Size Doesn’t Matter: The Story of A Keezer

I thought I’d share my keezer build though I’m sure it’s pretty similar to others you’d find online. It started with the freezer which I bought used from my sister. First note…. measure the stupid thing before you agree to buy it from a family member. She gave me a great deal on it, but I didn’t realize that it would be too small for 3 corny kegs. I’ll discuss that more later.

The freezer was white and fairly dirty so I wiped it down with towels and alcohol (the rubbing kind, not the drinking kind.). I unhinged the lid (relatively easy) and spray painted it outdoors. The spraypaint stuck to everything so be mindful of winds because I now have a sweatshirt with black specks on it. I put a couple coats on the lid and the body of the freezer and let it dry for a couple hours.

The next step is creating the collar. I bought a big-ass piece of wood from Home Depot. Luckily my future father-in-law is a general contractor and so he helped me cut the wood at 45 degree angles since I wanted a “cleaner” cut as opposed to simply cutting the ends at 90 degree angles. I simply measured the top of the body of the freezer and we made our cuts. The collar was put together with small nails and liquid nail. I also used brackets on the inside corners to hopefully make the collar a bit stronger. I also cut the holes for the tap hardware. Next is the staining… 

The only part of this my fiance was interested in helping me out was with the staining…. apparently chicks love to paint/stain. We put probably about 2-3 coats on. I bought a stain that had the words “old english” in it. I can’t remember the exact name, but I thought the name sounded decent and I liked the color.

We let that dry for a day or so and then I attached it using liquid nail to the body of the freezer. I’ve seen vids and blogs with people using brackets when attaching the collar to the freezer. I didn’t feel it was too necessary. I’ve also seen people using insulation. Once again, I didn’t feel it was necessary. The keezer is in my spare room and so the temps don’t vary too much. Plus, due to the error in the size of the stupid thing, I’ll be hopefully making a new one in a couple years. I can pimp it out more at that time, if needed.

One thing I wanted to mention was the decision you’ll have to make about whether you want the collar attached to the hinged lid or the body of the freezer. I decided on the body of the freezer since it seemed more stable that way. Plus, I’m nearly 6’5″ and so leaning over to pick up the kegs or clean the interior is not too tough. I am interested to read about folks that attached it to the collar though…

Lastly, I put together the hardware for the taps (not difficult, just follow directions) and plugged everything in. I also bought a thermostat which adjusts the temp of the freezer. It’s simple to hook up. You simply put the thermometer-type thing in the freezer and plug the thermostat into the wall. Then plug the freezer into the thermostat. It regulates when the freezer will turn on and off. By the way, I haven’t noticed an increase in electricity.
I filled the kegs with some homebrew, let it sit for a few days to carbonate, and began drinking. I’ve seen some builds that have the CO2 tank on the outside of the keezer. I placed mine inside (further cramping it), but I don’t have the ability to weld it to the outside. It would be a nice touch though.

As you can see, the keezer is too small for all 3 cornys and so I might get two 2.5 gallon kegs and one 5 gallon keg to place in there.  I’m pretty happy over all with it. Luckily, the fiance likes the look of it and everyone that has seen it has wanted to try it out.

Enjoy the pics and enjoy a beer.