I was given a keg... Info Needed

So my buddy owns a bar and had a spare keg kicking around from Sierra Nevada that they never came back for. He had it for about 2 years without them trying to bring it back to SN for the redemption. So he gave it to me.

Its 15.4 gallons with standard handles and skirt. The question is will this be okay for brewing? It's quite light, so I have trouble believing its SS. Is there any reason I should be concerned using this keg for a brew pot once we go AG? We are going to have a professional welder install the spigot fittings, a sight tube, and a thermocouple.

Any info would be helpful...

PS: Also, what companies do use stainless steel for their kegs? I'd prefer to get one if I can...

EDITED BECAUSE I MISREAD:

I'm with Fingers (below).

FYI, your keg is stainless. I know it looks like aluminum and it feels light. It's stainless. I promise.

Did he stop carrying SN that they never picked up their keg? I would think they would drop off the new and retrieve the old. Personally, if I owned a bar and the supplier left their equipment at my establishment, I wouldn't go to too much trouble and expense to get them to pick up their stuff. Two years is abandoned goods, IMHO.

i think my sanke's are aluminum with ss coating. i could be wrong.

carls47807 said:

i think my sanke's are aluminum with ss coating. i could be wrong.

Click to expand...

I'm almost positive that you're wrong. Stainless clad aluminum is prohibitively expensive and unnecessary. Every Sanke I've ever seen is all stainless. I read that a long time ago, a small percentage of kegs were made from aluminum, but they were damaged so quickly that it was not a good way of doing business, and the practice was abandoned. I've never seen one of those kegs, and I don't think any brewery uses them anymore.

Weigh the keg you were given. An empty 1/2 bbl, stainless steel keg should be around 30 lbs.

Here are some fun facts about the average Sanke keg:

Using a 12 ounce glass with 20% head, one 1/2bbl will pour an average 206 12 ounce glasses.


1/2 Barrel Keg...............................1/4 Barrel Keg
23 1/4 inches.........Height.................14 3/4 inches
17.0 inches............Diameter.............17.0 inches
1984 ounces..........Contents..............992 ounces
160.5 pounds.........Full Weight........ 82.2 pounds
29.7 pounds...........Empty Weight.....17.3 pounds
130.8 pounds.........Beer Weight........64.9 pounds
29°F.......................Freezing Point....29°F

cut the top weld some spigots and brew like a mad man!!!
JJ

Yep, you are good to go. You've already got the keg, you've got the welding services lined up, you are about to be a VERY HAPPY brewer. I just bought a used keggle from another forumer, and christened it with its first two brews, and it ROOOOOCKS!!!!!

Welcome to Keggle brewing, hope ya like it, full steam ahead!!!

Do you know how much the welding is going to run you? I'm under an hour away and should be getting a used keg this week that I want welded for a brew kettle...

we cut the top in our machine shop already with a wheel cutter. next we need to drill the skirt to be sure there is pressure relief when brewing. I will let you know about the pricing. Send me a PM so I can remember who to contact. I post on quite a few threads...


Thanks for the info all!!! Tomorrow I'm building carboy jackets and polishing the keggle. I wish we had a plasma cutter to make the top cut cleaner, but this will do for now... Nice videos Yuri!

Pressure relief on a keggle? Am I missing something?

The skirts on the bottom have hollow cavities and can build up enough pressure to blow. You should drill holes in them to keep the pressure for getting explosive.

Ahh. My kegs had holes in the skirts from factory.

BTW, I bought al 3 of my kegs from a micro. Not one of them is actually "there" name stamped on them. So breweries "acquire" other breweries kegs as well.