If beer’s a staple in your household, you might be wondering: what size kegerator should I buy? There’s not a single simple answer, though — it depends on how much beer you want to keep on hand as well as when you’ll use it. Will it be a weekend thing? Or will you keep a stock for parties? The size of your keg will dictate the size of kegerator you need.
What Is a Kegerator?
The purpose of a kegerator is to contain, cool, and dispense beer from kegs. A kegerator can be nothing fancier than a refrigerator for beer kegs, but it can also have a variety of bells and whistles for holding kegs, cooling, and dispensing beer. That’s what complicates things when it comes to the size of kegerator you need: some features add size, meaning that two equally sized kegerators with different features might take up different amounts of space.
Kegerators come in four main types:
- mini kegerators
- NEVER FLAT CRAFT BEER: A traditional growler will let beer go flat after the first pour. PKBRTP100 will keep beer vacuum pressured and fresh for up to 2 months. Perfect for any homebrew or craft draught beer kegging equipment enthusiast
- WORKS W/ DISPOSABLE CO2: Not included - Each cartridge will pump around 128oz of beer before depleting Co2 cartridge. Screw universal threaded 16g CO2 gas cartridges (any brand) into the regulator to supply pressurized carbonation to your keg system
- UPGRADED ADJUSTABLE REGULATOR: Monitor the mini keg growler’s current PSI from the regulator gauge and fine tune pressure by rotating the adjustment knob to enjoy a perfect head on every beer. Add the insulator sleeve to keep beer cold
- HEAVY DUTY STAINLESS STEEL: Each of the accessories in the tap dispenser kit is constructed with S/S 304 stainless steel. Tap faucet handle is just pouring draft brew from a kegerator. Pressure release valve allows safe removal of the tap hardware
- 128oz TANK SIZE: Barrel is the same volume as traditional growlers and is laser marked at the fill level. Includes metal screw on lid for easy portable transportation and storage. Fits in your home fridge
- full-size kegerators for home use
- Features a reversible door | removable guardrail | Includes Keg dispenser / Gas and Beer lines / Co2 tank (ships empty) / & regulator
- Product dimensions – 25” D x 24” W x 33.25” H | Electrical – 115V / 60 Hz / 1.7 running amps | Fits barrels – One full size (1/2) / One Pony size (1/4) / One slim (1/4) / Two 1/6 or Three 5 gallon ball / pin lock Keg
- Recommended clearance around the unit – 3” on all sides | Do not expose outdoor | Temperature range – 32ᵒ to 75ᵒ
- Store up to three Cornelius ball lock kegs in the MDK-309SS-01 's spacious interior, or use it to hold a 6 gallon bucket or carboy of fermenting homebrew. This keg refrigerator can even be used to store food and other beverages!
- With a digital LED display and intuitive controls, it is easy to set and verify the internal temperature of this home brew keg refrigerator | Simply press the up or down button, and the temperature is adjusted by one degree in Fahrenheit or Celsius
- commercial kegerators
- This Keg Dispenser has Two Tower, Each Tower has 2 Taps and couplers included (you can customize it to 3 taps each tower). It's Overall Dimension is (WxDxH) 60" x 24.4" x 35.6", large capacity comes with 2 half Keg. Certifed by NSF/ETL, you are approved by US Health department to use it in any commercial environment free of worry.
- Powered by 1 phase standard 115 Volt electricity, this product uses environmental-friendly R290 refrigerant, the temperature is digitally controlled within 33-38 Degrees Fahrenheit. The digital display allows you to quickly check the temperature, the LED light is also included to illuminites the interior.
- It has black coated steel exterior and stainless steel interior, making it resistant to liquid spill or leak, therefore enhanced its durability and very easy to clean. 2 Locking doors will ensure the safety of your brew, built-in 4 caster wheels brings great mobility.
- Using this kegrator in your Restaurant Bar or Cafe will bring both you and your customer optimal convenience-by allowing people to serve themselves. It will help you offer fresh beer to your guest with the most affordable budget-great investment idea!
- We offer 3 Years All-Parts Warranty, 6 Years Compressor Warranty and 1 Month's Labor Warranty. You can apply for Full-Refund for functional failures within 1 month of item's delivered date(Note: Please keep the pallet when receiving the item, because we cannot process your return until you bind the product on the pallet and wrapped it). Order on Amazon will ensure the safety of your purchase.
- outdoor kegerators
- 〔 Multi-purpose 〕Your K90 multipurpose kegerator can maximize your investment by offering two functions on one product. It allows you to share your favorite beer with your friends at the party, and it can also be used as a indoor/outdoor refrigerator to store fresh food and drinks.
- 〔 Compact Design 〕The compact yet spacious interior space offered by your K90 multipurpose kegerator comes 1/6 barrel or 1 Cornelius keg with 3.18 cu. ft of capacity. Under kegarator mode, it can accommodate kegs up to 9.25" (235mm) in diameter and 16.07" (408mm) in height.. Under refrigerator mode, its can hold up to 96 standard 12-ounce cans and providing ultra high storage flexibility with its three removable shelves when storage of bulky items such as fresh food or wine bottle is needed. It's worth mention that its door is reversible.
- 〔 Precise temperature control 〕Your K90 multipurpose kegerator is equipped with an energy efficient compressor-based cooling system with an effective range of 32 F to 50 F. With its high precision temperature monitoring system (TMS), it constantly keep your beers and beverages polar cold all day and make them ready to serve you and your family and friends when need. You can always adjust the temperature of your fridge with a few press of button on the easy-to-use temperature controller panel.
- 〔 Buy one get all 〕Your K90 multipurpose kegerator comes with full set of accessories including full set of D system dispensing accessories a Stainless Steel Draft Tower, a CO2 tank(ship empty) ,a guard rail, a drip tray, four (4) casters, safety lock and three (3) wire shelves.So you don't have to spend extra money to buy the accessories, and reduces your time and hassles of looking for accessories.
- 〔 Hassle Free 〕We also offer 1 year factory warranty on non-consumable components, and 3 years on compressor. If you need any further assistance, we are just one Amazon message away to ensure your 100% satisfaction.(Note: After you receive the product please let it sit for 24 hours before you start to power up and run it.)
Mini kegerators might vary in size, but most often, you’ll find that mini kegerators that are countertop units and can fit 5-liter kegs.
Full-size home kegerators hold full-size (half-barrel) kegs. Normally, full-size home kegerators are free-standing refrigerator units although some are built-in kitchen appliances. Commercial kegerators are used mainly in bars, restaurants, and by caterers, as they are designed for heavier use and often hold larger kegs than ones intended for homes.
There’s an important distinction here, though: full-size kegerators aren’t the same thing as full-size refrigerators. Full-size kegerators are typically larger than conventional mini-fridges and apartment fridges but smaller than most full refrigerators. You may need to measure the space you’re reserving for your kegerator and look at the unit’s dimensions to make sure it will fit.
It’s important to note that normal kegerators aren’t generally designed for outdoor use. The compressors in most kegerators are designed to work within specific temperature ranges, and functioning outside of that range (for example, temperatures as low as 45 degrees Fahrenheit and higher than 85 degrees Fahrenheit) can accelerate the process of wear and tear and leave you with a broken unit. If you’re going to regularly use your kegerator outside, you’ll need to make sure the one you get is intended for that.
Kegerator Features
The size of your kegerator will depend on not only the keg size to be accommodated but also the number of features that you want to supplement its basic refrigeration function.
The first consideration is aesthetic features. Most kegerators are only for use inside your home, office, or catered party room. Outside use requires special features.
Some kegerators are very attractive structures designed to blend in with furniture or other appliances. Others are more utilitarian, like for heavy-duty usage by caterers, for example.
Kegerators pressurize a keg and circulate the suds through a draft line into the tap tower without a need for hand-pumping. Essential features or accessories for dispensing beer from kegs include:
- A tower with a faucet
- Handles and hoses
- Kegerator CO2 tank
- Coupler
- Regulator
It should be noted that some breweries offer kegs that are sized slightly larger than standard non-branded kegs. Make sure to check the dimensions of your potential kegerator and kegs from breweries you’ll be shopping from to be sure they’ll fit.
What Keg Size Should You Use?
A keg of beer is not a standard measurement of volume. Rather, it is a container the size of which is pegged to a barrel volume measurement. Barrels are measurements of different liquids. In the US, a barrel generally translates to 31.5 gallons. However, a barrel of oil is 42 gallons. A barrel of beer or other fermented liquids is 31 gallons.
Kegs come in different sizes depending on their gallon capacity. Ironically, one full keg is equivalent to half a barrel. Why? Because a full barrel would be too much to handle for most users on most occasions. A full-size (half-barrel size) keg holds 15.5 gallons of beer or about 165 12-oz glasses. Standard full-size kegs are usually 23-inches tall and 16 inches in diameter and weigh about 160 pounds when full. You typically won’t find home kegerators for use with full-size kegs; they’re usually the domain of commercial units.
A half-size (quarter-barrel size) keg holds 7.75 gallons. They come in two sizes. The standard half keg is 13 ⅞-inches tall, 16 ⅛ inches in diameter, and weighs about 87 pounds when full. The slimmer type of half keg is 23 ⅜-inches tall and 11 ⅛ inches in diameter. This is the size you’ll see most often used with full-sized kegerators, along with quarter-kegs.
Is a Kegerator Economical?
Kegerator prices can vary greatly depending on the manufacturer and the size of the refrigerator. As you might guess, larger kegerators will usually cost more than smaller ones, but that cost might be offset by how often you’ll use it. If you regularly hold large gatherings and go through large amounts of beer or other draft beverages, it might be worth the investment in the long run versus continuing to buy cans or bottles.
Smaller units are a different story. While everyone’s budget is different, you can find countertop units at prices between $100 and $200. On the less-expensive side of things, full-sized kegerators fall in the $550-plus range, with premium units stretching into thousands of dollars. When you start adding features, the price rises, so just like with the ideal size of your kegerator, whether it’s economical depends largely on your situation.
Having said that, you also have the option of building yourself a kegerator with a mini-fridge and individual parts. This does require quite a bit of mechanical know-how as you’ll need to modify the refrigerator’s exterior to add taps, seal any gaps you create, and make sure there’s space for the CO2 tank (or modify the fridge further to store the tank outside).
Kegerators come in many sizes and functions. Home-use kegerators are very popular among beer lovers who want convenient access to draft beer that is cold and fresh. Ultimately, the best size of kegerator fridge depends on the amount of beer you’ll be going through.