What Temperature Should I Set My Kegerator

When your kegerator comes in, it’s a sight for sore eyes. You are literally within a few minutes of enjoying a nice keg of beer in your own home bar or wherever you want to put it. But, there is one question left looming.

What temperature should you set your kegerator? There are people who have different answers and for different reasons. So, you have to get a feel for what you like and you’ll soon have your own setting.

But, it’s good to listen to the manufacturers at first who will tell you what temperature works best for the particular model. Some might say a temperature of 34 degrees and another might say a temperature of 38 degrees. The sweet spot in the middle is what you’re trying to find.

It’s just that at the time you think you have the perfect setting, then you have different factors that come into play. If you increase the length of your lines, you might have to make the settings a little lower. Most bars have settings between 36 and 38 degrees. But, they most likely have commercial models that have a durability that your kegerator won’t have.

But, a bar’s wear and tear is always going to be at a higher frequency than your kegerator will ever have to support. Their maintenance schedules will always be at a greater frequency also. So, the wear and tear on your kegerator might mean you only have to make adjustments every couple of years.

One beer enthusiast I know likes to set his kegerator at 32 degrees so that the beer will pour at 32 degrees and then be at 40 degrees when he’s ready to drink it. Other beer enthusiasts like to set their kegerators at 40 degrees because they don’t seem to have a problem with the beer getting slightly warmer by the time they take a drink. After all, most people take a sip as soon as they pour themselves a beer.

There are other factors as well. If you get a keg of a stout for instance, you might want to set your kegerator at 42 degrees. Fruit and wheat beers should be anywhere from 40 to 45 degrees. Pale ales should be served at 50 degrees.

So depending on the kegerator, you will have a slight variation in setting. Depending on the age and setup of your kegerator, you’ll have to make adjustments. Also depending on the flavor of the beer itself, you will have to find the sweet spot for whatever wets your palate.

How to Keep Beer Cold at a Party

There are some radical ideas for keeping your beer cold at a party. But, they work and they will make you the hero if you use them when you find yourself with warm beer. But, let’s cover the common methods first.

Freezer

When you have warm beer, put it in the freezer for a few minutes. Ten, twenty, even thirty would be fine. That way it cools quicker and you can enjoy your beer much faster. But, don’t leave it in there too long. Beer can become ice quicker than you can imagine.

I have seen beer bust through the top of a can or a beer bottle. It freezes over and drips down the sides of the car or bottle. That will make a mess. So, punch yourself if you ever do that.

One good thing to do though is to rotate all your warm beer through the freezer as you drink them. When you make a beer run for your friends and grab three or four beers, put three or four beers in the freezer for the next round. It works like a charm.

Cooler

Of course, if you’re outside a cooler will come in handy. Actually, it can keep beer colder than a freezer without freezing. Now, you might wonder how that’s possible. But, it is. A cooler can get your beer to about 32 degrees. But, it keeps it there. It doesn’t keep freezing until it’s frozen.

Koozie

Of course, a koozie will keep your beer cold while you’re drinking it. It’s a mini cooler, right in your hand. They cannot be overrated. Your last drink of beer on a hot day will be a cold one when you have a koozie wrapped around your beer can or bottle.

Aluminum Foil

Here’s where we start to go off the grid. If you don’t have a koozie, aluminum foil works as a great alternative. Just wrap your beer in some aluminum foil and it will stay cold until the last drop. Try to be careful and un-wrap your beer cautiously. Use the same foil each time you have a beer.

Fire Extinguisher

This is an odd idea, but I’ve seen it work. When your beer is warm and you would like to make it cold quick, use a fire extinguisher. Lay out your beer in the yard or on the sidewalk and spray it with the fire extinguisher. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you pick your beer cans or bottles up and feel how cold they are.

It’s great to always have cold beer on hand. But, we all know for one reason or another that it’s not always possible. The store gets busy and doesn’t have your flavor stocked in the cooler. There isn’t enough room in the refrigerator. You stored your beer for the party in the garage. So, it’s not always possible. But when you find yourself with warm beer, it can always be made cold quickly. Enjoy, be safe and drink responsibly!

Beer Trivia

I’ve never witnessed a game of beer trivia. I’m not even sure it exists. But there are plenty of questions they should include if the game just happens to exist.

First of all, it’s a myth that the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock because of beer. It is said that they ran out of beer and that’s what brought them to land. If it hadn’t have been for the lack of beer, they would have sailed further south. I have heard that this is just a myth and there’s no truth to it. But, it would be nice to know.

As far as beer facts are concerned, there is an actual term for the collection of beer coasters. But first, let’s talk about the fact that beer coasters are also known as beermats. The first beermats were introduced by the printing company, Friedrich Horn, in 1880. Since then, coasters have become collector’s items. The next time you are asked, the term for collecting beermats is known as tegestology, making the collectors themselves tegestologists.

While we’re speaking of collectors, there is also a term for a collector who collects beer bottles. It would be a nice trivia victory for you if you were asked that question because the answer is labeorphilist. So, the practice of collecting beer bottles would be labeorphilogy.

When a group of University of Cambridge archeologists went digging around Queen Nefertiti’s Temple of the Sun in Egypt, they found an ancient beer recipe. Not really understanding the connection, the beer that is made from that recipe is called Tutankhamen. The confusion only exists since Queen Kiya is King Tut’s biological mother and not Queen Nefertiti. Either way, Tutankhamen is made in limited quantities and numbered editions. It also is the most expensive beer in the world at over fifty dollars a bottle.

A final trivial fact to know is that there is a name for the fear of empty glasses. It’s a fear most beer enthusiasts suffer from every time they see their mug of beer go empty. It’s known as cenosillicaphobia. So, the sufferer is known as a cenosillicaphobic. There have been times when I suffered from this affliction. Some times are harder to handle than others. Those times are when there is no beer left.

Trivia is always a fun game to play. That is especially when you get to stump those around you. I’m sure there might be some people in the audience who will know the answers to these questions. But, I can also ensure you that most people won’t. You can have a great time impressing them while the expert beer enthusiasts sit back and make sure you get your facts straight.

Building Your Home Bar

If you’ve been dreaming about having a bar in your home, get started. You don’t need a contractor to be the expert on the job. That could take weeks when you could have one built in a day.

Do some research and give yourself an idea of what you want. Then, put the plan into motion by piecing together the different materials you’ll need. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to build your own home bar.

Blend or Standout

Depending on where you decide to put your home bar, you might want to think about making it blend with the rest of your home or making it standout. If you are putting it in a room all its own, it can easily be designed to standout. But if it happens to be between two rooms where company roaming through is a very real possibility, then making it blend with the rest of your décor is a good idea.

In a room all its own, a bar looks great with a brick or wood décor. But, those aren’t the only two options. Some bars I’ve seen have had been finished in drywall. The rest of the décor was dressed with beer signs and beer mirrors. But for the other choices, definitely a faux brick or faux wood finish would look great and it wouldn’t damage the budget.

The Bar

The bar can easily be framed with 2 x 4s. Cover it with plywood. Then, finish. It really doesn’t get any more difficult than that. But, it does depend on how intricate you try to get.

Any local department store or hardware store should have cabinet doors you can use for the bar when you are finished. Build your frame. Then as I said before, nail the plywood to your frame. At this point, it’s up to you what you want to do. I have finished off a bar with interlocking wood panels that I attached diagonally. Then, I used border to make eye catching designs that brought a touch of professionalism to the bar.

Once the bar is built and the cabinets are finished to match the bar, a few coats of lacquer can bring out a beautiful glossy finish. Now all you need are some bar stools and track lighting before you begin to decorate the rest.

Décor

Have you ever thought about your local bar and wondered where they got their decorations? The beer signs and the beer mirrors are either funny, authentic, or just plain eye catching. The beer taps are name brand and always have unique designs. The beer glasses are also name brand and in all different shapes and sizes.

One thing about having your own home bar is the challenge of finding great collector’s items to put on display. Once your bar is done, now your hunt begins. Don’t go for junk just to cover the walls. Find things that bring out your personality. It’s your bar. It’s should be all about you.