Author Archives: KegeratorGuy

5 Cool Kegerator Tap Handles

So, you’ve bought your new kegerator, installed it exactly how it says on the instruction manual and chosen the perfect spot to show it off. But you feel like something’s still missing – and you’re right! You can’t fully enjoy your kegerator until you’ve personalized it with a cool tap handle. There are a variety of tap handles of different materials, shapes and sizes that you can choose from to display your favorite brand, sport, or any other aspect of your personality! Not sure what kind of tap handle to get? Our list of the coolest tap handles should help you out:

Chalkboard Beer Tap Handle

The Chalkboard Beer Tap Handle has a chalkboard surface and is made out of fine Walnut. It allows you to write on the erasable surface and saves your time and money as the same tap handle can be used for every keg. The Chalkboard Beer Tap Handle is compatible with all US lever faucet threads. It is ideal for home brewers as the chalkboard surface can be used to show what’s on tap. All you need is a piece of chalk or some chalk markers to start customizing it with messages or even drawings!

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Heavy Weight Chrome Beer Faucet Tap Handle

This tap handle is made out of brass and is chrome plated which gives it a very elegant look. It is designed to fit 3/8″-16 UNC male threads and the size dimensions are 1″W x 6″H. The Heavy Weight Chrome Beer Faucet Tap Handle is a smart pick for home draft systems as it is not always possible to keep changing your taps with every beer. Its classy look and sleek surface makes it perfect for every occasion.

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Changeable Draft Beer Tap Handle (Rectangle Top)

The Changeable Draft Beer Tap Handle is completely customizable with a Plexi-glass window that displays your personalized label. It is designed to fit all standard US faucet threads (3/8″-16 UNC). The tap handle has an attractive stained natural oak finish and is extremely easy to use. It allows you to create your own customized labels – inserting and switching them as you please. The Changeable Draft Beer Tap Handle is perfect for branded as well as home brewed beer!

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Electric Guitar Beer Tap Handle

The Electric Guitar Beer Tap Handle is 8.5 inches in height and weighs 3 pounds. This wooden beer tap handle is fashioned exactly like an electric guitar and is compatible with most beer faucets. The kegerator tap handle is stylish and perfect for any music enthusiast.

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Soccer Ball Tap Handle

If you’re a fan of soccer and your kegerator spends most of its time beside the couch in your TV room serving you and your friends while you enjoy the game on the big screen, then you need to get the Soccer Ball Tap Handle! It is easy to install and fits all standard beer draft faucets. The tap handle is made out of plastic resin and works with kegerators as well as traditional draft beer systems.

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These and numerous other tap handles are available for you to personalize your kegerators with. You can choose your tap handles from a variety of categories ranging from basic tap knobs and short handles to sports, logo and novelty tap handles. Once you’ve chosen the perfect tap handle, simply install it by twisting it onto the faucet lever and turning it clockwise. All that’s left to do, is pour and drink up!

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Advantages of Owning a Kegerator

Do you dream about being able to pour yourself crispy, chilled, draft beer in the comfort of your living room? Well, you can now turn that dream into a reality by getting your hands on a kegerator – man’s sweetest invention (for beer lovers anyway)! A kegerator looks like a mini refrigerator on the outside, and can hold different sized kegs of beer depending on its storage capacity. You can pour refreshing, cold, draft beer by simply pulling down the tap of the tower that has a line running through it into the kegerator. If you’re a beer enthusiast, read on and find out why you should consider getting yourself one!

Tastes Better

The first and biggest reason to get a kegerator is the taste. With a kegerator your beer always tastes better – something that bottled and canned beer can never match! Unlike hand pumps and coolers, kegerators keep your beer fresh for longer periods of time as they use CO2, ensuring cold, fresh beer with the perfect head.

If this were the only reason to get a kegerator, it would still be enough!

Costs Less

Buying beer by the keg is extremely cost effective, especially if you prefer expensive brands. But even if your preference is some domestic brand you will still save money! Depending on the kind of beer you drink, you can save a lot of money per year by owning a kegerator as opposed to buying bottled or canned beer. Buying a good kegerator that fits your needs is a very smart investment. In approximately two and a half years (this timespan can be much shorter depending on how much you drink) your kegerator will end up paying for itself i.e. you’ll start saving money on a monthly basis.

Be Rid of Bottles

Think about how much you hate picking up those bottles and cans from every corner of your house after a party. With a kegerator, you will never have to do that again. No more trips to the dumpster with trash bags full of clinking bottles. Kegerators keep your house free of empties and are environment friendly. Yes, your bottles and cans are recyclable, what wouldn’t it be better not to buy them in the first place?

Style

And if you’re worried about what a big keg-holding machine would look like in your gorgeous wooden living room, then you need to take a look at the latest models of this beautiful invention! Kegerators with their sleek and elegant looks are designed specially to fit into any home décor. They are available in black and silver with platinum or smudge-free stainless steel finishes and would make classy additions to your kitchen, bedroom or living rooms.

Kegerators are designed keeping the needs of beer enthusiasts in mind. They not only keep your beer chilled but also come with a number of features that make them very desirable. Most full size kegerators are easy to install, come with all the necessary parts and accessories, and can be converted into mini refrigerators. Almost all models come with caster wheels to help you move them around in a party; some even include cleaning kits and automatic defrost function. So, find a kegerator that fits your needs and enjoy crisp draft beer without setting a foot outside your living room!

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Most Common Kegerator Problems

Though home kegerators are advertised to serve perfect chilled draft beer at every pour, they are not specifically designed to do so unlike commercial models. The basic model of your kegerator is that of a mini refrigerator and thus it operates on the same principles. So it shouldn’t surprise you that these appliances do have certain limitations and may run into problems over the course of time. You will find customers complaining about the same issues in their online reviews regardless of what brand of kegerator they are using. The good news is, that most of these problems can be fixed with a little bit of work. Here are the most common kegerator problems and some quick fixes!

Temperature Issues

A common problem you may face while using an indoor kegerator is that it doesn’t cool your beer as much as you’d like. This is due to the fact that your kegerator works like a mini fridge that requires the circulation and flow of air to cool down the interior. Since most of the space inside the kegerator is taken up by the keg, there isn’t enough room for circulation of air which results in your beer not being cold enough. The simplest solution to this problem is to place a small fan inside the kegerator which will help in the circulation of cool air and decrease the temperature inside the keg. If you’re still not satisfied with the temperature, you can get a technician to calibrate the thermostat according to your needs.

Foamy Beer

Another common problem encountered by kegerator users is that the beer comes out a little too foamy. This can happen due to a number of reasons. If you’ve just put in a new keg and start pouring without giving it time to settle, you will be pouring out a lot of foam. Always check that the thermostats is working fine as warm beer also results in a foamy pour. You can put a glass of water inside the kegerator, let it come to the same temperature as that of the beer inside the keg and check the temperature with a thermometer to find out exactly what temperature your beer is stored at – and then adjust the thermostat if need be. Dirty lines and high CO2 pressure also result in foamy beer, so clean your lines regularly (preferably every time you set up new keg); also make sure that the CO2 pressure isn’t too high (ideally between 12-14 psi) and never open the CO2 tank all the way.

Problems with Defrosting

If the walls of your kegerator are staring to ice up, the taste and quality of your beer will suffer as it hinders the cooling capacity of your appliance. Make sure to defrost your kegerator regularly and check for signs of icing even if you have an auto defrost feature in your appliance.

If you were starting to have second thoughts about your decision to get a kegerator after reading scary customer reviews – don’t! Because as you can see, these problems have simple solutions and shouldn’t stand in the way of you and cold draft beer!

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Different Keg Sizes

Having a long supply of beer at home at an economic price and without losing its quality in taste is a goal many men would like to accomplish. People with no intentions of being embarrassed due to shortage of beer in a party they are hosting will go for the ultimate economical answer, beer keg and for a chilled beer with the authentic taste the kegerator will be very helpful. The kegerator comes in different sizes according to that of the beer keg. The different types of beer keg sizes are:

The Half Barrel Keg

It is the largest there is of the keg family and is mostly used in bars and restaurants. It has a diameter of 16.12” and a height of 23.3”. It carries 15.5 gallons (2063 oz) of beer and has a weight of 170 pounds when full. It is also known as the full keg and can be used in large events or business functions.

The Quarter Barrel Keg

It is 10” shorter than the half barrel keg but of equal width, making it 16.12” in diameter and 13.8” of height. It carries 7.75 gallons (1506 oz) of beer and weighs 91 pounds when full. It is usually used for small parties or home use. It is called the pony keg or stubby quarter.

The Slim Quarter Keg

This keg bears an equal amount of beer as the stubby quarter but has a totally different shape hence its name ‘slim’ quarter. It has a slender look with a height of 23.4” and a diameter of 11.25”. It is also referred to as the slim or the tall quarter. It is normally used in dual-tap kegerators for small parties.

The Sixth Barrel Keg

The torpedo as it is commonly known has the exact same height as the slim quarter keg but a smaller width. Its dimensions are 23.4” in height and 9.25” in diameter and holds 5.16 gallons (704 oz) of beer that weighs 58 pounds when full. It is usually used in dual-tap kegerators in homes and can also be used in bars without plenty of space. It is also known as the sixtel or the log.

The Cornelius Keg

It is also referred to as the soda keg, corny keg or homebrew keg. It measures 23” in height and only 9” in diameter holding just 5 gallons of beer and weighs 55 pounds when full. The Cornelius keg is usually used by home brewers as an option to putting their beer in bottles. It also has two connectors that one should be familiar with before purchasing.

The Mini Keg

It is the smallest in the keg family and only holds 1.1 gallons (169.07 oz) of beer. It is commonly used for portable applications such as picnic, watching a match with a number of friends or a small weekday gathering. Its dimensions are a height of 9.8” and a diameter of 6.75”. It is also referred to as the bubba keg.

The European Barrel keg

This keg is the second largest and holds 13.2 gallons of beer. It has dimensions of 20.94” in height and 16.06” in diameter and a weight of 130 pounds when full. It is commonly used by the European breweries and can be used for large parties and in bars too. It is also known as the import keg or the 50-l keg.

The price of a keg depends on the brand of beer, the reseller type and the geographical location. However the keg is much cheaper when compared to other beers sold in bottles or cans. A case of beer will go for an average of $17.99 while the same amount from a keg would cost an average of $8.40 thus saving $9.59 when drinking from the keg. It is all in your power to keep drinking from the kegerator while still saving a good amount of cash.

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