The Mini Kegerator Craze

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Dylan M. Blackthorne — No Comments ↓

Mini kegerators are a convenient way to enjoy draft beer at home, and many beer fans are joining the bandwagon. In our world of gadgets and gizmos, this invention is quite sellable. Most mini kegerators are designed to dispense from a new kind of five-liter beer keg, available at most supermarkets. While these mini kegs are easy to find, I have only seen them from Heiniken, although I hear that many other companies produce them. Mini kegerators are very portable, making them the perfect choice for weekend camping or boat trip, and also fit into any RV with little work, as some brands run on 12-volt power. Mini kegerators are about the size and weight of a microwave. They make a good gift idea for any die-hard beer fan.

Some mini kegs require the use of electricity to keep the beer cold, and others you simply place in your fridge. This is where the mini kegerator comes in. Many companies are making these gadgets these days. Here is a brief revue of some of the more competitive models:

EDGESTAR HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED

EdgeStar Mini Kegerator
Under $200.00
The EdgeStar Mini Kegerators are good multi-purpose mini kegerators. Heineken 5 liter Draughtkegs can be used in them, and they feature quiet operating noise. These mini kegerators light up with a blue LED light to illuminate your mini keg beer choice. Includes cleaning kit (a must), and is capable of running off of AC or DC power. All this for only $200.00 or so. See Mini Kegerator Details

Avanti Mini Kegerator
Around $200.00
The Avanti Mini Kegerator MBD5L is another multi-purpose kegerator in which either gravity flow or CO2 can be used for operation. This unit can also be used with AC or DC power, making it a good choice for RVs, camping, or boating. It features a digital display and both tapping and cleaning kits are included, a real bonus! This model can be had for around $250.00. Icy Cold Mini Kegerator works with CO2 mini kegs and gravity feed mini kegs, and can hold even 6-liter mini kegs. A fan inside the kegerator ensures even cooling of the keg, and it is hand washable. These are found for around $200. See Mini Kegerator Details

Krups BeerTender Mini Kegerator
From $99.00 to $200.00
Krups BeerTender is powered by a CO2 pressure system, and features three temperature presets (36°, 39° or 42°F), a beer volume gauge, and keeps track of how long your mini keg has been opened. A good multi-function mini kegerator – these run about $200.00. See Mini Kegerator Details

Vinotemp Mini Kegerator
Around $300.00
Vinotemp Mini Kegerator VT-BEER. Beer flow is powered with CO2. This unit comes with a digital display and push button temperature settings, and the cooling system operates efficiently. It also comes with 3 CO2 cartridges to get you going. Prices run from around $300. See Mini Kegerator Details

Nostalgia Electrics Mini Kegerator
Around $175.00
Nostalgia Electrics Mini Kegerator BC4600 is a mini kegerator designed for use with gravity flow mini-kegs. This model is self-cooling, and runs about $175.00. See Mini Kegerator Details

As you can see, there are many variations on the theme of mini kegerators. Some models focus on efficiency, some on multi-functionality. Take the time to consider what qualities will make the mini kegerator useful to you – it is a good idea to shop around to ensure you best value if you plan on buying one. Some questions you should ask before buying are:

Is this mini kegerator energy efficient? With the current economic and environmental situations we are facing in the world, this is an important issue. We see, smell, and hear pollution from our cars and trucks, but we often don’t see, smell, or hear the pollution coming from our power plants – but the effects of such pollution are drastic and frightening. The environmental destruction from coal and nuclear power plants is hard to measure now – future generations will be more familiar with the real costs of utilizing such techniques to power our gadgets and gizmos. Therefore, it is wise to conserve energy.

Does this model accept the mini kegs of my favorite beers? This is the most important question. What good will a mini kegerator be if you can only drink swill form it? Double check that the model you buy will fit the keg you drink from – or that an adapter is available for it.

Will this mini kegerator work with CO2 powered mini kegs? This question is related to the previous one. If the mini kegerator utilizes CO2, and your favorite beer mini keg utilizes CO2, it will probably work. If it does, you will also need some CO2 cartridges – know what you will need to operate your mini kegerator.

Is this model noisy or quiet? For some, noise pollution is as bad as smog. If you or the person you are buying for has sensitive ears, look for a mini kegerator that features quiet operation. If the user does not have sensitive ears, then go for the value on the louder mini kegerator.

Will this model function on DC power? And does it come with an adapter for such use? Especially if giving a mini kegerator as a gift, you will want to make sure it comes with everything it needs for operation. DC power is nice to have, and some models with DC power come with the adapter, but just in case, make sure that the model you are buying has the adapter – it may be hard to find otherwise.

If you are buying a mini keg as a gift, you should make sure to give them beer with it. Like giving a flask, it is bad luck to deliver the gift empty of alcohol. Some models use a gravity feed system, while others use a CO2 system for dispensing the beer. It is a good idea to check in with the mini keg receiver about what beer they like and suit the mini keg accordingly.

What's so Special About Kegerator Beer?

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Dylan M. Blackthorne — No Comments ↓

Ah, to enjoy a cold draught beer after a long day of work or play – and in the comfort of your own home. Kegerators can make any gathering more special, whether it is a night of music, movies, gaming, or football. Finding the tight kegerator for your home can make all the difference, and they are essential appliances for the home bar, whether it be in the den or a speakeasy-style basement bar. For home brewers, kegerators are the perfect choice for serving your kegged home brew.

Canned and bottled beers are great – but they run out so quickly. They also take up a lot of space in the fridge. This is why kegerators make such great additions to any beer fan’s home, whether you are a home brew hobbyist, a craft beer enthusiast, or just a fan of beer. Draft beer just tastes better, especially at home.

The best thing about having a kegerator around is when company comes over. To be able to say to friends,

“Help yourself to as much beer as you want – the kegerator is right over there!”

That is a beautiful moment. I remember my first night of kegerator drinking. I believe it was Austin, TX micro brewery Live Oak’s Big Bark Amber Ale. My host was generous, and the beer cold and tasty – thanks to his kegerator. It certainly made that visit “just to say hi” much more special.

Buying a kegerator doesn’t have to be expensive, either. Kegerator conversion kits can turn that old fridge that you don’t know what to do with into a useful appliance. They are available for $50 to $250, depending on what design elements you wish to incorporate. You can even put that top compartment freezer to use keeping pint glasses and mugs nice and frosty.

If you are looking for something pre-packaged, you can still get a mini kegerator for as little as $100. These mini kegerators dispense store bought mini kegs of the five and six liter variety with optimum ease. Some even dispense the beer with CO2, supplied via cartridge, to ensure that your mini keg beer keeps for up to 30 days. But one party and that mini keg is toast, trust me. If the beer has not been drank after 30 days, you are doin’ it wrong!

Most kegerators have the capacity to serve at least one 15 1/2 gallon keg of beer at time. With pony kegs or soda kegs, and multi-taps, you can even have more than one beer on tap at one time. Some kegerators come with four or more beer taps. That’s better than a lot of bars!

Kegerators are also highly customizable. If you want more taps, you can always add them later. Tap handles are another way to customize your kegerator. Put tap handles of your favorite beers on your kegerator, or make custom ones out of a gear shifter or a My Little Pony. I have even seen someone take a wooden wine barrel and use it to build a façade around their kegerator to make a most convincing and entertaining illusion that the beer flowed up right from a wooden keg. You can equip your kegerator with a nitrogen system for smoother draughts or add a filtration system for clearer pints. Spice up your kegerator with custom skins or beer decals.

Whether mini or full sized kegerator is for you, the benefits of having draft beer at home remain the same: make your home more hospitable, have better parties, and never be short of beer, even on Sunday. A kegerator in your home bar is a definite plus, whether on game day or for a great birthday party. All of this is what makes kegerator beer so special.

Kegerators and Lagering

Posted on September 3, 2009 by Dylan M. Blackthorne — No Comments ↓

Lagering beer can be problematical for home brewers, if they are not properly equipped. The key is that, for home brewing, kegs and lagering go hand in hand with the handy home bar invention called the kegerator. A kegerator can do two things at once – act as a lagering closet and serve beer. If you want a little more control with your lagering temperature, you may opt for a lagering closet or separate fridge or freezer conversion.

The ideal lagering temperature for beer, according to white labs, manufacturers of specialty brewing yeasts, changes over the lagering period. Ideally, the lagering process starts out at 51 to 53 degrees. This temperature is maintained for the first week, and then the beer is allowed to warm to 62-64 degrees for four to six days. After this, white labs recommends lowering the temperature five degrees per day until the ideal long-term lagering temperature of 31 to 32 degrees is achieved. Then, lagering for six weeks at the lowest temperature takes place.

This is the most complicated lagering scenario I have heard of. Most home brewers do not maintain such precise controls in any their brews, but it is clear that one would need to have a precise temperature controlled lagering closet in order to produce a lager of such exacting qualifications. Keep in mind that the process of lagering was first developed by Bavarians keeping their beer in caves.

I would recommend a slightly more low-tech approach to lagering. By utilizing your kegerator, you can lager your beer at roughly the same temperatures, as long as you are not serving beer at the same time (except at the final lagering stage, if you fudge the temp up to the regular serving temp of 38 degrees). For the homemade conversion-style kegerators, there is plenty of room for an additional Cornelius keg, and sometimes a Sanke keg.

It is at this final stage that the keg comes into the picture. This is the perfect time to transfer your lager beer into a keg for its final fermentation stage. By lagering your beer in the keg for its final fermentation cycle, you can ensure that it will be a simple process to serve your beer. After the fermentation is complete, simply tap the keg onto your beer line and serve. No need to move the keg around and let it settle – although be sure to clean and sanitize your beer lines between each keg.

A custom temperature control can be installed into your kegerator or lagering closet if you do want to maintain such precise lagering controls as described by White Labs. Johnson Controls produces what is probably the easiest to use temperature control unit. The Johnson Controls unit plugs right into he wall and controls the power coming into your kegerator or freezer, turning of the power when the temperature reaches the right reading, and turning the power back on when the reading goes above the dial.

Whether you go low or high tech, lagering beer at home can be a challenge if you don’t have a kegerator or temperature controlled freezer / lagering closet. It is not an impossible challenge, however, especially not for the home brewer who knows how to get things done.

Extreme Kegerators

Posted on April 30, 2009 by Chief Kegerator Officer — 1 Comment ↓

There’s a new trend taking place amongst kegerator builders that is taking some of their designs to the extreme. Bigger, faster, stronger is the American way and so why not apply that to the modern kegerator? Well here is a few of the extreme kegerators we have been seeing lately that are likely to spawn a whole new way of thinking when it comes to drinking draft beer from a kegerator.

Garage Tool Cabinet Kegerators
If you were out shopping for a new tool cabinet for your garage you would expect to find features like durable chrome plating or rolling casters, but would a kegerator be an upgrade you would be interested in? Garage Fabricators from Central California thinks it should be. They’ve created the Diamond Plate Kegerator Cabinet that comes fully loaded including powdercoated steel plating and welded 6" phenolic casters. The kegerator cabinet is 23.5” deep x 47.5” wide x 64” tall and has the option of a Flatscreen TV mount. For only $1,678.57 you can call one of these kegerator cabinets your own.

Arcade Machine Kegerators
Whether its Pac-Man or Mario Brothers, imagine having access to fresh draft beer while playing your favorite arcade games. Well, two companies we’ve found seem to have the same idea. The Custom Bar Guys in Roanoke, VA have created THE GAMERATOR. The Gamerator offers access to over 1,000 classic and current arcade games and a refrigerated interior capable of holding a pony keg of draft beer. A device this unique is surely worth the $3,995.00 price tag, so order yours today, as they are handmade upon order and take up to 4 weeks to build.

Another company integrating a beer experience for gamers is Dream Arcades out of Folsom, CA. They have created a racing arcade kegerator entitled the Octane 120 Beer Arcade. The Octane 120 is a home arcade gaming system that combines three things every adult gamer wants: classic arcade games, arcade-style racing, and a full sized kegerator with in-dash beer tap to get your favorite beverage without having to get out of the seat. Only $6995 (S+H) and it’s all yours!

Hitch Mount Kegerator
California companies seem to be all over the extreme kegerator setups and Party-A-CarGo out of Concord, CA is no exception. They have put together a hitch mounted kegerator / entertainment system. Tailgaters, campers, or weekend warriors can pour up to 160 ice cold beers, play 12 hours of music and watch the early games on TV without having to recharge their battery, refill their cooler with ice or clean up empty beer cans. Check out Party-A-CarGo to get all the details on this extreme kegerator.

Breweriana: Collectible Beer Steins

Posted on April 15, 2009 by Dylan M. Blackthorne — No Comments ↓

Breweriana is the collective detritus of breweries and beer fans from the days past. Breweriana takes many forms, but the arguably oldest form of collectable breweriana hails from Germany, where beer Steins or bier Steins have been crafted sold and handed down for generations. Although the tradition of beer steins has largely faded from practical use, those who have been left with old hand me down beers steins may find that they have antique treasure worth up to $3,000.

Originally known in German as the "Steinkrug", the beer stein is a traditional mug for serving beer, which can be made of porcelain, silver, crystal, glass, or wood. Some steins have an open top, but most collectable varieties have an intricately cast or carved lid with a thumb-action lever.

As a child, I remember looking up on the shelf in the den and seeing the variety of intricately crafted beer steins. Amid hand me downs from the family past were also spoils of war from my grandfather’s campaign in Europe during World War Two. Such history was held in those beer steins, and swept away with the intervening years so that today, I have but two of the remnants of that fine collection.

Although not seen in the pub or at parties much these day, the practical benefits of the beer stein are as useful today as they were in the 17th and 18th centuries. Although replaced with the pint glass in most pubs, the stein typically holds at least as much beer as a pint glass. Older steins are likely to hold around one and a half liters of beer, which, back in those days, was considered one serving of beer. More modern sizes from Germany are likely to hold only one liter.

It was in the 14th century that beer steins first started becoming fitted with hinged lids. The lids were indeed sanitary measures, the result of a German law that all food would need to be covered in order to prevent the spread of disease. This law came with many other laws that popped up at this time, when Europe came back from the brink of decimation as a result of the black plague. For instance, pigpens could no longer run up to the edge of streets, meat that was old or came from a diseased house had to be labeled accordingly, and the German Beer Purity Laws began. It is from this stage that beer began to be homogenized on a national level: beer could only be brewed from hops, barley, yeast, and water.

Steins remaining from the periods earlier than the 14th century tend to be made of pewter and silver, as the earthenware and wooden steins from that period were easily broken over the yawning of the years. The pewter guilds held onto the premier production spot for steins until the ceramics crafters of Europe invented stoneware, which proved much more durable that the old clay earthenware. Not long after, porcelain and glazes also emerged on the scene. A lot of advances in stein technology occurred around the 1700s, of course, during the Renaissance.

The additional benefit of the thumb-action levered steins come in especially handy for keeping unwanted materials out of your beer. Flies, stray cigarette ash, and bits of food are always a downer when you find them in your beer. I still use my capped stein from time to times when I find myself going to a party where such detritus may find its way into my beer.

Some varieties of stein have their own terms from the German, which you may run into while searching for the beer stein that fits you:

"Humpen" are steins that are made from stoneware, using the process which partially smelts the clay together, producing a harder and less porous product.

"Steinkrug" are earthenware steins.

"Glaskrug" are glass steins, very few of which survived from ancient times. Some of these are actually crystal.

Another term you might come upon is "Maßkrug", pronounced ‘moss kroogh’ in English. These are steins that are explicitly measured out for one liter.

Hunting for steins is a fun and rewarding exercise in antique shopping. Steins can be found in nearly every antique shop, and who knows, with a little knowledge you may find a valuable treasure in your breweriana adventure.

Evolution of the Beer Keg

Posted on March 4, 2009 by Dylan M. Blackthorne — No Comments ↓

From wooden casks to stainless steel and aluminum, from spile and shive to Sanke tap, the evolution of the beer keg has also influenced the evolution of beer. Driven by the mass production demanded by beer fans the world over, brewers have tinkered with and improved the beer keg in many ways during its evolution. Some of these changes have also impacted the quality of beer and even the brewing process. Though the old style cask ales, or “real ales” are still in production in some parts of England and the U.S., modern beer is dominated, even in the microbrew and craft beer markets, by pasteurized and filtered beers. Here we will look at the evolution of the beer keg and the effect mass production has had on the beer it has kegged.

History shows us that the drinking of beer goes back at least 4,000 years. In that time, beer was most likely stored in clay urns and pots. But somewhere along the line, humans discovered that beer could be carbonated by sealing it in a bottle or cask and letting the yeasty “spirits” or “miracles” of fermentation go about their business. With this discovery came the first beer keg.

As far as historical records go, we can see a lot of light shed on the development of beer in Europe. Originally, European beer, i.e., beer-as-we-know-it-now, was predominantly kegged in wooden casks. These casks were usually made of oak or other hardwoods that had a reputation for being non-toxic. Beer at this time was un-pasteurized and usually unfiltered, which lent it to spoiling. This beer had an expiration date!

Most of the advances in brewing and kegging technology since then have focused on increasing the life span of beer. The most important of these was the process of pasteurization. Pasteurization is a process by which a product in a bottle or can is rapidly heated and then cooled. This process ensures that any organism that may be purposely or un-purposely left in the product (in this case, the beer keg) is killed. Through the use of pasteurization, beer kegs have been granted a much longer shelf life.

For some, the change in taste that the pasteurization process yields is too much to ask for the benefits of increased shelf life. An organization known as CAMRA, the CAMpaign for Real Ale, has taken up the cause of un-pasteurized and un-filtered beer. Through this group, folks interested in cask ales and real ales may find them in the U.K. Interest in cask ales is present in the U.S. as well, although the term real ale does not have the same weight as in the U.K., where strict guidelines have been established. Real ales are those ales that are still “alive” with living yeast. Cask ales are ales that are served from a cask, although not necessarily a traditional wooden one. These ales may be filtered, but they are usually cask-conditioned. This means that they gain their fizzy carbonation through the natural process of fermentation instead o the “force-carbonating” that is usually done by commercial beer makers.

The modern Sanke beer keg is designed to be rugged, easily cleaned (at least with the right industrial keg cleaning machines, and to hold a great amount of beer while still being light enough to be handled by one person. Unlike the cask, the progenitor of the keg, the Sanke keg requires little preparation and knowledge to operate. Sanke kegs took the Shive hole and the keystone of casks and put them into the same hole, locked in with a coil spring and valve, released with the push of the tap once attached.

Today, most cask ales are served from steel or aluminum casks, just as regular beer kegs are. They still require the care of an attentive landlord or barkeep, however. The gas must be vented and the beer prepared two to three days ahead of time. The benefit of a little extra tooling and care produces the result of an ale the likes of which might have been enjoyed 2,000 years ago! For all the modern influence of technology on brewing, it is refreshing to see that some people still like to do things the old fashioned way.

See related keg beer articles: History of the Kegerator, Beer Keg Directory, Beer Kegging Tutorial

5 Social Networks For Beer Lovers

Posted on December 6, 2008 by Dylan M. Blackthorne — No Comments ↓

In the wondrous age of the interweb, we have seen many strange, amazing, and annoying trends. One trend that encompasses all of these traits is the concept of social networking websites. Sites like myspace, verb, tribe.net, facebook, hi-5, the list goes on and on.

It becomes so hard to choose with hundreds of websites trying hard get your whole life listed in their database. It makes me wonder, sometimes- why would ANYONE want EVERYONE on the web to be able to know EVERYTHING about their self? It seems as though too many people don’t take the time to consider this. I’ve just got to put this out there before I encourage anyone to join yet another social networking website. I am a fan of disclaimers.

Social networking on beer gives me more hope than social networking just for social networking’s sake (gah!). With a highly focused topic, it is clear that a social networking site about beer can be a good thing. This is true of the many beer forums as well. Such sites can help a lot of beer fans to better understand the craft of brewing and the wide spectrum of flavors accessible in the beer universe. I still wouldn’t suggest that you sign up for anything with your actual email address, unless you just luuuuv spam. And I’m not suggesting you use your grandma’s email address either. Just make one up that you will never use again except to get confirmed at the beer social networking website you are checking out.

One site that strikes me right off the bat as a good resource is the homebrew wiki (reachable at http://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki). This site and wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org) are both veritable treasure troves of information regarding beer, wine, mead, and basically any fermented or distilled beverage. You can find info about virtually every type of beer as well as the history of beer. Before entering the forums and social networking sites about beer, I suggest taking a surf through the wikipedia or homebrew wiki search engines.

Now, as far as actual social networking sites, I must say that I was initially attracted to brewpoll.com through their affiliate website beersmith.com. Beersmith.com offers a free trial of their Beersmith software, a program that helps homebrewers to determine what ingredients to use for their recipes, accounting for price and amount of beer to be made, among other factors, and offers a brew calendar and reminders, too. Brewpoll.com is itself a “Digg-Like” news site where home brewers and craft beer fans can share and gather news. A voting system allows members to catapult relevant and useful articles to the top of the lists. Since this site links to “news” stories from other sites, it offers a chance to search a wide array of topics and beer making tutorials.

This site will probably be quite useful if you are a home brewer with some specific questions, like this one: Should I put olive oil in my beer? I had never thought of that on my own, but some brewers at New Belgium brewery have tried it and I found their results on brewpoll via fermentarium.com!

Another social networking site on beer is mustlovebeer.com. Although it is a fairly young site with few members, it is equipped with many myspace-like features, such as extensive profile information, profile pictures, room for uploading pictures, messages, and friends. This site seems somewhat desolate at this time, but if you have friends a long way away that you want to keep in touch with, it might be a good way to do so while also meeting other beer fans with similar interests… in time. The site only seems to have 200 members or less, from what I have seen poking around on it.

Although it is not, in the strictest sense, a social networking site, realbeer.com is a fun site for information about beer. I recommend visiting this site if you are just “surfing the web” to find out interesting news flying about in the beer world, funny stories, and the like. I discovered three great stories just on one visit: a “Bones & Brew” Zoo benefit in Oregon put on by Rogue brewery, 2,000 pints of ale mis-delivered to Windsor Castle, and a historical mis-quote attributed to Ben Franklin. These were just some of the top stories on this site.

Homebrewtalk.com is a very active site which has social networking applications. This site is full of articles, recipes, updates on new equipment, and many stories about home built beer making set-ups, kegerators, and beer interest stories too. The site is funded by its members and some advertising, so they ask all members to consider upgrading accounts to either yearly or lifetime memberships ($25 a year or flat $100). Basic memberships are offered for free, however.

BeerJunction.com is a new social networking site for beer lovers that seems to focus more on sharing the love of home brewing. You can create a profile and log all of your brewing in a personal blog. One cool feature is the ability to add pictures, video and create your own groups. This community is handy for home brewers, or home brew clubs, or someone who really loves beer and wants to create a network of friends that love the same.

With this basic overview of sites, you should be able to have most of you questions and queries answered. By gaining membership with these social networking sites on beer, you can certainly find more people who may be able to answer any questions you have about beer.

Kegerators.com's Top 5 Names in Domestic Beer

Posted on November 13, 2008 by Chief Kegerator Officer — No Comments ↓

The U.S. beer industry is in a constant state of flux. New ideas and innovations are changing the face of beer every year, especially in the micro brew market. As the primary field of growth in the brewing industry, kegerators.com will name the top ten names in domestic craft beer production. These are names to look out for. These are brewers associated with quality, ingenuity, tradition, social responsibility, and most of all, good tasting beer. For these qualities, we name New Belgium Brewing Company (Fort Collins, Colorado), Dogfish Head Brewing Company (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware), Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner, Texas), Rogue Ales (Newport, Oregon) and St. Arnolds Brewery (Houston, Texas).

New Belgium Brewery of Fort Collin, Colorado, is here honored for the company’s integrity, ingenuity, and the amazing quality of its high production level brewery. A forward thinking, 100% green company which shares its profits with its workers, New Belgium has consistently contributed innovative brewery techniques, while at the same time maintaining ancient and venerated beer traditions, such as its 1554 Enlightened Black Ale. Kudos to the first beer company to recycle its waste grain and harvest methane from it! This full circle renewable energy source now contributes 30% of the energy required to produce over 450,000 barrels of beer annually.

Dogfish Head Brewing Company, a smaller brewer located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, is here honored for ingenuity and fearless experimentation in the realm of brewing. These brewers have gone where few dare to go, preparing beers of up to 18% A.P.V.! Using admixtures such as raspberries, raisins, blueberries, chicory, and coffee, Dogfish Head has prepared some mighty interesting and mighty tasty concoctions. Brewers of the Midas Touch, Dogfish Head has even created a facsimile of a brew scientists discovered only traces of on urns in King Midas’ tomb. A true blend of tradition and experimentation. But you’ll have to go to Delaware to sample some of their latest innovations: small scale craft spirits!

Spoetzl Brewery, of Shiner, Texas, is a middle-sized brewery (much bigger than a microbrewery at 300,000+ barrels per year) that has, just in recent years, ventured into the craft beer market. Spoetzl is here honored for returning to the craft beer traditions from the precipice of the homogenized U.S. beer fad. For many years, the Spoetzl Brewery kept mainly their Shiner beer going, but now has distribution for many craft beers, in addition to their rather main-stream tasting Shiner and Shiner light. All of this is, in part, to Shiner’s centennial beer program, which started in 2005. The centennial program began producing one special edition beer in small batches at the end of each quarter. With this foray into the realm of experimentation, the brewers at the Spoetzl Brewery found flavors that were received quite favorably. Spoetzl’s Shiner 96 Märzen Ale, Shiner 97 Bohemian Black Lager, Shiner 98 Bavarian Style Amber, and Shiner 99 Munich Style Helles Lager, are all high quality craft beers worthy of recognition along-side the best microbrews of the day.

Rogue Ales, of Newport, Oregon is a brewery which has maintained an exacting level of perfection with its recipes while keeping an open mind toward new innovations in brewing. With brews as diverse as Soba, Hazelnut Brown Nectar, and the Juniper Pale Ale, Rogue has demonstrated it’s willingness to live up to its namesake. Yet still, for all this invention, Rogue beers are remarkably reliable – one bottle will always taste like the next, even with such extreme different flavors. Here’s another great thing about Rogue Ales: they are all without preservatives or pasteurization.

Saint Arnold Brewing Company, of Houston, Texas, is here honored for their dedication to serving their community with traditional, well made craft beers. You may not have heard of St. Arnolds unless you have visited central or east Texas. This is because St. Arnolds is more devoted to serving their immediate community than they are in expanding their distribution. St. Arnolds certainly stands a part from the other breweries in this list, being a straight-forward craft brewery with an honorable dedication to traditional beer styles. St. Arnolds has had quite a time dealing with the destruction of Hurricane Ike, but they are moving into a new location and will surely be up and running again soon.

These have been Kegerators.com‘s five most distinguished domestic brewers of 2008.

Mini Kegerators

Posted on October 28, 2008 by Dylan M. Blackthorne — No Comments ↓

When discussing mini kegerators, it is important to make the distinction between which type you are talking about. There is the kegerator that is made from a mini refrigerator, and then there is the mini kegerator gadget. The mini kegerator that is made from a mini fridge is a compact, but still largely immobile device that is usually home made, using half sized or even smaller fridges. The mini kegerator that is a gadget is a new appliance on the market. It is quite portable, and a good way to enjoy draft beer while on the go – that is what we are talking about here.

"Gadget" Mini kegerators are a new retail item that helps you to enjoy cold beer without the expense of owning a full-on kegerator. Mini kegerators are becoming a more and more affordable way to ensure that you have draft beer on the go. Most brands come with a variety of options, such as DC power, cleaning kits, and temperature control. Mini kegerators that dispense 5 liter mini kegs are made by Krups, Heineken, Avanti, EdgeStar, Vinotemp, and other companies as well, so there are a variety of models to choose from.

These gadgets are currently priced right around $200 – $300. For all practical purposes, the less expensive units do just as good a job as the more expensive ones. For example, the Avanti Mini-Pub Kegerator retails for about $230, and the Vinotemp Mini Keg Beer Dispenser retails for about $100 more – $330. The Avanti has the benefit of being more compact, and the Vinotemp has a better temperature regulator. So, unless you have really exacting temperature requirements for your beer, you might as well get the more inexpensive brand – it is more likely to fit in the trunk or boat, or whatever you are traveling in. General compact-ability is a feature of most mini kegerator gadgets – at least, compared to the mini fridge kegerator or a full-blown kegerator. For this reason, these compact mini kegerators have enjoyed popularity among the draft beer fan crowd.

One of the great advantages of the mini kegerator is that they come with AC and DC power supplies. This allows you to run the mini kegerator off of your car, RV, or boat battery, even solar systems can power these mini kegerators. This makes it easy to take a small amount of beer (standard mini kegs hold 5 liters) out for a picnic, boating, or car camping trip. Mini kegerators can also be easily installed into your RV or boat as a semi-permanent appliance.

New advances in refrigeration technology may see a whole revolution in the way we cool all manner of things, including beer. Researchers at Penn. State have made headway in electromagnetic cooling devices. These devices operate without the use of a compressor or of Freon, and, if commercially viable, will produce machines that are much more compact than the bulky fridges we are used to. On top of this, Ben and Jerry’s, the famous ice cream men, have developed a way to cool their dessert via sound waves. By using a machine that employs pressurized helium gas and ethyl alcohol as a cooling medium, they keep their ice creams at a delightfully cold level.

The increased popularity and availability of kegerators is likely to create an industry that is capable of harnessing these new technologies and putting them to good use. It seems clear that, with this latest invention of the mini kegerator, the kegerator industry is willing and capable of incorporating new, inventive ideas into its arsenal of products. In short, we are sure to see more and more interesting forms of kegerators in the coming years.

The new options that these mini kegerators provide give fans of draft beer an excellent opportunity to enjoy draft beer in a variety of settings. While in the past, draft beer fans have gone to great lengths to install kegerator systems in their R.V.s, now it as simple as shopping around for a convenient new appliance. Some day, we may see mini kegerators replacing coffee makers in the office (certain offices, anyways), or at least be seen side-by-side with them. As it is, we will see them on the beach, the mountain retreat campsite, at sea, and at the omnipresent tailgate party. Draft beer to-go has become a reality at last.

This Fall’s Ultimate Kegerator Guide

Posted on October 4, 2008 by Chief Kegerator Officer — No Comments ↓

Make Space This Fall For These Kool Kegerators …

EdgeStar Kegerator

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EdgeStar Kegerator
Under $400.00
This kegerator from EdgeStar is the most affordable full-sized kegerator on the market today. The kegerator stores up to a full sized half shell Sankey standard keg and is perfect addition to your home for fall entertaining. See Kegerator Details

Haier BrewMaster Kegerator
$529.99
This is the Honda Civic of kegerators. Durable, dependable and you will get a lot of mileage out of this machine. The kegerator will hold a full sized keg or multiple homebrew style kegs when modified with a dual or triple tap tower. The auto defrost, temperature control and cooling plate are nice features too. See Kegerator Details

Beverage Air Kegerator
$1,399.00
With this heavy-duty kegerator you can keep your keg cold with precision. Perfect for the serious draft beer aficionado, this kegerator comes with a stainless steel worktop and high quality refrigeration components. This kegerator would probably last a lifetime, so if you need a workhorse this is your kegerator. See Kegerator Details

Mini Keg Dispenser
$159.99
Ever seen the 5 liter mini-kegs at the supermarket? Well here is a 5-liter dispenser/cooler that will keep your favorite beer or soda ready-to-serve cold. Features include an easy flow design, drip tray cover, brushed aluminum door panel and indicator light. HelmanGroup.com

Kenmore Kegerator
$594.99
This kegerator is a nice full sized unit with all the bells and whistles of the Haier BrewMaster kegerator. This unit stores a half-barrel keg, so your favorite beer is always on tap. You can also store quarter-barrel kegs and mini kegs. Store pickup at Sears is a nice option for those looking to save a few bucks on shipping costs. See Kegerator Details

Sudsbuddy Kegerator
$1,399.98
A truly stylish kegerator that definitely is thinking outside of the box. Made of polyethylene plastic, this kegerator is dent-resistant and weighs less than 60 lbs making it easy for portability. It even has a cigarette-lighter adapter. How cool is that?. See Kegerator Details

Viking Kegerator
$2,899.00
If you are an appliance snoot that only lives for the finer things in life, then I would like to introduce you to the Viking kegerator. This is the Lamborghini of kegerators. Stick this beauty next to your outdoor Sub-Zero and Wolf range to wow your guest and serve delicious draft beer. See Kegerator Details

Perlick Kegerator
$2,889.00
This ultra-slim kegerator defines luxury. It is designed with fully integrated depth to allow flush fit with surrounding cabinetry. If you are thinking of installing a kegerator into your cabinetry or you are a contractor designing a home bar, you can’t go wrong with this ultra modern kegerator design. See Kegerator Details

Fridgidaire Kegerator
$1149.00
This is for all you old school beer lovers that built a kegerator when you were in college out of an old refrigerator. Well, here is a beautiful replica made by Fridgidaire. It features a freezer on the top to store cold mugs and accommodates Up To a 16-Gallon Keg. See Kegerator Details

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