Greetings!
So with our recent move we found that there was more room in our new home. This promptly got me thinking about setting up a little bar area, and freed up space that I was taking in the kitchen with my brewing stuff. I built a bar downstairs and have started kegging. By far the biggest transformation for me since I started brewing. I wanted to share some photos of the work, along with some fixes I had to do to get the tap and keg to fit. Keep in mind I am not a master craftsman. Really this is the first thing I have ever really built.
First problem was how to close the gap from the top of the keggorator to the bottom of the bar without losing cold and keeping the beer lines cold.
Solution is two toilet flanges and a dryer duct. I glued the top flange to the bottom of the bar and filled the space with cotton balls for insulation.
With my first kegged beer, a delicious Porter!
getting some finishing touches. Still not done but getting there!
Excellent build! I like the way you can make it go away quickly if absolutely necessary. Always have an exit plan. Quality construction and intuitive craftsmanship. May I suggest caulk for the counter top? Someone will knock a glass over if they haven’t already,
Thanks for the comments! A couple of things I noticed I want to improve if I build another. First, I got the plans from barplans.com. Pretty simple instructions. From there I modified a couple of things, for better or worse. First the top according to the plans should be a single sheet of oak veneer. This is pretty expensive, so I went with a couple 2x4s and put them together with glue and screwed them on. Looks neat, but as you guys mentioned there is some uneven parts between the boards that I couldnt fix. Maybe working with smaller sections or using clamps for a longer period of time to get them even. I learned that when buying wood the ol eyeball makes them all look straight, but when putting it together it isnt quite the case.
Any suggestions for the end of the bar that does not have the tap? I thought about cutting in a dry sink, not sure what else I can do.
Another tap would be great. I think I will move up to a 2 or 3 tap soon. This was my first time kegging and I am blown away on how easy it has made everything. So easy that I have been thinking what my next expansion will be. The keggorator will hold 3 kegs easy, so why not have 3 taps? The other line of effort for me though is making the steps to all grain. So much to do!
I hear ya! When I first started kegging I had one keg and one of those picnic taps. Now I’ve got a larger fridge w/ 3 regular taps and 1 nitro set up! I think I have about 8 kegs now, maybe 9 as I’m starting to lose count.
