The Beer Tower
Several years ago, my family and I decided to remodel our basement. As we looked at the space, we saw the potential to put in a bar to highlight my homebrews. Thus, was born our terrific basement space: bar, shuffleboard, big TV, game area and a sewing room for my wife Jenn. The kids love it and have enjoyed having a place where they can invite friends over. Since the remodel we started hosting an annual Oktoberfest, which is now eagerly anticipated by our friends.
A little over a year ago, one of my partners at work and I started brewing together. He had brewed on a basic level years ago and was ready to get back into the hobby. We had a great time and decided to do a “SpringFest” as we didn’t want to wait until the fall to highlight our beers for Oktoberfest. It was a great success.
For both events we had two taps in the bar, and put two kegs in a garbage can on ice with picnic taps outside on the deck. It worked fine, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted a way to serve the homebrew that reflected the time, effort and quality of the beer I served. I looked everywhere for something nice and there just wasn’t anything out there that I liked. I considered getting or making a jockey box, but it still looked like a plastic cooler, and I felt like they were too expensive. Using my skills from my other hobby, woodworking, I came up with the “beer tower.” I have gotten so many compliments on the design from my guests that I decided to share the design with the rest of the homebrew community.
The cost for basic materials to build one tower can be had for under $50 (you can customize however you like, which will increase the cost). When I made my first tower I actually wanted to make two at the same time, so I used full 4-ft. x 8-ft. (1.2 x 2.4-m) sheets of plywood (see the materials list to the left). Depending on how you want your tower to look, it can be very basic and it will function just as well. I wanted mine to look like miniature versions of my home bar that I designed and built, so I added 1⁄4-inch (0.6 cm) oak to the corners and bead board in between.
I made the sides of the top thicker, which allowed me to use a 12-in. x 12-in. (30.5 x 30.5 cm) matte of slate tiles covered by an epoxy resin, just like my bar top. The overall height of the tower allowed for both a comfortable height for the tap, room inside for the keg, connectors and tubing plus dry ice and efficient use of the standard sheet goods.
Materials & Tools
• 1⁄2 sheet of 1⁄2-inch- (1.2-cm-) thick plywood
• 1⁄2 sheet of 1⁄2-inch- (1.2-cm-) thick styrofoam insulation
• Stainless wall-mount drip tray
• Silicone caulk
• Wood glue
• Waterproof paint (such as Dry Lock)
• Paint
• Table saw
• Power drill with bits
Cutting List, Plywood
Front and back: 341⁄2-in. x 12-in. (87.6 cm x 30.5 cm)
Sides (2): 341⁄2-in. x 111⁄2-in. (87.6 cm x 20 cm)
Bottom (2): 111⁄2-in. x 11 1/2-in. (20 cm x 20 cm)
Top: 12-in. x 12-in. (30.5 cm x 30.5 cm)
Cutting List, Styrofoam
Front and back: 32 ½-in. x 11-in. (82.5 cm x 28 cm)
Sides (2): 32 ½-in. x 10-in. (82.5 cm x 25 cm)
Bottom (1): 11-in. x 11-in. (28 cm x 28 cm)
Top (1): 11-in. x 11-in. (28 cm x 28 cm)
