Phase I Complete

The finished product, along with a nice selection I've been storing in the fridge until the kegerator conversion is done.

The bottom parts have no-slip glued to the wood to protect the plastic refrigerator surfaces.

And thanks to my wonderful wife for doing the staining and finishing for me!

Shelves Constructed

I chose red oak for the supports due to strength and beauty; I chose cedar for the shelves because it's lightweight, durable, and smells nice. Here are the pieces cut, partially assembled, and finished.

There will be an upright made of red oak to which I'll mount the stainless steel keg faucet.

Additional cost for stain and miscellaneous hardware: $25

Lumber Acquired

The next step in the process is to build shelving for the commercial (and eventually homebrew) kegs to sit on. Since they weigh in excess of 60 lbs for a 1/6 keg, and I plan to have a couple plus a 15 lb CO2 tank sit on them, I need good support. http://kegging.org/make-a-kegerator.html

I decided to have the complete kegging system reside entirely inside the refrigerator. This would avoid drilling holes through the front. The primary concern came after reading experiences that the tap handle was always cold. This seems energy-inefficient to me, particularly since the kegerator will reside in my Florida garage.

After making this decision, I realized I would need a suitable mount for the taps. I did some quick sketching of the shelves and an upright mounting board. After a trip to Home Depot to see what I could get cheaply (and considering what I had on-hand from a previous project), I settled on cedar for the shelving and red oak for the upright to which stainless steel taps and drain tray would be mounted. I think the stainless and aluminum will look very nice against stained red oak.

Total for wood products: $40 (wood to build shelf supports was on-hand)

Refrigerator Acquired

Refrigerator acquired, $160 delivered. Brand new Frigidaire, never been used. Got a great deal from a guy who bought a new house and didn't need the new fridge they installed to flip the property. Gotta love craigslist.

Homebrewing 2.0: The Master Plan

After a 6 year absence from the homebrewing scene, I've decided to get back into it. The high-level plan is:

1. Convert a fridge for commercial kegs (Sanke)
2. Build a temperature-controlled fermentation "closet"
3. Restock homebrewing equipment, this time with Corny kegs
4. Adapt commercial keg fridge for Corny kegs
5. Enjoy homebrew!