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Save 25% On a BrewZilla Home Brewing System

MoreBeer.com Promo Codes and Coupons
Promo Code Description: Save up to 25% on BrewZilla and Bigiboil home beer brewing systems

MoreBeer.com Promo Code

Save 25% On Brew Zilla Home Brewing Systems with this MoreBeer.com Promo Code

Save 25% On Brew Zilla Home Brewing Systems with this MoreBeer.com Promo Code

Promo Code Description: Get a BrewZilla home brewery for just $349 or a DigiBoil for just $159 with this MoreBeer.com promo code
Promo Code Date: 11/15/2022 to 11/17/2022
MoreBeer Coupon Code: ZILLAKIT
MoreBeer.com Promo Code Type: MoreBeer Coupon Codes for November, 2022 Limited Time and Quantity

MoreBeer Promo Code Link:
Save up to 25% on BrewZilla and Bigiboil home beer brewing systems

View our top homebrewing promo codes and coupons at:   https://homebrewingcoupon.com/

Information on the 9 Gallon BrewZilla 120v Homebrew System from MoreBeer.com

We’ve seen a lot of all-in-one systems over the years, but none are as feature-packed and affordable as the Brew Zilla. While other units simply maintain your set temperature, the Brew Zilla home breweryfeatures a sophisticated digital controller which can be programmed with a full mash schedule, executing each step automatically. The built-in pump will continuously recirculate wort during the mash for more even heat distribution and higher efficiency, but thanks to the integrated camlock fitting, it has even more functionality. Add the optional whirlpool arm to make your late hop additions pop and speed up chilling time, or connect a camlock fitting and tubing to transfer wort to your fermenter. These are just a couple of reasons why MoreBeer loves the BrewZilla, but there are so many More!

Best Features:

Sophisticated digital controller capable of programmed mash steps, boil addition timers and delayed start
Built-in pump for constant recirculation during mash or whirlpooling and transferring with optional accessories
Full depth malt pipe for higher mash efficiency and capable of running small batches without a pricey adapter
Multiple power modes to cover each step of the brew day – low power to gently heat your mash up to full power for a rolling boil
Wort chiller included! Perfectly sized for this system and adds even more value to your purchase of the Brew Zilla
High capacity brewhouse – with a volume of over 9 gallons, you can fit more grain and more wort to make
Single wall design doesn’t trap in heat – chill your wort quickly after the boil!
Super convenient bottom handle makes lifting/pouring a breeze
This is the best price for an all-in-one brewing system you’ll find, period.
If you want to jump into all grain brewing right from your first batch, or as an upgrade from malt extract brewing, the Brew Zilla is a complete turn key solution. The Brew Zilla is an all-in-one electric brewery that has built-in elements for heating and boiling, programmable mash schedule and delayed start, a built-in pump for recirculation, an onboard water resistant control panel for setting and monitoring temperatures, a removable grain basket, and a built-in spigot for transferring. It is extremely portable and uses 110V power so it can be used nearly anywhere.

The BrewZilla  version 3.1.1 unit features an upgraded main circuit board that changes how the automatic step mashing functions. Now when moving from step to step, the timer for each step will not begin counting down until the programmed temperature is reached. This means more accurate mash schedules than ever before! The new board also introduces boil addition timers so you’ll never miss the mark for hop additions.

To get the Wort Chiller Connection Kit for free, add the item to your cart along with the Brew Zilla and use code ZILLAKIT at checkout.

New accessory! Check out the BrewZilla Whirlpool Arm, which uses the unit’s internal pump to recirculate and spin the wort, improving hop extraction and chill times. No more stirring!

Automatic Step Mashing & Delayed Start!
One of the coolest features of the BrewZilla is the ability to program the unit with up to 6 individual temperatures and durations so you can step mash precisely how you desire. Simply press the “S1-S6” button to select the stage you want to adjust, and use the temp, time and +/- buttons to program the stage. If you have less than 6 stages in your mash schedule, program the stages you want to skip with 00:00 as the time and the controller will automatically move on to the next step. When all the stages are complete, the unit will sound an alarm and hold the last set temperature.

The programmable stages can also be used to set a delayed start of up to 23 hours in advance so that you can have your water hot and ready to go when you get home from work or wake up in the morning. In order to do this, fill the unit with strike water and program the controller with two steps. Step 1 should be programmed at a temperature lower than the unheated strike water (so the elements will remain off), and the duration should be programmed for however long you want the delay. Then program Step 2 with your desired strike water temperature and a duration of 1-2 hours, giving the BrewZilla ample time to heat up and giving you a margin of error in case you hit the snooze button the morning of brew day.

Recirculating Mash with Full Depth Malt Pipe
The built-in magnetic drive pump easily recirculates wort during the mash. We recommend getting some silicone tubing to go with the recirculation arm. This allows you more control over the recirculation and you can then use the pump to transfer your wort to your fermenter. As with any mash, be sure to stir your grain very thoroughly after mashing-in so you start out with an even temperature throughout the grain bed.

Some competing models advertise their perforated malt pipes as “high flow”, but what they don’t mention is how this affects efficiency. When recirculating the mash, wort will escape through the side perforations rather than passing through the grain at the bottom-most end of the malt pipe which can lead to lower efficiency. The BrewZilla’s malt pipe is designed so that recirculating wort must pass through the entire grain bed before escaping through the false bottom and being pumped over the top of the grain bed again. If you’re worried about the flow rate, simply add a pound or two of rice hulls to your grain bill. This is especially recommended when brewing with a high level of wheat, oat, or flaked grains.

Power & Heating Control
Dual heating elements run off of a single 110 volt plug and have individual switches allowing for more control over the heating process. One element is 1000 watts and the other is 500 for a combined 1500 watts! Use both when you need to ramp up the temperature quickly either at the start to get to your mash temp or to go from your mash temp to boiling. Use only one of the elements when you want to hold a temperature.

We highly recommend adding the optional BrewZilla Neoprene Jacket to help reduce heating times and maintain a more vigorous boil. The extra thick neoprene jacket is custom designed to insulate the entire kettle portion of the BrewZilla while staying out of the way of the ball valve and handles. The jacket can help you acheive up to 10% faster heat up times and cut heat loss from the boiler in half. And when it comes time to cool your wort after the boil, simply remove the jacket! While other units boast a double wall design for better heat retention, this actually becomes a disadvantage when it comes to chilling.

The digital control panel makes it easy to see the current temperature and set the temperature you want. The digital controller is also water resistant so don’t worry about spills or some water dripping down the side. This controller is built for brewing!

The brewery also includes a stainless steel malt pipe with false bottom allowing you to easily shift from mash tun to boil kettle during your brew day. The malt pipe includes a handle to lift it out and tabs at the base so you can set the malt pipe over the kettle to let the wort drain out. It also has feet at its base to raise the malt pipe slightly off the base and help prevent clogging.

The included stainless steel wort chiller is shipped with bare ends so you can set it up for your situation. We list below the most common tubing and fittings to connect to a hose, hose bib, or faucet.

What MoreBeer! loves about this product: Homebrewing is trending in the direction of all-in-one, all-grain brewing systems and the BrewZilla is the ultimate value. The cost is half of the next comparable system with programmable mash steps and nearly the same as buying converted coolers and a kettle. We’ve brewed on all the systems and we can truly say the BrewZilla is the easiest to use. We feel confident that a lot of first time brewers could buy this and use it with ease. At the same time quite a few of our experienced, all-grain brewing staff are buying it to brew at home. The unit is extremely compact because the pump is built-in to the bottom of the unit. You can move it around with ease which makes it perfect for guys and gals that have space constraints. Someone on the team also mentioned how they like that you can drain it via gravity without having to use the pump. All in all a great buy and highly recommended. Please note you will need a few extra pieces of hardware to connect the wort chiller and at least 2′ of silicone tubing for the sparge.

Use the Pump for More Than Just Recirculation!
One of the surprisingly handy features of the BrewZilla is that the recirculation pipe features a female camlock. This allows you to hook up other accessories and use the unit’s pump for more than just recirculating wort. With a male camlock and silicone tubing, for example, you can use the internal pump to push wort through a plate chiller or counterflow chiller. Check out our selection of camlock fittings here.

Brew Zilla Features:

Stainless steel construction
9 gallon total capacity with a finished beer output of 5-6 gallons
Digital temperature controller
Automatic step mashing with 6 programmable stages
110V power and plug
Dual heating elements for total control (1000 watts and 500 watts)
Stainless steel 1/2 inch ball valve for draining (dont have to use the pump)
Immersion wort chiller included
Stainless steel malt pipe/basket
Stamped in volume markers
Glass lid
Magnetic drive pump for recirculation
Recirculation arm
Bottom handle for easy lifting and pouring
Upgraded rocker switches
Temperature reads in °F or °C (press and hold temp button for several seconds to adjust)

A Great Last Minute Gift for Home Brewers! A Brew Your Own Magazine Subscription for 50% Off with this More Beer Promo Code

Brew Your Own Magazine Promo Code

If you are looking for a last minute homebrew gift for the home brewer in your life look no further.  Brew Your Own Magazine is the best home brewing publication out there.  It features, home beer brewing recipes and focuses on the latest home brewing trends while not forgetting about the long legacy of traditional beer brewing.

Brew Your Own Magazine Promo Code

Brew Your Own Magazine Promo Code

Brew Your Own Magazine Promo Code Description: Use this MoreBeer.com Coupon Code and SAVE 50% on Brew Your Own Magazine Subscription for Home Beer Brewers.
Promo Code Date: 12/17/2019 to 12/19/2019
MoreBeer Coupon Code: BYO50
MoreBeer.com Promo Code Type: MoreBeer Coupon Codes for December, 2019 Limited Time and Quantity
MoreBeer Promo Code Link: Save 50% on Brew Your Own Homebrewing Magazine at MoreBeer.com with Promo Code

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New Stainless Steel Manifold for my More Beer Ultimate Sparge Arm and Stainless Steel Braid for My Home Brewing Tubes

Stainless Steel Ultimate Sparge Arm

I purchased my MoreBeer.com  Ultimate Stainless Steel Sparge Arm about 4 years ago. I still consider it to be one of my very best home brewing purchases. It has been durable, functional, reliable and most importantly clog free for me over the years.

One home brewing modification that I recently did, made something great even better!  In my home brewery, I use a electric heating bar that allows me to lock in the temperature of my mash with no fuss.  I just recirculate my mash, set the desired temperature and I am done.  The mash recirculates back into the mash tun via my stainless steel sparge arm. Previously, I would then disconnect the sparge arm from the mash tun and connect it to my hot liquor tank when it was time to mash out.  Now with the new stainless steel manifold that I made for the sparge arm, it is much safer and as easy as turning a nob.

More Beer Stainless Steel Sparge Arm

More Beer Stainless Steel Sparge Arm

The above photo illustrates how it works. I swapped out the existing ball valve and added in 3 mini stainless steel ball valves as well as a stainless steel 1/2″ tee fitting and 2 90 degree stainless steel elbows. The whole process only took about 30 minutes to complete. I then covered the high temp silicone tubing with stainless steel braiding to make them easier to handle, reduce kinking and make it look a little sharper. Here is a list of all of the parts that I purchase for the project:

 

Stainless Steel Sparge Arm for Home Beer Brewing

Stainless Steel Sparge Arm for Home Beer Brewing

1  – MoreBeer Ultimate Stainless Steel Sparge Arm

Home Brewing Stainless Steel Mini Ball Valves

Home Brewing Stainless Steel Mini Ball Valves

3  – Stainless Steel Mini Ball Valves for Home Brewing

 

Half Inch Stainless Steel Elbows for Home Brewing

Half Inch Stainless Steel Elbows for Home Brewing

2 – Stainless Steel .5″ Elbows for Homebrew

 

Stainless Steel Quick Connects for Home Brewing

Stainless Steel Quick Connects for Home Brewing

1 – 4 Pack of .5″ Stainless Steel Quick Connects and Stainless Steel Quick Disconnects for Homebrewing

 

Stainless Steel Half Inch Braid for Home Brewing Tube

Stainless Steel Half Inch Braid for Home Brewing Tube

1 –  Home Brewing Stainless Steel Half Inch Braid for Homebrew Tube

Everything worked out great on the project.  I tested for leaks and cleaned all of the parts well with a hot mixture of PBW home brewing cleaner and water. Just a couple of tips. I ran three loops of teflon tape for all of the connections.  I tightened all of the fittings as tightly as I could. For the stainless steel 1/2″ braiding for the home brewing hoses, I ran a small .5″ pipe through it first to stretch it out, then inserted the silicone tubing and that made getting on the tube much easier. I can’t wait to put it all to good use on my next batch of homebrew, which will either be a Coconut Porter or a Hazy IPA.  If you have any questions on anything, just hit me up with a comment or on Facebook.

Stainless Steel Mini Keg Dispenser & Portable Kegerator Kit

Mini Keg Stainless Steel Homebrew Dispenser

It has been a little while since I got any cool new home brewing gear, so I was pretty excited when the Amazon guy dropped this package off! One of my good friends is going to be getting married later this month. I figured that I would bring some home brewed beer to help celebrate. I have a Milkshake Hazy IPA in the fermentation chamber that should finish up just in time. The wedding is about 8 hours away and I am unfortunately limited on how much I can bring. Unfortunately a full sized keg is out of the question. So I began my search and finally ended up selecting this 128 oz stainless steel mini keg draft beer dispenser.

After cleaning all of the items well and assembling the parts (took about 5 minutes), I put some beer in the mini keg to try it out and it worked perfectly.  It has a mini regulator that features a gauge so that you can carefully control the PSI of your CO2.  I set the PSI to 5 and it poured beer perfectly with out excess foam or spitting beer halfway across the room. They say that the CO2 cartridge should last for at least one mini kegs worth of beer but I have yet to deplete one. The mini keg beer dispenser holds right about 8 pints of beer and you can purchase additional 128 oz mini kegs separately for about $35 each. I have a 64 oz stainless steel mini keg that I am also planning on bringing with my latest Viking Double IPA so that I have a little variety. They also offer a insulator sleeve, but I am going to try an keep it in a bucket filled with ice, so hopefully that will do the trick.

Here are some of the features of this mini keg draft beer system:

  • Keeps beer vacuum pressured and fresh for up to 2 months
  • Perfect for any homebrew or craft beer
  • Each CO2 cartridge will pump around 128 oz of beer before depleting CO2 cartridge
  • Monitor the mini keg growler’s current PSI from the regulator gauge and fine tune pressure by rotating the adjustment knob
  • Add the optional insulator sleeve to help keep beer cold
  • The accessories and mini keg are all constructed with 304 food grade stainless steel
  • Includes a pressure release valve
  • Laser marked at the fill level
  • Includes metal screw on lid for easy portable transportation and storage
  • The perfect size to fits in your home fridge

Perhaps the best feature of this stainless steel mini keg was the price! Amazon has it on sale with free next day shipping for just $114! If you are in the market for a great little draft beer system to help you transport your homebrew for the holidays, you can use the following link.

Stainless Steel Mini Keg Draft Beer System for $114

Stainless Steel Mini Keg Kegerator

Stainless Steel Mini Keg Kegerator

All The Small Things – Notch-Yo Lid

Like with many hobbies, home brewing has a learning curve.  Initially there is a lot of information to take in and many processes to keep track of. In time, you gather knowledge and experience and you master the fundamentals of brewing.  Where home brewing differs from many hobbies is that once you have done so, there are a variety of tangents that you can pursue. For instance you can explore water chemistry and the impacts on different styles of beer, design your own beer recipes and figure out which hops best compliment a specific yeast strain, try different mashing techniques and focus on boosting your brew house efficiency or even build and customize your own brewing hardware. At some point along the way, if you home-brew long enough; what makes your beer unique is all of the small things that you learn, apply in your process and customize along the way.

On the topic of all of the small things, one of the things that I should have done long ago was place a notch in my mash tun lid to accommodate my sparge arm. Prior do doing so I had to leave my lid ajar, allowing heat to escape from my mash tun, requiring my RIMS system to use more energy to compensate.  I am not going to lie, any upgrade or project that requires me to drill into or cut in to one of my stainless steel Blichmann kettles make me a little nervous. After all, the last thing that I want to do is ruin one of my vital pieces of home brewing hardware. The good news is that I almost never use a lid on my Boil Kettle, so if I jacked up the mash tun lid bad enough, I had a backup!

I used three tools for this project, an angle grinder (costs about $30 if you do not already have one), a file to clean up the rough edges and sharp spots and a dremel (or drill) with a fine grinding bit to shape the groves more precisely so that the lid would fit snugly against the sparge arm. Although initially intimidating, it really was not so challenging.  My best advice is to measure conservatively for your initial grinder cut and use the dremel to remove any excess metal. The vertical cuts are easy with the grinder, but the horizontal cut can be challenging if you are not careful. As a final touch I may add a silicone stopper and trim it to fill some of the small gaps that still exist; but even with out that I am very happy with how it turned out! Also, if you are looking for an incredible stainless steel sparge arm, I can not recommend the More Beer Ultimate Sparge Arm highly enough.  I have used it for around 3 years now and it had performed flawlessly.

More Beer Stainless Steel Sparge Arm

More Beer Stainless Steel Sparge Arm

The Kegerator Has Been Filled

The Kegerator has been filled to capacity once again thanks to lots of holiday home brewing. I am carbonating a hazy New England IPA and MoreBeer’s Hop Gatherer IPA. I plan on reviewing them in a week or two once they are fully carbonated and have some time to condition.

I dry hopped both of these batches, but what was unique about the Hop Gatherer IPA beer kit is that it came with something I had not previously used, Chinook distilled Hop oil. It comes in a tiny vial but smells incredibly potent! It is used as an alternative to dry hopping but I decided to use it in conjunction to help really develope the aroma in this West Coast IPA!

Distilled Hop Oil

Distilled Hop Oil

As you can see from the photo above, the vial is tiny and only holds about 10 drops or so of the distilled Hop oil. I dumped it right in to the keg immediately prior to putting the hatch on the keg to carbonate. The oil smelled strong to say the least. I put the empty vial on a shelf and my garage still smells like hops, which makes me happy; talk about aromatherapy!

Dry Hopping My Hazy IPA

 

I added my first round of dry hops to my new Hazy – New England style IPA.  As opposed to adding the hops to the beer after the fermentation has completed which is typically for a West Coast style IPA, with a Hazy you add it early in the fermentation; in this case after 3 days.  I will do a second round of dry hopping at day 7 of the fermentation as well. At this point I added 2 ounces of Mosaic hops and 1 ounce of Citra hops.  The fermentation chamber is smelling incredible to say the least!

New WestCoastBrewer.com Website

New West Coast Brewer Website

New West Coast Brewer Website

Happy and Hoppy New Year!  With the arrival of 2018, WestCoastBrewer.com is going to get a new look and feel! It will be a bit of a work in progress, fixing all of the broken links as the website transitions to its new format, so please hang in there with us. Ultimately it should be a big improvement to the old website! We hope that 2018 brings you only the best and plenty of good homebrew!

How To Clean Beer Lines and Draft Beer Systems

 

Beer Line Cleaning Kit

Beer Line Cleaning Kit

 

Just about any good home brewer will tell you that one of the first rules of home brewing beer and making good home brewed beer is cleanliness. Unfortunately humans are not the only beer lovers on the planet.  Beer is loved by everything from insects to bacteria and your home brewing and keg systems are highly susceptible to bacterial growth. Beer lines, keg fittings and taps are often times places where the like to hang out and they should be cleaned regularly.  Thankfully there are several products out there to help you keep your systems sanitary and your beer tasting good!

 

The downside of having a home draft beer system means that you also have to care for it. So I purchased a draft beer line cleaning kit and some liquid beer line cleaner which is shown above. The kit was great, it came with instructions and everything that I needed in order to do the job. The beer keg line cleaning kit came with a 1 quart hand pump that pushes Beer Line Cleaner through the draft beer system. The faucet gets removed and cleaned with the included faucet wrench and brush.  The process is relatively quick and easy and takes about 20 minutes to clean a couple beer taps out.

 

If you are interest in purchasing a draft beer line cleaning kit you can find it here:

Keg line cleaning kit

 

Keg Line Cleaning Solution

 

Here are some instructions on how to clean your keg beer lines and draft beer system:

1) Remove the tap from the keg. Use a beer faucet wrench to remove the faucet (the piece that the beer actually flows though to your glass) from the draft beer shank. The beer faucet collar should have a few holes in it, insert the wrench end into a hole and spin the collar clockwise to remove.

 

2) Next, disassemble the faucet to the point that the shaft inside can slide out. Place these parts in a bowl with 2 cups of warm water and ¼ teaspoon of Beer Line Cleaner. Put one cap full of beer line cleaner into the beer line pump jar and fill with warm water. Attach the lid pump unit back on the jar. Get a bucket to collect the fluid running from the tap. Insert the cleaning brush small end into the bottom of the tap to allow the flow to go through if needed.

 

3) Pump the cleaning solution though line and tap allowing the solution to sit in the lines for 10–15 minutes, then pump through. Follow this with 1–2 jars of water to rinse. Remove the brush from the tap.

 

4) Use the brush and a towel to clean the draft beer faucet and then rinse with clean water. Reassemble the faucet, hand tighten parts, leave loose enough so that they move freely. Attach the faucet back onto the shank again, using the wrench, do not over tighten, just tighten enough so that it does not leak any precious beer!

 

Just let me know if you have any questions on how to clean your draft beer system and keg lines.

MoreBeer’s Hop Rhizome Sale Going On Now!

MoreBeer hop rhizome sale - Save 30% on Hop Plants

MoreBeer hop rhizome sale – Save 30% on Hop Plants

 

Limited time and quantity promo code from  MoreBeer.com
Promo Codes for the Month of February, 2017
Coupon Code Date:
2-6-2017 to 2-10-2017
Promotion Details:
 Save up to 30% on Hop Rhizomes
Promo Code:
HOP RHIZOME SALE
Coupon Description
:  Right now More Beer has a sale going on for their hop rhizomes.  If you act now, you can save 30% on a variety of hop rhizomes including sterling, columbus, cascade, centennial, chinook and many more!  These items also qualify for the MoreBeer free shipping offer!

MoreBeer.com Coupon Code Hop Rhizome Sale

 

 

How to Build a Kegerator

Guide on how to convert an old refrigerator in to a kegerator #kegerator #guide #howto #DIY

Guide on how to convert an old refrigerator in to a kegerator #kegerator #guide #howto #DIY

 

For the last several years, I have been using a boring old white refrigerator to store my kegs. Originally when it came time to purchase one, I was just looking for the best deal out there on a refrigerator that could keep my homebrew cold. I have been serving my beer from picnic \ cobra taps that sit lose on top of the kegs in my fridge. A couple of weeks ago I decided to take the keg fridge to the next level and convert it to a full fledged Kegerator with for taps to accommodate all of my kegs. After ordering the beer tap hardware at MoreBeer and taking a trip to the local hardware supply shop, I had everything that I needed to begin my work.

 

My goal for this homebrewing blog entry is to list out all of the basics of what you will need to conduct the process yourself but I am sure to miss something and if you need any specifics please feel free to ask; I am happy to help if I can.  Please keep in mind that I am not a carpenter, engineer or machinist; so there are probably 10 better ways of doing this, I am just trying to share my experience in case it helps someone else out.

 

Step 1 – Ordering your gear!
I figured that if I am going to take the time to do this project, I was going to do it right!  Recently MoreBeer started to carry Intertap stainless steel beer facuets – tap, which are basically the Holy Grail of beer taps and the best beer faucets currently available!

 

 

Intertap Stainless Steel Beer Faucets, Shanks and Beer Taps! #intertap #beer #taps #faucets #stainless #steel

Intertap Stainless Steel Beer Faucets, Shanks and Beer Taps! #intertap #beer #taps #faucets #stainless #steel

 

I chose these intertap beer faucets for a few different reasons.  For one, they offered an all stainless steel faucets which is important to me because I want it to last, I want my homebrew beer serving to be as sanitary as possbile and I do not want to be worrying about releasing strange metallic particulates in to my beer like I do when using an old chrome tap that erodes after time. Another great thing about  these Intertap beer faucets is that they are forward sealing and with forward-sealing faucets the faucet keeps beer in it so the inside doesn’t have a chance to get sticky. This makes cleaning your draft beer system far easier. It also reduces the chance of off flavors transferring to your beer while you are pouring. One of the things that sets Intertap beer taps apart from other forward sealing beer taps is that Intertap faucets use a sliding shuttle that guides the internal o-ring into the perfect position every time. The Intertap stainless steel faucets are also modularly designed  allowing you to add helpful items like a ball lock spout, stainless steel growler filling spout and an elongated stout beer spout! They have two varieties of beer faucets in all stainless and 1 features a flow control lever.  I ended up getting one of the stainless steel flow control beer faucet and three of the standard stainless steel beer faucets.

 

MoreBeer has the best price I have found for Intertap Faucets and they also offer free shipping on any home brewing equipment or supply orders over $59.  Here are links to them as well as links to the anti-microbial beer line which I also highly recommend. Do not forget to pick a shank for each beer faucet, I got the 4″ shanks and they have me plenty of extra room to run them into my refrigerator door.

 

Intertap Forward Sealing Stainless Steel Beer Faucet

 

Intertap Forward Sealing Stainless Steel Beer Faucet with Flow Control

 

Intertap Stainless Steel Beer Faucet and Beer Tap Shanks

 

Ultra Barrier  Antimicrobial and PVC Free Beer Tubing

 

 

West Coast Brewer Beer Tap Handles

West Coast Brewer Beer Tap Handles

 

For now, I am using chalkboard tap handles, which make it convenient to remind me which beer is on which which tap in case I consume a few too many and can no longer remember. At some point I would like to design a handle for each one of my home brewed beer that I make;  but for now, these look great and are very functional tap handles.  They come in both chalkboard style tap handles and white board dry erase tap handles:

 

Chalkboard Beer Tap Handles

 

Whiteboard Dry Erase Tap Handles

 

Depending on what draft beer equipment you are starting with or if you have anything at all for that matter, there may be a few other items that you want to pick up, such as a CO2 manifold (which permits you to dispence CO2 to multiple beer kegs from one tank or regulator), homebrewing beer kegs, a CO2 Tank and regulator. Here is a link to a great place to start if your are looking for an entire draft beer setup or just random draft beer and keg items:

 

Draft Beer and Keg Equipment

 

Those were the items that I picked up at MoreBeer, the remaining items I purchased at my local Lowes. I purchased 1 box of Stainmaster Vinyl flooring, which is great because it is resistant to liquid and stains; two things you need to consider when building your kegerator. Normal wood flooring does not do well with moisture so I would recommend avoiding it if possible.

I also picked up a small container of vinyl flooring adhesive, a plastic spreading knife, a razor blade cutting knife (to cut the vinyl flooring), a 1″ drill bill to cut the shank holes for the beer taps, chalkboard spray paint (for the refrigerator upper door), a 3″ wide plank of wood (to make a frame for the upper door), some wood stain to match the vinyl flooring, black duct tape for trim and a brushed aluminum kick plate to put on over the vinyl but under the beer faucets and tap handles.

 

Vinyl Fake Wood Flooring for my Kegerator Door

Vinyl Fake Wood Flooring for my Kegerator Door

 

Once you have all of your supplies in hand, it is time to get to work!  I started off my shutting off the refrigerator and giving it a good cleaning. Next I removed both of the refrigerator doors and all of the handles and hardware from the doors. I then sanded the refrigerator doors with a high grit sandpaper to make them more receptive to the vinyl adhesive and chalkboard spray paint. I did not remove all the paint but instead just roughed them up a bit. I then measured and cut the flooring so that it would fit my refrigerator door.  After making all of the needed cuts, I applied the adhesive to the lower refrigerator door. I waited approximately 10 minutes as per the instructions for my adhesive and began to put the vinyl planks in place. I tried my best to mix the planks up a bit so that it did not look to repetitive as can be the case with synthetic flooring.

 

Placing the vinyl flooring on the refrigerator door.

Placing the vinyl flooring on the refrigerator door.

 

These Stainmaster vinyl flooring planks were very easy to install. They locked in to place with one another crating a strong bond. After placing all of the vinyl wood planks, I put pressed down on each of the planks firmly and then set it to the side to allow it to dry.  Next I began work on painting the upper door, building the wood frame and preparing the mash paddle door handle for the kegerator.

After giving it a little thought, I figured that I would paint the upper door with a chalkboard spray paint. I was hoping it would add some contrast to the kegerator doors and would also give me the option of adding some notes about the beer being served or allow me to change the appearance of the fridge easily by modifying the drawing on the board. Painting the door was very easy and I gave it two coats of paint.

 

Chalkboard kegerator door

Chalkboard kegerator door

 

After the upper kegerator door was painted, I began my work on creating a simple frame to give it a border and add some cohesion with the rest of the kegerator. I searched for the cheapest 3″ wide plank I could find at Lowes and had them cut it to the appropriate sized lengths which they are always kind enough to do at no cost. I joined the pieces together with some wood glue and staples. I was going for a rustic look so was not too concerned with any rough edges or the staples showing. I sealed some of the gaps with putty, sanded it down a bit and then stained the wood. Lastly I applied a clear acrylic coat once the stain had dried.

 

Chalkboard upper door frame for the homebrewing kegerator

Chalkboard upper door frame for the homebrewing kegerator

 

Next up was crating a door handle for my homebrew kegerator.  I wanted a door handle that said beer and homebrewing when you looked at it! So I decided to use an old mash paddle that I had hanging around the garage. I am really pleased with how it worked out, it is very functional and has the look and feel that I desired for my kegerator. I started by staining the mash paddle to a color that would contrast the wood on the doors but compliment the beer tap handles. I then drilled the mounting holes and used a wine cork as a spacer so that the top of the handle would have about an inch of gap between the kegerator door to make it more easy to open. I used a heavy stainless steel bolt to mount the top of the handle so that it would not pull off the door if one of my buddies starts lifting weights and pull the door open too hard.

 

Home Brewing Mash Paddle for a refrigerator door handle

Home Brewing Mash Paddle for a refrigerator door handle

 

Once the kegerator door handle was completed I mounted the doors back on the kegerator after I had verified that the flooring had adhered well enough and the paint had dried. Next I installed the brushed aluminum kick plate to the lower door after measuring it and cutting the excess metal off with a pair of tin snips. I placed the kick plate in the center of the area where I was planning on installing my stainless steel beer taps. I simply drilled it in with screws that would be long enough length to make it into the door but not so long as to pass in to the interior of the kegerator.

 

Home Brewing Kegerator Stainless Steel Plate for Tap Handles and Faucets

Home Brewing Kegerator Stainless Steel Plate for Tap Handles and Faucets

 

Once the kick plate was installed, it was time to position and install the frame for the upper kegerator door. I drilled some pilot holes and affixed the frame to the upper door with 4 screws. I then mounted the mash paddle kegerator door handle and applied some vinyl squid decals that I picked up online to add a little something different to the kegerator. It was then time to install the beer tap shanks! I drilled pilot holes and used my 1″ drill bit to cut the 4 holes for the stainless steel Intertap tap shanks.  If I had this part of the process to do over again, I think I would have switched drill bits to a 1″ saw style drill bit as I think the holes would have been a little cleaner. On one of the holes that I drilled, some of the plastic splintered on the inside of the kegerator.  It was not a big deal, but could have been better.

 

How to cut a draft beer tap hole for your kegerator

How to cut a draft beer tap hole for your kegerator

 

If you are like me and do not have room to fit your CO2 tank in your kegerator and or do not want to store your CO2 tank in the kegerator then you will need to drill a hole in the door to pass the CO2 line.  I did so with a 1/4″ stainless steel pipe and brass fittings. It works well and makes it easy to disconnect from the kegerator door if needed. Eventually I am also going to drill 3 additional holes so that I can connect my SS BrewTech conical fermenter chilling system; but that is for a later homebrewing blog!

 

Install the CO2 hardware for your kegerator

Install the CO2 hardware for your kegerator

 

if you are reading this while you are building your own kegerator, at this point all of the hard work is behind you and you are probably ready for a beer! Next clean up the mess that you have certainly created from drilling in to vinyl and styrofoam. Then slide the shanks in to the holes and tighten down the bolts on the inside of the homebrew kegerator.  Once the stainless steel tap shanks are tightened in to place, you can install the beer taps – faucets on to the front of your kegerator. They make an actual wrench specifically for doing this but if you do not have one, you can simply hand tighten them. Next, attach your beer tap handles.  All that is left is to connect the kegs, test for leaks and you are ready to enjoy a nice cold beer!

I really enjoyed this project and my hope is that some of this information will help a fellow home brewer or beer lover. If you have any questions or suggestions about converting a beer fridge in to a kegerator, please feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment on the blog.

 

Building a kegerator!

Building a kegerator!

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