It's every red-blooded bloke's dream - a fully charged keg in the fridge ready for surprise visits, footy barbeques or just a couple of quiet ones on the sly after a tough day at the office. But how do you go about fitting your kitchen out with a beer tap that's worthy of your local hotel. In this article we'll give you some hints and tips on putting a keg into your kitchen.

How do I Keep My Beer Cold?

One popular method of keeping beer cold is to convert a chest freezer. You should be able to set the thermostat to about 2C - which is about the perfect temperature for keeping your beer cold. Then you can drill a tap in the front and away you go. You can take a similar approach with an old bar fridge or full-sized refrigerator.

Keeping your beer at a low temperature is advantageous in several ways. Firstly, it will make the brewed beer last longer in the keg. Secondly, it will put less pressure on the cooling mechanism you use in your tap system, which means it is more likely to hit the glass at the right temperature - bloody cold.

How Big Should My Keg Be?

This very much depends on your drinking and partying habits. If you're just looking for a couple of cold drinks in the evening, you'll most likely only want a small set-up. There are a number of products on the market that suit the regular small-quantity consumer, which combine the keg and gassing unit in one. These can easily be kept inside a spare fridge, or even an empty part of a large kitchen fridge.

If, on the other hand, you're planning to irritate your neighbours with huge keg parties that stretch into the wee small hours, you're going to need something with a bit more grunt. Many professional outfits that supply pubs will also sell systems suited to home enthusiasts.

Should I Home Brew or Buy Commercially?

If you've got the time, home brew is a great option and a beaut way to save money. It's a fun hobby but can be difficult to get the taste just right - you'll need to experiment with different mixes and keep the temperature of the beer consistently just right. On the other hand, many local brewers will be happy to sell you a keg of beer at a decent price.  Then you can just hook up your keg and go for gold.