Kegging/Corny Keg no fridge??

[kngsze]

My eyes have recently been catching sight of those lovely shiny kegs that whisper delights to me about leaving my bottling woes behind (or at least cutting it down!).

I've only ever bottled since I started brewing and love the idea of being able to cut out some of my bottling time. Let's face it, it's a PITA. But I have no second fridge (or additional room for a 2nd fridge) to put a corny/keg so my kegs would always be at room temperature for the most part. I'm more than happy to invest in the better keg setup i.e. a corny setup over a King Keg/pressure barrel, but is it even worth it if I can't cool the keg?

The King Keg was recommended in a previous post from Beerlover but do others keg in general with no means to chill? What about summer? I tend to brew all styles and so obviously some are better cooler than others.

 

[stesmi]

My eyes have recently been catching sight of those lovely shiny kegs that whisper delights to me about leaving my bottling woes behind (or at least cutting it down!).

I've only ever bottled since I started brewing and love the idea of being able to cut out some of my bottling time. Let's face it, it's a PITA. But I have no second fridge (or additional room for a 2nd fridge) to put a corny/keg so my kegs would always be at room temperature for the most part. I'm more than happy to invest in the better keg setup i.e. a corny setup over a King Keg/pressure barrel, but is it even worth it if I can't cool the keg?

The King Keg was recommended in a previous post from Beerlover but do others keg in general with no means to chill? What about summer? I tend to brew all styles and so obviously some are better cooler than others.

You can build a brewing chamber out of 22mm mdf and line it with polystyrene (styrofoam for our US cousins). Plenty of threads on here on how to build one - see below. A 2l frozen bottle in it a day will keep it at cellar temp (maybe 10c) If your diy skills are not up to scratch then any small cupboard will do ;-)

They can have electrics too, but as long as they're insulated well a frozen bottle or two will do. Look at this thread on fermentation chambers (great for storing beer at cellar temps too)

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=51557&highlight=Chamber

 

[airymary]

Hi
If you've no room for a fridge, would you have room for an MDF cupboard? What about the shelf chiller option - Maxi 110 or similar? Plenty of homebrewers keep their kegs at room temp, and use flash cooling. Here's my solution:



A recirc cooler sits under the bar, and runs coolant (water) through a couple of cooling pods, which provide flash cooling. Result is cellar temp beers from room temp kegs. The black cylinder (pod) hanging under the bar (in velcro straps) is visible below the tap. (Hand pump cooling pod is obscured by the hand pump - you can see fittings and green coolant hose coming off it).

A 'modular' system like this gives you flexibility in siting the different components, so you can make best use of limited space.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[Fil]

its do-able but a bit more involved without temp control like a keg fridge, i manage it ok needing to run a shelf chiller only when the keg temps rise above the temperature sutable for serving.. i end up venting my kegs before serving just to ensure the correct serving pressure. lagging and insulating the kegs off the daily temp fluctuations will help but they will tend towards the average daily temp which means a tendency to loose condition while warming up and a tendancy to absorb too much co2 when cooling down.. generally a keg is empty before such changes in condition become a mojor problem and all you need do is recondition or shake n vent off excess if it becomes a big deal.. but i do drink some fizzy ales in the winter :

 

[stesmi]

Hi
If you've no room for a fridge, would you have room for an MDF cupboard? What about the shelf chiller option - Maxi 110 or similar? Plenty of homebrewers keep their kegs at room temp, and use flash cooling. Here's my solution:



A recirc cooler sits under the bar, and runs coolant (water) through a couple of cooling pods, which provide flash cooling. Result is cellar temp beers from room temp kegs. The black cylinder (pod) hanging under the bar (in velcro straps) is visible below the tap. (Hand pump cooling pod is obscured by the hand pump - you can see fittings and green coolant hose coming off it).

A 'modular' system like this gives you flexibility in siting the different components, so you can make best use of limited space.

Cheers,

Chris

Good solution. I've got a feeling your bar's bigger than an mdf cupboard though
Tbh I was thinking that about an mdf cupboard myself, but a big of imagination on size can work wonders. my chamber is not much bugger than a corny. The smaller the better in fact as it's easier to chill.

 

[kngsze]

Many thanks for the replies guys – I would have never thought to knock up a little chamber but if it can cool down as much as you say then I’m going to go down that road I think – thanks!

Airymary – your setup is something that I’d like to get to someday… only have about 10 years wait for one of the kids to move out! :|

Many thanks guys.

 

[BarnBrian]

Many thanks for the replies guys – I would have never thought to knock up a little chamber but if it can cool down as much as you say then I’m going to go down that road I think – thanks!

Airymary – your setup is something that I’d like to get to someday… only have about 10 years wait for one of the kids to move out! :|

Many thanks guys.

Can't you sell the kids on eBay, problem solved.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

The thread is 3 years old.

 

[LeeH]

I wonder if he ever bought a keg....