My Chief Concerns: Keeping Busy In The Offseason: Kegerator Edition
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Arrowheadaddict.com is obviously the place to go for all of your Kansas City Chiefs’ news and commentary. The dedicated staff here will make sure that your Chiefs addiction is fed. But, even the most devoted amongst you know that the doldrums of the offseason can be downright depressing. So what I want to know is: how are Kansas City Chiefs fans keeping themselves busy in the offseason?
As you can see from my picture above, I made myself a two tap kegerator. I just finished it three days ago (with the help of my fiancé’s brother who built his own months earlier). I am now absolutely certain that on football Sundays, my friends and family, will all be clamoring to come over and watch football, (even if the only game on will be the Kansas City Chiefs). I am sure that I will be converting a few football fans into KC Chiefs fans with this new toy.
More after the jump…
If any of you are thinking about buying a kegerator let me tell you from experience that most of the single tap kegerators you can buy on the market, and that sell for about $400 to $600, are pure garbage. The problem with most of them is that at half the size of a full refrigerator they really do not cool very well. Furthermore, they use a tower system. The tower system sits on top of the kegerator and most of them are not air-cooled. This leaves the lines and metal of the tower, and the tap, at room temperature, so that when your colder beer hits the warmer metal is foams up like a rabid dog and won’t stop until the cold beer finally cools down the warm metal of the tower and tap. That wastes a lot of beer.
If you want to buy a top of the line single tap kegerator, that has an air cooled tower/tap, then you are easily looking into spending $1,000 to $2,000 plus. For a professional two tap air cooled kegerator you could spend in excess of $1,500 to $3,000. But alas there is a better way: convert a refrigerator into a kegerator.
It is easy, cheap and produces a better product. I bought my refrigerator on Craigslist for $100.00. I then bought a “kegerator conversion kit” with two taps for about $250.00 online. The kit gives you everything you need. Instructions for doing this are available online, but in essence, you gut the refrigerator (remove the shelves), build a flat wooden platform on the bottom, drill some holes, and add the Co2 and kegs and viola! You end up with a top quality two tap system for much, much less (just $350.00).
Since you drill the shanks of the taps into the refrigerator door, the majority of the metal (about 70%) is inside the refrigerator and as a result the taps are refrigerated constantly. They are always cool to the touch. Now when you pour the beer there is no temperature change upon discharge and hence no foamy wasted beer. Even better is the fact that the top freezer will hold dozens of ice cold glasses. Simply reach into the freezer grab a glass and enjoy life. You will have the coldest best tasting beer of your life. Also, since the beer is constantly carbonated it will last forever.
You will be the coolest person in your entire social network. This is how you will convert all of those nasty Raiders, Chargers, Cowboys, Rams, 49ers, ________ (fill in the blank) fans into Chiefs fans. Tell them you have a kegerator, and make them watch the Chiefs game.
Currently on my tap is Hanger 24 Orange Wheat (from a local brewery in Redlands, CA)(pictured below), and one of my favorites Pilsner Urquell (same recipe since 1842). I already can’t wait to finish them and move on to my other favorites: Rogue Hazelnut Brown, New Belgium 2 Degrees Below Ale, Moretti, and Racer 5 IPA.
How are you keeping busy in the offseason?
Convert a refrigerator into a kegerator and then convert a non-Chiefs fan into a real Chiefs fan when the season starts. Just doing my part, I guess.