Is a Kegerator Worth It? Single, Dual Tap or Conversion Kit

A kegerator is worth it when you pour from the same keg often enough to finish it while it is fresh: a sixth barrel holds about 55 12 oz pours. A single tap suits one regular drink, a dual tap two smaller kegs, and a conversion kit turns a spare fridge into one without a second appliance.

How much a kegerator holds by keg size

Keg size decides whether a kegerator makes sense, because a tapped keg has a shelf life. KegWorks, a draft equipment retailer, lists the common sizes:

KegWorks gives pasteurized draft beer about 90 to 120 days and unpasteurized draft about 45 to 60 days when stored at the proper temperature and dispensed with CO2. A worked example: finishing a sixth barrel of unpasteurized draft within 45 days means about nine pours a week (55 pours over six and a half weeks). A half barrel at the same pace would outlast its freshness, so it is a party size.

Single tap or dual tap kegerators

A single or dual tap kegerator often shares the same cabinet; the tap count mostly changes how many drinks you can serve at once. Kegco, a kegerator maker, says its standard single, dual and triple faucet models can typically hold a mini keg, up to three sixth barrels, up to two quarter barrels or one half barrel.

The cabinet still limits a dual tap setup. Kegco lists its 24 inch dual tap model for one full size keg or up to three sixth barrels. Two taps means two smaller kegs, which suits a home bar better anyway: each one empties before it goes stale.

Single and dual tap kegerators

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Built-in or freestanding kegerators for a home bar

A built-in kegerator vents at the front, so it can sit inside cabinetry. Kegco describes its V24 undercounter model as front venting, so it can be built in, with a panel-ready door that takes a cabinet front.

A freestanding kegerator is not designed for a flush install and needs open space around its vents. Treat that the way the home bar cabinet guide treats wine fridges: never box in a rear-venting unit, and take the clearance figures from the owner’s manual of the model you buy. Allow height above the cabinet for the draft tower, too.

What a kegerator conversion kit includes

A kegerator conversion kit turns a refrigerator into a kegerator. MoreBeer’s deluxe kit lists the parts most kits share:

• a faucet with a knob and a shank that passes through the door or wall
• a Sanke keg coupler
• beer line and gas line with connectors
• a dual gauge CO2 regulator
• a stainless drip tray
• a 5 lb aluminum CO2 tank

MoreBeer notes that the CO2 tank ships empty, as the law requires, so you fill it locally, for example at a welding supply, and that you assemble the kit into your own fridge. Check what each listing includes before you buy. A kit makes sense when you already own a spare fridge with a flat, solid door. A purpose-built kegerator is the better buy when the bar needs a finished look or a front-venting install.

Kegerator conversion kits

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Kegerator temperature, pressure and line cleaning

A kegerator needs steady cold, the right gas pressure and clean lines. KegWorks recommends keeping kegs at 38°F, notes that bacteria can grow above 50°F, and warns that beer freezes at around 28°F. Brew Your Own, a homebrewing magazine, explains that the right CO2 pressure depends on the keg’s temperature, so set the regulator for the keg you have rather than guessing.

Line cleaning is the part owners skip. Micro Matic says to clean the faucet, beer line and coupler every 14 days, because bacteria feed on beer and leave a film that spoils its flavor; KegWorks suggests cleaning the lines after every half keg. Budget for a cleaning kit when you buy the kegerator.

Kegerators beyond beer: cold brew coffee on tap

A kegerator can also pour cold brew coffee, which suits a bar used in the morning as well as the evening. KegWorks sells coffee kegerators for nitro cold brew, which use a nitrogen tank and regulator rather than CO2, and a stout faucet. KegWorks says nitro coffee is too corrosive for anything but stainless steel where it touches the system, including the shank and faucet, so check those parts before adapting a beer setup.

A kegerator is one of the larger pieces of a home bar. Plan its place alongside the rest, from glassware to garnishes such as cocktail cherries, in the home bar setup guide, and see the bar cart guide if the room is too small for both.