer to our previous write-up that details how to clean your kegerator. Don’t Forget About Glassware Now that you have your home draft system set up and your beer is ready to be poured. We would also recommend getting a nice set of glassware. There are many different types of beer glasses available, so learn about the differences and buy a nice set. You’d be surprised how much better your beer tastes and smells when you drink it out of the right style of glass. If you really want to go the extra mile with your beer glasses, then purchase a special kind of detergent designed for glassware. Your typical dish washing detergents can sometimes leave a slight film on the glass. You may not notice if this film affects the taste of your beverages, but it may cause the CO2 in your beer to break out and lead to it tasting somewhat flat. Recommended Reading: 3 Things to Remember When Storing Draft Beer 4 Ways to Convert a Single Tap Tower to a Double Tap 5 Tips for Buying the Perfect Outdoor Kegerator Which Kegerator is Right for Me?
Ross Black says August 7, 2014 at 7:42 am What is the time frame on Beer from the time it is tapped until it goes bad? Reply
Jeff Flowers says August 7, 2014 at 9:05 am Hi Ross, There are lots of variables to consider, including the style of beer tapped, how it’s being stored and what type of equipment you are using to dispense it. I’d recommend checking out this article: https://learn.kegerator.com/how-long-does-a-keg-remain-fresh/ Cheers! Jeff Reply
jacob says February 27, 2015 at 5:05 pm I have a fridge that I want two make into a double tap sytem to hold bud light and shock top about how much would that cost me Reply
davetharave says May 13, 2015 at 3:27 pm I’ve had my kegerator (the ‘full size’ type above) for a little over a year now and I just love it. my garage was instantly transformed into a man-cave extraordinaire as soon as I turned it on, and when I wheel it into the house for a party it rules the landscape. Reply
