Corny Keg Fridge Required?

[MrBarrySir]

Hi all, new to the forum, hopefully the first of many posts and contributions!

I'm in the middle of gathering together all the bits and pieces to dispense homebrew kits from corny kegs. I was wondering if a fridge was required to cool down the keg prior to dispensing and initially carbonating or could this just be done at garage temperature? Would the beer come out frothy? I live in Scotland so i'm thinking this would be a temperature fluctuating between 12c and 18c at the moment.

I wouldn't be looking to do any sort of lager styles - mainly IPAs and ales etc.

Thanks

 

[chewie]

Hiya, beer temp is to personal taste, if you like it colder go for a fridge, i couldn't of been arsed waiting for a secondhand fridge that would suit to show up round my area so i just plumped for a basic currys essentials 550mm larder fridge, under a £120 delivered and it will hold 2 cornies np as long as you reposition the thermostat. It had no trouble going down to 4C and is quiet running.

 

[MrBarrySir]

Hi Chewie, thanks for the reply. I actually have a fridge waiting but I just wondered if it was a necessity. Like would the pour be mega frothy without one etc.

 

[chewie]

Cooling will help deaden it slightly but excess frothing will be more likely down too to fast a flow rate on the beer line or to high a gas pressure going into the keg.

There is plenty of vids on youtube showing various setups, you can get a better understanding by going thru some to see some of the inns and outs involved. A good beer tap is a big help, one with a flow adjustment on it will help give you some control at the dispensing point, nothing worse than having beer coming out the tap as quick as it would as out of a fire hose.