Converting a fridge to keg cooler

L

ldogg53

500+ Posts
OK... so the old home I bought and am remodeling came with a fridge... it is an older fridge (5-10 yrs) but is a side by side model.... my wife says I can keep it and use it to store beer out in the garage if I'd like..

is there any way to convert this thing to be able to hold a keg of beer?? and I don't mean a little pony keg... ideally the keg would fit in it and I'd have a tap coming off the front..
 
BW...

true about the false economy... however it is nice to be able to just stick out a glass and get some draft beer at home... definitely adds a "cool" factor to doing yard work and other projects around the house..

there has got to be a way to do this... perhaps disconnect the freezer portion and cut out the center divider? then fab up a shelf in there?
 
The key to keeping a keg at home is a co2 system. Otherwise, it will go flat within a day after you tap it.
 
My Friends dad has a fridge in his garage w/ a keg in it. He turned it sideways and drilled a hole and spout out of the side. A side by side probably wouldn't be wide enough to even hold a pony keg though.
 
I imagine it could be done, but it would be a major PIA. Just buy or trade for someone elses old fridge.
 
Oh, it definitely can be done. Look into homebrew setups. I'm sure you're interested in store-bought beer, but if you set up like you are for homebrew using 5 gallon soda kegs for beer, you can always go buy store bought beer, transfer to the 5 gallon kegs, pressurize, and refridgerate them, and use them at will, or even get into brewing your own later on.

My bro and I turned a chest freezer into a 4 tap kegerator right after I graduated from college - it's pretty slick, and we've done homebrew and done the store-bought keg thing too.

Best advice is to seek help from hard core homebrewers online - they'll know what's up.
 
boozehound... interesting... I do homebrew when I have time, but have never thought about those kegs.... guess I'll have to research that some...
 
I think they're called Cornelius kegs. Hold 5 gallons of beer. I don't know if you can buy commercial beer in them. You can get them at any homebrew store.
 
I wish I had some pictures of the setup my Dad had a few years back. The fridge was/is OLD and no longer works, but it had a tap coming out the side with the full co2 setup and everything....even had a "Stroh's" clock hanging above it that someone gave him.

Next time I'm back home I'm going to have to remember to take some pictures and show what a piece of work this thing was.
 
I turned an old fridge into a kegerator this past summer and really enjoy it. You need to have at least 16.5 inches width available for a full size (15.5 gallon) keg and about 29.5 inches in height. The keg is about 25 inches high, but you need enough space for the coupler.

Yes, you will need a CO2 system. Rather than drill through the fridge and put in a tap, what I use is a picnic tap connected to the coupler and then the CO2 tank connected to the coupler through a regulator. All of these things are available new in Austin at Austin Homebrew or you can find used stuff on ebay.

The picnic tap is nice because I can pull my keg out of the fridge and plunk it in a heavy duty trashcan (add ice) and take it anywhere. Took it down to DKR several times this past year.

I absolutely love the magnificent beers that Live Oak Brewing here in Austin produces and the kegerator lets me have it available for any event. Fresh Live Oak is the best beer I have ever had anywhere. They also sell burnt orange shirts which is neat. The Link
 
You have to be careful drilling through the door or side if you're running a tap.
A lot of times there are freon lines running where you would not expect them. I use a 5 gallon cornelius keg, and just open the fridge door when I'm thirsty.
 
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