I had a drinking problem.

Is this the sign of a problem? I guess it all depends on the way you look at it. I do have a drinking problem. Well, I did have a drinking problem. The problem is that I didn't know what to do with all the empty bottles after I finished them.

This is where they end up first, on the side of my desk. As I write the posts for my blog and make the roster moves for my fantasy football teams, I would drink them, then line them up to the side when they were finished.

By the way, I have the best record in one of the leagues thank you very much.

Anyways, eventually there would be too many empty bottles. They would start to crowd my keyboard and get in the way of my monitor. So I would move them to a box on the floor. I am conscientious about the environment, so I saved them to recycle. Actually, the city gave us a recycle bin so it leaves more room in the regular trash can.

Eventually, the bottles start to get in my way again, so I start a new box. It is a vicious cycle. A cycle that finally ended last week, with 96 empty bottles on the floor. That's right, in less than a month, I ended up with 96 (ninety-six) empty bottles of some great beers. That is like what, 3 - 4 beers a day on average? Not to bad if you ask me.

But no more. I have given that up. I have solved my problem. I am going to stop drinking.....from bottles.

From now on, I will drink from a keg. The bottles take up to much space, and I hate carrying them to the recycle bin. It is all the way outside. No more. Just fresh kegged beer from a tap for me. It is such a great thing to be able to take a mere 18 steps to refill my glass, which I will wash and use over and over again.

See, I care about the environment.

-Prost!

I am so cool!

Just when I thought I couldn't be any more popular, it happened. I am.

A kegerator will make you a very popular person. Not just in high school, but anytime. I figured my friends would think it was cool and want to come over to drink the "Free Beer". But I had no idea that my friend list would grow to include my friend's friends, and my even wife's friends.

Of the 3 beers I have on tap, I figured the Samuel Adams Boston Lager would be the most popular. Quite the contrary. It has been the least popular by far. I'm not sure if they don't like it, or just like the others more.

The most popular beer has been the Four Peaks Kilt Lifter. I bet the keg is nearly empty now. All it took was one Saturday night. Guys lined up for it all night long. It was a surprise as well as a let down. I am happy I got the Miller Lite drinkers to drink a good beer. But I am bummed out that they have nearly finished off my keg.

So the keezer is fully functional and pouring liquid gold for everyone, pint after pint. Or in my case, liter after liter. (I guess the metric system isn't all bad now that I think about it). So if you get the time, feel free to stop by for a beer. Everyone else is.

-Cheers!

A's or D's?

I told you I had a funny story about my kegs. It is funny, but I feel like an idiot. So much that I can laugh at myself and share the story with you, my close friends.

You might have noticed that I have been building a kegerator, aka "HIT - Home Intoxication Kit". And if you follow my blog, you will know that I love beer from Europe, in particular Germany. So why wouldn't I tap a few German kegs for my personal enjoyment.

As luck would have it, my local beer specialty store had a bunch of 5 gallon kegs on sale. Could you imagine my excitement when I read Paulaner Oktoberfest and Bitburger for $32.00 each. Are you kidding me? How freaking sweet is that!

At that time, I wasn't ready to buy any kegs because the kegerator wasn't finished yet. My plan was to go back and pick them up on Tuesday night. In the mean time, I needed to buy some German "A" system keg couplers. Damn, they are expensive. Nearly $30 more than a standard American "D" couplers. (Who would think that A's would cost more than D's) But I needed them, so I bought them.

With everything ready for the Germans to come home on Wednesday, I made the trip to buy the kegs. I walked down the long isle of amazing beers with a big grin on may face. I wasn't here to buy single bottles this time. I was going to buy, a keg. No, not just a keg, but 2 German kegs.

My smiling face soon turned to a look of anger, then disappointment, followed by embarrassment. You see, that smoking price for the 5 Gallon kegs of sweet German beer was correct. However, I was overcome with excitement that I didn't notice the L instead of the G.

Yep, they were liters. Not gallons but liters. They were those stinking over sized beer can kegs with a spicket on the side. My first thought, "Shit! I just spent $150 on fucking A couplers. What the hell am I going to do with them now"?

Those aren't kegs. They don't count. There should be at least 5 gallons in a keg, not 5 liters. All that time wasted in elementary school preparing us for the stupid metric system was a complete waste of time. Remember, we were going to be switching to the metric system. But it never happened. I guess they didn't get the memo.

That brings you up to date. I exchanged the A's for D's (I love D's, They are my favorite). All is well again. As long as my kegs show up tomorrow, I will be ok. Some day, I will get a German beer in there. I don't know when, but some day.

-Prost!

CO2 is a Go.

We are almost there. I'm still waiting on the kegs though. They were ordered and confirmed this morning. I double checked. I am going to pick them up on Friday night. They better be there, or there will be hell to pay!

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In the mean time, I need to get everything else ready to go. I want to finish as much as I can now so all I have to do is "tap" the kegs, and I am ready to go.

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So, this is where I am as of 5 minutes ago. I just hooked up the CO2 tank. It worked perfectly. I pressure tested the system and everything looks great. I am going to let the tank sit in the keezer to see what happens to the pressure.

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From what I have read, and been told, the pressure drops when the CO2 tank is inside the freezer instead of being outside.

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I'm not happy with the temperature probe just hanging there. I am looking for a better way to have it in there without being in the way. But for now, it will do.

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Friday night, I will hook everything up and take some more pictures. I will post them for you to drool over. Just kidding. But I sure was envious of all the other guys who made keezers before I did. I am thankful that they were nice enough to post the pictures and give steps and directions on how they did it. I hope I have returned the favor.

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If you have any questions about anything, please let me know. I will do my best to tell you how I did it, and why I did it. It wasn't to difficult to build by any means. I wish I would have done it sooner. I'm happy I have one of my own now.

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-Cheers!

I ordered my kegs!

I just got home from the BevMo. It was a kind of a big deal. I ordered my kegs. Not exactly the selection I wanted, but they will do just fine.

I decided to order 3 different 5 gallon (or so) kegs.

1. Samuel Adams Boston Lager. I needed a session beer. A beer that friends and family will enjoy and not make that hops face.

2. Flying Dog Old Scratch Lager. I love this beer. I am so happy that they actually had it available in something other than a 15.50 gallon keg. This is a great beer that I will enjoy while it lasts. And it is a beer that I will give to those whom I feel are worthy of a quality beer.

3. Four Peaks Kilt Lifter. A local favorite. Brewed here in my home town, it has quite a following. It really is a great brew. I'm sure it will last longer than the others, but that is what I want. It is the beer that I will drink on special occasions.

Taps 4 and 5 are reserved for home brew. I was supposed to brew this weekend, but plans changed. So I will have to wait a while before I can tap the final two spots. I wonder if I can wait that long.

I also made another trip to the beer store. I got the CO2 tank filled. As soon as I am done typing, I am going to hook it up. I wish I had the kegs to get everything set up. But I have to wait until Friday night. I have to go back to the beer store tomorrow. It;'s kind of a funny story. I will tell you about it tomorrow.

I will post the pictures tomorrow. So until then.

-Cheers!