Building a Keezer

Being new to home brewing, every day comes with a new lesson.

Even the most common John out there is familiar with the word "kegerator", but fewer are familiar with the word "keezer".  It is simply using a deep freezer as a cooling chamber for holding kegs.

This blog post is about how I made my keezer.  The construction is not unique.  The guys at my local home brew shop (LHBS) were happy to share their design with me; they probably learned it from another home brewer who shared it with them.  But, just in case there was not a solid tutorial out there, here is my experience.

Parts needed:
2 - 2x6 (~$5/ea. @ Lowes)
~15 ft. 2-sided sticky weather strip (~$3.50 @ Lowes)
~8 cu.ft. freezer (~$180-250)
1 - Kegging kit (~$200 @ LHBS)
1 - Corny keg (~$55 @ LHBS)
1 - Johnson Controls A419 (~$50 @ Amazon.com)

The idea is simple.  Extend the height of the freezer, attach spigot for dispensing beer without drilling through the freezer wall, regulate temperature to keep kegs cold but above freezing.

Temperature Regulation:
The easiest, safest, surest method of regulating temperature is with the addition of a Johnson Controls A419, or similar.  To use this you plug it into the wall, plug the freezer into the female side, put the temperature probe in the freezer, and set your desired temperature.  This device will cut power to your freezer when too cold, and allow power when too warm.

Another method is to tinker with the thermostat.  This requires 1) finding the thermostat, 2) exposing thermostat, 3) "coarse" adjusting thermostat to raise lowest temperature to about 40 degrees F.   This guide (CLICK HERE) is a good reference.  Depending on your model freezer and your skill as a tinkerer, it may be easier to go with the Johnson Control A419. UPDATE: While I originally thought that my tinkering skills were good, this thermostat constantly defied me.  One day it would appear to be a good temp all day, the next my beer was slush.  I decided to buy the A419.

As I adjusted it, over the course of a couple hours, I left a thermometer inside the chest to get an idea of the ambient air temperature.

Again, I thought I had this figured out, but in the end, it did not comply.  Plus, it's a good thing I have skinny arms, because it was a damn tight space.

If you have big hands/arms, you may want to just go for the extra $50.

Removing the lid, assembling the frame, and applying the weather stripping was quite the easy task.

I left a gap in the corner for the CO2 line and temperature probe to pass under the wood frame.

Once that portion was complete I screwed the lid back onto the wooden frame, and installed the spigot.

 
The A419 has 2 mounting options, either use screws with some exposed head-space to bracket the control box to a surface, or a chain to suspend it like so:

The copper wire you see is actually a capillary tube.  It is hallow, and filled with gas.  Sharp bends will completely ruin it, also the instructions state do not rest it against an abrasive surface.  Constant friction will degrade the capillary wall eventually causing a loss of function.

Be careful when bending and extending the capillary tube.  It is soft and delicate.

It is very easy to adjust the temperature with a simple analog dial.

The capillary tube is rigid enough to support the weight of the temperature probe, as long as it is not often bumped or jostled.

The temperature probe should not be in contact with any freezer surfaces, just the air.

I set my freezer thermostat to exactly it-doesn't-matter, because it doesn't matter.  The A419 will do the rest.

Since installation my keezer has been very stable and a great place to store bottled water, recovered yeast, and other beers!

Happy brewing!