If you have ever thrown a party with beer, then you know about the after party mess. While 24 full cans fit nicely into the case, 24 empty beer cans can cover from here to as far as the eye can see. The solution. A kegerator. Anything from the Heineken Beer Tender up to the full blown kegerator will allow you to avoid the sticky mess that is taking cans back the next day.

I built my Kegerator for about $200 about 6 years ago. Some people go for kegs for the money saving abilities though I wasn’t concerned about that. The reason why I built a kegerator was because there was a specific beer that I wanted that was only available in the keg. I’ve enjoyed it ever since and expanded significantly.

What started off as a single tap is now three and will be six by the end of the year. I doubt many people will ever take a kegerator this far, but I’ve gradually acquired all the parts that I need. The cost isn’t that significant either. Another unexpected cool thing was the day I realized that I had enough parts to be able to take enough parts to have a C02 charged keg anywhere without having to dismantle anything at the house.

Before we go further, many have the wrong impression at this point. Six refers to the number of taps and not the amount of beer. Also, while many will never deal with this issue, there are a few different tap styles out there. Most will never deal with anything more then a standard US Sanke so it’s not a concern. I’ll cover more on taps later.

So why six? I like variety and this provides it. The beer lasts extremely long and the first glass is as good as the last. Whats more, with the 6 tap approach, I can do things like home made apple cider for our Halloween party and have cold water on tap in the garage and pool side all summer long.

At the beginning of this article, I asked you to remember back to the last party you had and cleaning up all the beer cans and bottles afterwards (I can’t explain it, but they get everywhere). With my kegs, after the party, each drinker has had 1 glass. A few have had two. Most glasses are also concentrated since they are left where the person finished the last drink (inside as the party was winding down) rather then tossing it wherever they are when they finish the can.

If all this hasn’t convinced you that you should get a kegerator, then hows this. I picked up a quarter barrel (pony keg / 7.5 gallons) of a good microbrewed pilsner for $15 (+ refundable deposit).

Read on for more in the series “Kegerators and You, A guide”