OK, so let’s say you are a student – over 21 of course. Diligent. And you always do your schoolwork before indulging in BEEEERRRRRR at the weekly or even daily tailgate party at the peak of sporting season. Yes, you fit the profile of a High End Kegerator user despite your lack of dollars.
You’re going to need [WANT] a bigger keg – so how do you do it.
Firstly, I am not knocking the counter top kegerators/dispensers. They are great in their context. They cost around the same as a basic food processor, they come in many different sizes and some only suit specific kegs. They are sweet little machines you can fit into an apartment. Easy to transport as long as you keep your little kegerator out of the sun or you will end up with a mess of foam and no amber fluid.
KRUPS and HEINEKEN B100 BeerTender with Heineken Draught Keg Technology,Black
Heineken Newcastle beers are easy to instal
This mini does the job. It looks cool. Performs well. All these little beauties are handy gadgets, affordable gifts and really, you could line up a few of these mini kegerators and that would be cool. But they are kind of like the Nespresso versus the Jura coffee machine. You don’t know that there is something better till you take it to the next level.
Nespresso – good coffee but do you really want all those pods in Landfill?
Jura coffee machine. Grinds, brews, foams, delicious.
But back to the really important stuff: BEER.
I am now talking about the really super-efficient models that will go on and on, will protect your frosty brew for months and provide on-going *nutrition* without too much work. Many home brewers love these larger models as they protect that serendipity brew that just worked out so darn well. The pro style kegerators will retain the exact taste and deliver the best head of foam.
Of course, they can be fun as well.
The Barrel Kegerator – personalised and quirky – has a Kegco regulator, tap and all you need to pump that beer .
Solid Oak High End Kegerator made from a whisky barrel
Most tailgate party fiends I know have a truck of some kind. But at least a vehicle that can transport a full sized, pro kegerator like the EdgeStar full sized single tap with a stainless steel door. It has castors which make it very mobile.
EdgeStar fullsized High End Kegerator with castors for easy moving.
My only advice is to stand it in a position where it can access some shade. But I am assuming that its contents will disappear very fast at a tailgate party so no worries about spoilage. At home, for the daily imbibing, you can keep it inside in the kitchen, man cave or basement (which I am also assuming you have converted into a playroom for yourself and your buds.)
So I am ALSO going to assume you are not going to try to fit your kegerator into a Prius. Well, if that is the case, you can invest in one of these cute little attachments to hook up at the back.
Perfect way to transport your tailgate party gear including your High End Kegerator .
This is a great accessory and of course, make sure to have the correct trailer hitch for your vehicle. You can input your vehicle model on their site and they advise on what you need. I have a friend who swears by this one – she has an ice cream-selling business and it holds all her freezers as she flits from farmers’ market to tailgate parties to dish out her products. Yes, she has margarita ice creams.
High End Kegerator transporting made easy
You’ll soon see that buying this trailer will be a good investment.
But back to the matter in hand. More BEER. Perhaps the decision to buy a kegerator in a cooperative venture with friends is for you. Share the cost, share the fun. First step is to gather together your tailgate party core group – your regular best buddies and talk this through. Set a budget. You can decide how much each friend can contribute and also talk through the transport and storage. Don’t make the co-op too big – the more the members, the more the potential for a split. Keep this to your very closest and best buds. Talk about what will happen when a friend wants to cash out. Is it allowed? Do the others just take over the kegerator in that case? Anyway, set the terms, write them down and have a simple signed document setting out the terms. Just don’t leave any reason to bicker over a bar staple.
Let’s say you have 5 friends and they each put in around $200. That gives you a budget of around $1000 counting taxes and a cleaning kit.
So what should you buy? In no particular order, here are some examples of good purchases for a bunch of friends. When you break these down into their ‘shares’, each person would not have to pay much at all.
Edgestar Ultra Low Temp Home Brew Dual Tap Kegerator with Kegs – Black
This is the same as the one pictured above but with dual taps, something I personally prefer as it gives the option of running a faster bar but also you can put two different beers in there – eg. dark and light ales.
EdgeStar Dual Taps Kegerator
Two taps on the EdgeStar Kegerator
First principle is exemplified by the words ‘dual tap’ in this description. Two taps are double the fun. Note that it has only one regulator so you can’t turn off one tap line – they both need to be open for full function.
As it converts to a normal fridge, it is versatile. Or when Mom comes to visit you can put a casserole in there to camouflage the beers.
A word of caution is that some of these do not accept rubberized Miller kegs or Coors.
The external dimensions (including the draft tower): 48 1/2″ H x 20 1/10″ W x 24.
13/16″ D
Taps can be changed for your choice of team colors or something else expressive. Here’s a wooden Giants’ one.
Giants tap for kegerator
The kegerator is rated as a very cold level of chill which is desirable in a kegerator. Ultra low is no lie
The quality of the parts is high – Edgestar have had some problems with this in the past and have lifted their game as the demand for kegerators has also lifted the standard of market offerings.
Note that the kegs supplied are reconditioned and empty ball lock kegs and they hold up to a standard ½ barrel. If you’re too lazy or buzzed to calculate how many beers that it, I can tell you a 1/2 -barrel gives you around 165 beers. That’s a lot better than the counter-top models. Don’t be alarmed if your kegerator arrives without the kegs. They are likely to be shipped separately to keep the weight down.
It is a very heavy, solidly engineered kegerator and you will need a couple of burly guys to shift it in the event that you will be taking it on site to your tailgate party. I suggest mounting it onto your trailer and leaving it there all season long.
Notes re holding the temperature though – if you stand it in the sun, it will lose its ability to cool and foamy beer is the result. I always put these into a shady place and some cover (even a canopy) is a help. They are not really made for outdoors but I have friends who have strained this to the max with OK results.
Most kegerators whether high end kegerators or cheap versions can give off loud gassy pops from time to time. This can be annoying, kind of like the ker-chung of the ice-maker in a domestic fridge.
In your kit, everything you need is supplied. Before you order, check out the kegerator installation video here as this is quite illuminating. You will need to scroll down to it.
There is a stainless steel floor plate included.
If you watch a few of these videos, you can make sure there are no parts left over at the end of installation.
A backup regulator is also recommended.
Taprite T752HP Two Product Dual Pressure Kegerator Co2 Regulator
Taprite regulator for kegerator
This one is suitable for a dual tap model though you can find one with one regulator only here. It has a micron filter to keep all the contaminants out and if you get one and find it doesn’t fit, it is just a matter of drilling a second hole for installation. The dual regulator makes pulling a beer very professional.
And a cleaning kit:
Taprite Kegerator Cleaning Kit
Taprite Kegerator Cleaning kit
Clean the lines every time you change the keg for best beer!
Our motto: ‘Cleanliness is next to beeriness.’
Two taps not enough for your killer thirst?
Then go for three!
EdgeStar Full Size Triple Tap Built-In Kegerator – Black and Stainless Steel
EdgeStar Full Size Triple Tap Built-In High End Kegerator – Black or Stainless Steel
Featuring front ventilation, forced-air refrigeration, air-cooled beer tower with NSF approved draft components, this model, the Edgestar KC7000SSTRIP is a great tailgate party starter …. and continuer. The beer goes on and on.
Elegant stainless steel finished door with black sides and 4 heavy duty casters to make it mobile, this would probably suit most co-op buyers. A bit pricier than the previous model but you get more for your money. A great choice for a co-operative venture between you and your buds.
I am all about a quality end product and this model has the sleek, finished look of professional bar equipment.
While it is not really for outside use you can, with care, transport it to your tailgate party site, set it up in a sheltered place out of the sun and heat. You definitely would need a trailer to get it there (or a Silverado and a ramp to get it on there and some kind of generator or battery to run it. We have discussed all these add-ons previously and our experience with the Duracell battery pack has been good to date.
The best thing about this high end kegerator is that it is well lit inside (cool LED lighting that will not heat up the high end kegerator) which makes it easy to change kegs. It is professionally fitted out in all its components.
Included are a 5lb Luxfer CO2 tank, 1 dual gauge regulator, three Sankey D stainless steel couplers, three beer lines (buy more of these as you will need them), three red CO2 lines and one stainless steel, air-cooled, triple tap beer tower with three stainless steel faucets, the handles of which can be adapted to your own design. The integrated thermostat makes it easy to control the temperature. No more wastage through that foamy first beer pour! This system eliminates hot spots and the forced air keeps the chill circulating evenly.
The temperature range is 32-60°F.
The top has a guard rail (again, stainless steel) to stop your glasses falling off, and all you need is a few bar towels to look like a pro draft beer-puller.
It can stand alone or you can build it into a bench/counter in the man-cave. The caster wheels make it easy to drag out for cleaning. It also features a reversible door swing in case you prefer it to open a certain way to match existing furniture or room layout.
This keg refrigerator can fit most full size half barrel kegs, pony kegs or slim quarter kegs and up to two sixth barrel kegs.
I don’t have a preference between these two – it really just comes down to personal affordability and how many Benjamins your beer co-op can pull out of their wallets.
I would advise that the beer rules be clearly stated in regard to cleaning and maintenance as well as replenishing not just kegs but the CO2.
Read anyone who strays off the path the riot act!
After all, ‘all’s fair in love and beer’.
Happy tailgating!
