Now that you’ve decided to get a kegerator,  the first question that always has to be decided is what kind.  Shortly followed up by how much work you want to do.  Kegerators come in numerous styles.   The one at right is a Mini Fridge with a tower on it.

Each kegerator has advantages and disadvantages so follow along for the rundown of each style.  If you think about where you are going to put your kegerator, you may be limited in the choice.  Even if this is the case,  it’s best to know about your options in case the ability to change it ever arises.

Counter Top Kegerators

The Counter Top Kegerator is a small unit.  One of the greatest things about it is that it can fit in many places and when your not using it, can just be put out of the way.  As with most refridgerators,  when moving, check the manual that comes with it to see how long it needs to sit after being moved.

Inside of the unit, goes a 5 litre mini keg that is becoming popular with a few of the european brands.  Connect the tap to the unit and pour away.  These are very convient for people who don’t want to deal with distributors and larger kegs.

Tower Kegerators

A Tower Kegerators is a short fridge designed to fit a quarter barrel of beer perfectly.  They are at the perfect height to have the spout for the keg on top of them.  This gives them a nice catch basin.  This option limits you a bit to the choices since you have to be able to get it in a very specific size.  There are a few sixth barrels that will also fit in here, but the traditional sixth barrel will be to tall.

Tower Kegerators give you the ability to get into true kegs of beer.  This means you almost can forget about having to run to the store at 11:45 to get a bit more beer for the party.  The complexity also goes up with these.  The counter top models rely on the Co2 that is already in them to push the beer out.  These models require an external Co2 tank to push the beer through the system.  This means less difference between the first and last pour since you have much better control over the environment that the beer stays in.

Full Fridge Conversions

The ultimate in option is the full fridge conversion.  This is done by taking a normal fridge and drilling one or more holes in it for Co2 and the spout.  Kegerator Conversion Kits are available from many places that give you all the parts that you need to get going.

This option gives you the most flexability.  This also comes at the cost of having to do the work yourself.  You can chose if you want to start off with one tap or more.  You can also chose where you want the taps to come out of the fridge.

A few words of caution.  Always be careful where you drill, if you hit a fridgerant line, you risk your life and can destroy the fridge.

Also,  if your kit comes with a bright shiny Co2 tank,  you may be in for a shock when you go to fill it.  Everywhere I have heard of handles Co2 tanks as a trade and go rather then filling up the tank you bring in.  This is quicker for you and easier for the industrial source store.  If you walk in there with a shiny empty tank, you may walk out with a dingy brown full tank.  The important part is that the tank is full.  You can order a tankless Kegerator Conversion Kit which avoids this problem and then you just go buy a tank.

The fridgerator used is best when it is a freezer on top model.  This gives you the ability to have kegs in the fridge and keep glasses in the Freezer.  This is the ultimate in kegerators when you have a glass at zero degrees and fill it with beer.  Not only does your glass stay cold, but you get that same frosted mug look that you pay a good deal of money for at the bar.