People who are lovers of cold drinks, especially beers, must know the importance of making a kegerator at home. With the perfect mini fridge size and knowing how to choose the best one of these appliances. This is the perfect way of keeping drinks chill even when they were already opened; it’s fantastic! Isn’t it?
Why use a mini fridge for kegerator
A mini fridge is very portable which allows us to easily move it to another place and share drinks with our friends and relatives. The height of a traditional beer keg doesn’t exceed 25 inches; that shows us how accessible it is to convert a mini fridge and a keg into a kegerator.
This also makes everything cheaper because, for example, instead of buying single beers or a beer crate, we could get a keg of beer and store it in a mini fridge. It may seem to be expensive but after the first month of its use, we will notice a 50 percent reduction in cost.
We will have the assurance that our drinks will stay cold to be enjoyed at any time and what is better, with adequate quantities. A mini fridge can be comfortably converted into a kegerator and we know we will always savor our favorite drinks at a cool temperature.
Let’s just think about how helpful it would be to have a beer keg fridge for parties. We could serve high-quality beer, try new beverages, and consume any appetizing and exclusive beer. Even better, we have the possibility of distributing any kind of ice-cold drink.
What size does keg fit in mini fridge for kegerator ?
In the process of making a keg fridge, we first need to have a general knowledge of keg size to fit in a mini-fridge. Although the keg sizes tend to differ from place to place, there are commonly 5 main sizes of kegs.
Regardless of the one we choose, it would be good to check the standard dimensions regulated by companies.
Home Brew or The Cornelius keg: it is also known as the soda keg with measurements of 25 inches in height and a diameter of 8.5 inches. It can just contain 5 gallons of beer and it weighs 55 pounds when it is chock-full.
Six Barrel: this keg has a diameter of 9.5 inches with a height of 23.3 inches. It can contain 5.23 gallons of beer weighing 58 pounds when chock-full.
Quart Barrel or Pony keg: it has a height of 14.8 inches and 17 inches in diameter. It has the capacity of 7.75 gallons of beer and it weighs 91 pounds when full.
Slim Quarter: it also holds 7.75 gallons of beer as the pony keg but it has a different shape since its height is of 23.3 inches with a diameter of 11 inches.
Half Barrel: With 23.3 inches in height and 17 inches in diameter. This barrel contains 15.5 gallons of beer and it has a weight of 170 pounds when it is completely full.
Any of these size kegs fit in a mini fridge but the one we choose is up to us since each of them has its particularity.
For instance, the quarter barrel kegs are most commonly used for small parties or home use. They hold the same 7.75 gallons of beer as the slim quarter kegs. Even so, they have different heights; in this case, it depends on the mini fridge we have or the one we want to buy.
Things to consider when we choose a mini fridge for kegerator
The choice is entirely ours, but there are quite a few things to consider and to inspect before choosing a mini fridge for kegerator use.
I’m going to provide certain aspects in terms of features, usage and the budget we have.
Usability
The mini-fridge we choose ought to be anything but not difficult to use. The doors have to correctly open and close. Besides, the entryway should open the entirety of the ways; this will guarantee us to replace an empty keg with a new one.
Ideally the mini-fridge should be on wheels to move the appliance more efficiently and to clean behind it.
Size
As we already talked about the dimensions of kegs, we can compare them to the mini fridges we are looking at. The type of keg we have or want to have will determine the kind of mini fridge to get.
My advice would be to start purchasing small units as a good practice to measure the space where we will place the mini fridge; in case of making home kegerators.
The mini fridges size varies from 1.7 cubic feet up to 4.5 cubic feet. The smallest ones have 17 inches wide, 18 inches deep, and 20 inches in height. While the largest ones measure 19 inches wide, 20 inches deep, and 43 inches in height. These largest ones have a separate freezer.
Now, it is easier to choose the perfect small refrigerator size depending on the keg we have or want to have.
Temperature
We must choose a mini fridge with a dial incorporated to adjust the temperature. With an adjustable temperature check, we can measure how cool our drinks would be in the kegerator.
Price
This one might be considered, as in the research of the best mini fridge for kegerator we must look at items within our budget. If we are on a strict budget, it is better to wait not to choose the first appliance we see.
All we need is to make a budget and stick to it.
5 Best Mini Fridge for kegerator to Buy in 2020
1. RCA RFR320-B-Black-COM RFR 321 Mini Refrigerator
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This is a black glossy color mini fridge with 20 x 18 x 32 inches in dimensions. The RCA RFR320 has a freezer capacity of 0.2 cubic feet and 3.2 cubic feet of inner space. It has 2 shelves in wire material and an adjustable thermostat which offers versatility.
Its reversible doors facilitate its installation anywhere in the rooms of the house. This mini refrigerator is available in more than 5 different colors. It also contains a refrigeration compressor to operate even in hot climates..
Pros
- Accessible price
- The design is simple. There is a button that we can use to regulate the temperature
- Reversible door
- It’s not noisy
Cons
- It has fragile parts exposed – beware shipping
- It has a holder for soda cans that is not removable and take a fair amount of space for those who only want to use it for beer
2. BLACK + DECKER BCRK 25B Energy Star Single Door
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It has dimensions of 17.5″ x 18.5″ x 26.6″ with a capacity of 2.5 cubic feet. It’s a compact and stylish fridge available in black, stainless steel and white. Its 2 removable glass shelves expand the space to store and make it easy to clean. The door storage + the dispenser hold 6-12 oz. cans, besides two liter door storage for smaller bottles.
The black-decker has a reversible door and leveling legs to be placed in almost any space at home. It has an adjustable temperature control which makes this fridge more practical with 32 degrees Fahrenheit at the lowest setting.
It operates perfectly in a place where we don´t want noisy appliances. The black-decker has a 1 year warranty for parts and labor, and a 2 year warranty for the compressor part.
Pros
- Accessible price
- It’s energy star
- Easy to clean
- Easy to set up
- It has leveling legs
Cons
- Many users reported problems with shipping
- When building the freezer, it might be difficult to install the keg kit
3. Midea WHS – 87LB1 Refrigerator
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The Midea WHS has dimensions of 17.52 x 20.08 x 24.8 inches with a capacity of 2.4 cubic feet. It has reversible door hinges that open right or left with low noise.
Moreover, the doors are stainless steel and the shelves material is wire; it has 3 shelves. Something so good is that this mini fridge is energy-saving with a 1-year warranty; it has a voltage of 115 volts and a capacity for 35.3 pounds in weight.
Pros
- It’s not noisy
- Doesn’t take up much space
- It pulls about 1.1 amps not to cause electrical problems
- It cools really good and quickly
- Adjustable shelves to set the height as we want
- Easy to use
Cons
- The fridge´s machinery occupies like half of the width in the back
- Requires frequent defrost
4. Danby DAR044A4WDD – 6 4.4 Cu
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This is a roomy compact mini fridge. The dimensions are 20.16 x 20.16 x 33.16 inches with a capacity of 4.4 cubic feet (124 liters).
The Danby DAR044A4WDD-6 has integrated door shelving with tall bottle storage ideal for any drink bottle. It looks bright and modern; it has a white interior with bright interior lighting.
This mini fridge fits just about anywhere in your room because of its back design with no bulky exposed components. It has reversible door hinges and it is easy to operate due to the automatic defrost and mechanical thermostat it has.
Pros
- Long-lasting unit
- Good capacity
- It has no freezer
- Environmentally friendly
- Easy to operate; we don´t need extra maintenance on our part
Cons
- Temperature control is always in the same way
- There is a heavy piece of press board in the top which may drop and dent the top of the refrigerator. Be careful when unboxing!
5. EdgeStar BR2001BL Ultra Low Temp Refrigerator
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This mini-fridge would be ready for conversion. The EdgeStar BR2001BL has dimensions of 25.69 x 20.19 x 35.06 inches with casters for easy mobility. It stores up to a full-sized standard keg and doesn’t support the use of Coors, Miller rubberized, or other oversized kegs.
This mini fridge has reversible doors and its protective floor plate adds durability; it’s for freestanding use only.
The most special feature of this mini refrigerator is that it can be converted to a fridge only with the included tower hole cap. This is a key feature to be best mini fridge for kegerator
Pros
- Convenience: ready to convert the unit
- Roomy
- Reinforced floor plate
- Reversible door
- A good unit for brewers
Cons
- Price
- Doesn´t support oversized kegs
And the winner is…
The would be a good option as the best mini fridge for kegerator for those who want to go simple since it is ready for conversion, has reversible door and it’s roomy but it is the most expensive of all.
The , for example, is an energy star, which is quite profitable, and the doesn’t take much space which is perfect for offices. When looking at no freezer fridge, the is a good option because, besides that, it has a good capacity.
However, I´d personally choose ; It’s easy for users to regulate the temperature; we just have to press a button. This is a solid unit and we will get exactly what we are paying for. It has 2 shelves which easily come out to create a room for taller items like a keg, just what we need for our kegerator. And has a good price.
