Kegerator Dimensions: What You Should Know
For many, Kegerator is often a confusing word as it is relatively a new term. It is a combination of two words, keg and refrigerator, that is used for keeping liquid drinks like beer chilled.
Kegerator comes with the basic box-shaped design but available in different sizes and types; all used to keep beer chilled and fresh for long period of times. If you are looking to buy one for your own use, the most important features to look into are kegerator dimensions, type, and keg size.
In addition, each kegerator is fixed with a barrel-shaped keg which tells you about the actual capacity of the kegerator.
Kegerator Dimensions and Size:
Kegerators works like refrigerators but they are made specifically for keeping liquids like beer chilled, so they are more specialized.
You can find four basic types of kegerators based on their size, dimensions, and use. These types include:
- Mini kegerator
- Full-size home kegerator
- Commercial kegerator
- Outdoor kegerator
Each size and type has different kegerator dimensions along with different features. For example, larger ones like full-size kegerators also include a pressurized carbon dioxide tank, commonly known as CO2 tank.
Let’s look into detailed dimensions and features of each type.
Mini Kegerator
This is commonly used for personal use as it offers enough space to keep beer for one to few persons chilled without taking a lot of space in your home. It is a countertop self-pressured beer dispenser that can store up to five liters of beer.
This equals to 14 12oz cans or 10.5 pints. Other dimensions include Nine 7/8 inches of height and six 8/4 inches in width or diameter. The weight of mini-keg is often around 13 lbs.
These are easy to move and often used when going out on picnics.
Full-Size Kegerator
Full-size kegerators are available in different barrel sizes that range from one-sixth of a barrel size to half a barrel. This is commonly used by home brewers who brew their own wine or beer enthusiasts who want to keep a good stock of beer.
The half barrel keg has a capacity of fifteen and a half gallons of beer storage. This equals to 1984 oz which means, you can use this kegerator to serve hundreds of people. This also means that you can serve 165 bottles of 12 oz each or 124 pints.
The dimensions of the half barrel kegerator are 23 8/8 inches in height and 16 1/8 inches in width or diameter. The weight of full-size kegerator is around 161 lbs which means it is not easy to move around and also needs a lot of space in your house.
You can also find different models for this one for different manufacturers like under-counter models. It also comes with a coupler and pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2) tank to help you dispense beer.
Commercial Kegerators
These are even larger and often equal in size of the full-size home kegerator, mostly consist of half a barrel. Even though often equal in size, but these are different in design and built to provide better quality and to meet the commercial standard needs.
You can also find variation in the models and designs as some are built to fit under the counter of a bar or restaurant while others are freestanding. These can also store the same amount of beer as a full-size kegerator and have the same dimensions.
Outdoor Kegerators
Again, this is also of the same capacity and dimensions as of mini or full-size kegerators, but the only difference is the built and manufacturing material. These are specifically built to keep beer chilled for long hours even if kept under the sun for long hours.
It is a good option for those who want to keep the kegerator near the outdoor swimming pools or other such places like a back patio, garages and even in basements. These types of kegerators are designed to keep beer chilled under the maximum temperature of 85 degrees.
Types of Kegs
Other than kegerator dimensions, you also have to look into the types of kegs that are barrel used in a kegerator.
Some of the common types of kegs include:
- Mini Keg
- Cornelius Keg
- Sixth Barrel
- Quarter Barrel
- Slim Quarter
- Half Barrel
- Rubber Barrel
- Beveled Barrel
The one with the largest capacity is half a barrel that offers 15.5 gallons of beer space. It is used in full-size and commercial kegerators for bars or home bars.
The mini keg is the smallest that only offers a capacity of 1.32 gallons which equals to only 10.5 pints.
The sixth barrel offers a space of 5.16 gallons which is enough capacity for the beer that equals 42 pints. It comes with the dimensions of 23 8/8 inches in height and 9 ¼ inches of width of diameter. It normally weighs around 58 lbs.
It is normally used in kegerators that have dual-taps. These types of kegerators are fitted with multiple sixth barrel kegs for each tap. This design is more common in kegerators for commercial use.
There are also kegerators available in the market that can fit multiple keg types.
The quarter barrel is also often used in full-size kegs that offer a capacity of 7.75 gallons. The dimensions for quarter barrel are 13 7/8 inches in height and 16 ½ inches in width while it weighs around 87 lbs.
There is another version of quarter barrel keg which is called slim quarter, commonly used in dual tap kegerators. This offers the same capacity, but it is slimmer, with more height and less width with a shape like sixth barrel keg.
Conclusion
If you are buying kegerator and keg separately, you have to look into the dimensions to see if the type of keg you are buying can fit into the kegerator. For personal use kegerators, you also have to look into the space limitation in your home before buying a kegerator. This is why learning about the kegerator dimensions if very important.
A wrong option can make it difficult for you to place a kegerator in your home. Similarly, you also have to look into if you want to use it for inbound or outbound use.
All in all, if you are fond of brewing, buying a kegerator can help you keep your brewed beer chilled for your guests and can do a better job than an ordinary refrigerator.