A cooler kegerator may refer to several appliances whose main purpose is to store beer at a cold temperature and then allow the dispensing of the cold beer from an attached tap. While warm beer is a tradition in certain areas of the world, the majority of beer drinkers prefer beer that is served cold. In addition, many beer drinkers also believe that draft beer, served from a tap, tastes better than beer that has been canned or bottled. A cooler kegerator allows consumers the ability to enjoy ice-cold draft beer on tap in the convenience of their homes.
The first type of kegerator is a purpose-built appliance specially designed to store, chill and dispense beer. This type of kegerator is very similar in appearance to a standard refrigerator and is often found in the wet bar area of a home. The refrigerator style kegerator is able to hold a keg of beer and has the necessary hardware to dispense the beer on tap. Some kegerators may have the beer tap on the top of the appliance while others have the tap in the door or on the side.
Another common type of cooler kegerator is a refrigerator that has been modified to function as a kegerator. These are popular do-it-yourself projects for the beer enthusiast. There are special conversions kits on the market that provide the necessary hardware and instructions to modify a refrigerator. It should be noted that creating a kegerator from a refrigerator does require time, patience and some expertise and may require the use of tools such as electric drills, pliers, hand saws, and screwdrivers to perform the work.
A third type of cooler kegerator is a picnic style cooler that has been modified to serve as a portable kegerator. For beer drinkers interested in the convenience of bringing ice-cold draft beer wherever they go, the picnic cooler kegerator can be an effective way to do so. As with the refrigerator style kegerator, there are conversion kits with the hardware and instructions necessary to make a kegerator from a picnic cooler.
While designs may vary, a popular design has a keg filled with beer outside of the picnic cooler. There are coiled metal lines in the picnic cooler connected to keg and a tap on the exterior of the cooler kegerator. When the user pulls the tap, the beer from the keg is transported to the tap via the coiled metal line. Ice placed in the picnic cooler cools the beer as it is transported from the keg to the tap.
