Walk-in cooler for a brewery or bar
Kegs on the floor, cases on the shelves, and sometimes the draft lines running out through the wall. Here is how to plan a walk-in cooler that does all three.
A walk-in cooler for a brewery or bar is a cooler held in the mid 30s°F that stores kegs on the floor or on keg racks, cases on shelving, and often serves as the cold room for the draft system. Across about 250 brewery, bar, pub and taproom quotes, the most common sizes are 8x10, 10x10, 8x8, 6x8, 8x12 and 10x20; most are coolers, and about 1 in 6 is installed outdoors.
The right size comes from your keg count in the busiest week, how kegs move in (hand truck, keg dolly or pallet jack) and whether the draft lines run from the box. Send us your keg and case counts plus the room measurements and we send back a dimensioned drawing and a quote, usually the same day, with free shipping.
What breweries and bars actually order
About 250 quotes for breweries, bars, taprooms and pubs show a clear pattern.
- Common footprints. 8x10, 10x10, 8x8, 6x8, 8x12 and 10x20, roughly in that order. 8x10 is also the most common size across all our quotes.
- Mostly coolers. Beer wants a cooler, not a freezer. If you also run a kitchen, a combination cooler and freezer shares a wall and one footprint.
- About 1 in 6 outdoors. Most stay inside, next to the bar or the brewhouse.
- Height. Most are the standard 7'6". Some are 12 ft tall.
If you are still choosing a footprint, the walk-in cooler size guide walks through the measuring method. For package detail on the standard boxes, see walk-in coolers.
How many kegs fit
These are our rough, conservative planning estimates, not guarantees.
| Nominal size | Interior floor (approx.) | Half-barrel kegs, single high | Two-tier keg racks (roughly double) | 24-pack cases, shelving only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6x6 | 27 sq ft | about 4 | about 8 | about 60 |
| 6x8 | 37 sq ft | about 5 | about 10 | about 70 |
| 8x8 | 51 sq ft | about 10 | about 20 | about 120 |
| 8x10 | 66 sq ft | about 12 | about 24 | about 150 |
| 10x10 | 84 sq ft | about 12 | about 24 | about 170 |
| 10x12 | 102 sq ft | about 14 | about 28 | about 190 |
| 10x20 | 176 sq ft | about 24 | about 48 | about 310 |
| 12x20 | 214 sq ft | about 24 | about 48 | about 320 |
Estimates assume a standard 7'6" box without a floor, interior about 10 inches under nominal each way and about 86 inches tall. Kegs are half-barrels (about 16 inches across, 23 inches tall) on the floor with no shelving. Cases are 24-packs of 12 oz cans on 18 inch deep, 4 tier shelving with an aisle of at least 30 inches. The keg and case columns are alternatives, not totals.
Most bars store both. Every run of shelving takes floor that kegs would have used, so the numbers split. A simple plan is kegs along the back wall and cases on one side wall, then count both against your busiest week.
Floor or no floor for kegs
A full half-barrel weighs roughly 160 pounds, and you move a lot of them. On a level concrete slab, a cooler without a floor is usually the easiest: the walls sit on your slab in a vinyl screed, the entry is flush, and kegs roll straight in on a hand truck.
Order the insulated floor if the box sits over a wood deck, an upper floor or unconditioned space. The floor raises the entry about 4 inches, so plan a ramp: inside ramps are 34 inches wide, outside ramps 34, 48 or 60 inches wide, all 30 inches deep. For heavy rolling loads there is an aluminum diamond tread plate option and a 3/4 inch marine plywood reinforced floor. Tell us what rolls in (full kegs, hand trucks, pallet jacks) and the floor is specified for it. Forklifts are not for walk-in floors.
A floor also costs you about 4 inches of inside height (about 82 inches instead of 86), which matters on two-tier keg racks. The floor or no floor guide covers the full decision.
What temperature for beer
Many breweries and bars hold kegs in the mid 30s°F. Our standard cooler packages are specified at 35°F. If your beer program calls for a different target, tell us in the quote request and we size to it.
Steady temperature matters as much as the number. A box that swings with every delivery and door opening pours inconsistently. That is why we size refrigeration from the heat load (box size, product load, door traffic, glass doors, room temperature) and not from floor area. If food for a kitchen shares the box, remember the FDA limit of 41°F for refrigerated food. Every system we quote is published with specs in the refrigeration equipment gallery.
The walk-in as your draft cold room
The walk-in can be the cold room for either common draft layout:
- Direct draw. The box sits against the back bar and the faucets mount through the wall, so the beer travels only a short distance.
- Long draw. Kegs stay in the walk-in and the lines run in a cooled trunk line to towers at a bar farther away.
Either way the lines pass through a panel. Tell us where the lines leave the box and we show it on the dimensioned approval drawing you sign before anything is built. You can see what those drawings look like in our drawings gallery. Place the box so the line run is as short as the room allows.
Door size and glass fronts
The standard door is a 34 x 76 inch opening, which works for kegs on a hand truck or dolly. It will not pass a standard 48 x 40 inch pallet. If cases arrive on pallets, choose a 48 or 60 inch door or a sliding door; see doors for the options.
For a taproom that wants customers to see the beer, add heated glass doors in a wall facing the room, commonly 24 x 79 or 30 x 79 inches. Staff restock from inside and customers reach through from the front. See display glass door walk-ins. If you sell packaged beer to go and want customers to walk inside, that is a beer cave, covered on our convenience store page.
Outdoor boxes and brewery storage
An outdoor box gets a rain roof and either a remote outdoor condensing unit or a self-contained outdoor system. It must also meet local wind uplift code, which can mean a wall 9 inches higher than the box or a roof strap system (not supplied). The indoor vs outdoor guide explains the tradeoffs.
Breweries storing finished product usually need a larger footprint such as 10x20, a wide door for pallets and sometimes a taller box. If product goes in warm, tell us: pulling warm product down is a bigger load than holding cold product, and it changes the system. Size, height, doors and glass are what drive the number; the cost guide explains each one.
Send your measurements and keg count through the quote form. Every walk-in we quote includes free shipping.
Frequently asked
How many kegs fit in an 8x10 walk-in?
Our planning estimate is about 12 half-barrel kegs on the floor, single high, with no shelving. Two-tier keg racks roughly double that to about 24.
Those numbers assume a standard 7'6" box without a floor. Add shelving for cases and the keg count drops, so count both.
What temperature should a keg cooler be?
Many breweries and bars hold kegs in the mid 30s°F. Our standard cooler packages hold 35°F. If you want a different setpoint, put it in the notes on your quote request.
Do I need a floor for kegs?
Not on a level concrete slab. A floorless cooler sits on the slab so kegs roll in flush. If the box sits over wood, an upper floor or unconditioned space, order the insulated floor and a ramp. See the floor guide.
Can you add draft line ports?
Tell us where the beer lines need to leave the box when you ask for the quote, so it is planned before anything is built.
Can I have glass doors so customers see the beer?
Yes. Heated glass doors can go in any wall that faces the taproom, so customers see the product while staff restock from inside. See display glass door walk-ins.
Will a standard door fit a pallet of cases?
No. The standard 34 inch door passes a keg dolly but not a 48 x 40 inch pallet. Choose a 48 or 60 inch door or a sliding door if pallets come in.
Also worth a look
What size do I need?
A sizing method, the real interior dimensions of our standard boxes, rough capacity estimates and the sizes buyers actually choose, from more than 23,000 quotes since 2012.
Read moreDisplay Glass Door Walk-Ins
Straight runs, L-shapes and beer caves with heated glass doors.
Read moreFloor or no floor
Coolers can stand on a sound, level slab.
Read moreGet your bar or brewery walk-in quoted today
Send your room measurements, keg count, case count and where the draft lines go. We send back a dimensioned drawing and a quote, usually the same day, with free shipping. Call or text pictures to 954-237-6753, or use the quote form.