A Great Alternative to the BeerTender from Krups/Heineken
The Background:
I first thought of the BeerTender from Heineken as the 5L kegs are simple, easy to use and a big hit at parties and keeping the beer cool and out of the fridge is a challenge. While in a specialty shop I saw several other foreign brands of beer also in 5L kegs, but to my surprise, their tap was at the bottom like a Gatorade cooler. I then learned that the Heineken Draft kegs have an internal pressure system and that the Beertender would only work with that particular type of keg.
The Search:
At first it didn't really matter that much to me because I love Heineken and Heineken Light. After seeing the variety of beers available in the 5L minikegs, I decided to start shopping for a kegerator that would work with more than just the Draftkeg line. A low price was important, but so was functionality and reliablility. While searching, I found several other options with most looking similar and having the same features. You can go crazy and get one...
Stunning little 5L kegerator
As I'm sure with many people looking for a 5 liter keg unit I was torn between the various ones out there and the Krupps BeerTender. I chose the Edgestar due to the low price, looks and the additional ability to utilise a CO2 cannister, which the BeerTender cannot. As far as I know the Heineken 5L keg is the only keg to come with its own CO2 built-in and only such kegs are usable with the Krupps model. Therefore, whilst I'm a Heineken fan, the BeerTender completely limits your choice of drinkto Heineken or Heineken Light.
So I bought the Edgestar, sight unseen - and I'm very glad I did. It's a light-weight unit comprising mostly of chrome plastic and a few actual chrome parts, and overall looks great and feel sturdy. The drip tray (not shown in the picture but supplied) is well thought out and easy to remove when full. The door is opened by a small button on top and swings outward. You only have to open it a short amount to place a keg in it, offering a small footprint for...
Awesome, but be methodical.
I originally wrote this review for what I think is a different model of kegerator by this same company. After reviewing both listings, this is clearly the model I own, but the other model doesn't contain enough information on the Amazon page for me to tell if it's a duplicate of this one, or another model entirely. I lean towards the former. Off we go...
The reason I chose this kegerator is because the vast majority of kegerators on the market 1) only take Newcastle or Heineken pre-pressurized mini kegs, or 2) are really expensive. I'm not a huge macrobrew fan, so the fact that this model will accomodate non-pressurized 5-liter kegs is a huge plus. It's essentially the only reason I wanted it.
Now, if you're going to use the pre-pressurized kegs, it's a very easy process with only a few steps to get set up. If you're using non-pressurized kegs, it's a little more involved.
General Principles:
-CHILL YOUR KEG. If you don't chill your keg for at...
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