Sources for 1/2 barrel kegs

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Gilbey

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I am looking to get a 1/2 barrel keg or two to convert into a brew pot. Any ideas on where to get them in decent condition for less than an arm....AND a leg???? Is it worth going to the local liquor store? Or distributor?

Thanks

Alan
 
It really depends on what your idea of expensive is. They do show up on Craigslist fromt time to time, but the legality of the keg might be in question. The cheapest legal source I've seen is Chicompany.
 
I know the local beer stores here in NJ charge a $50 deposit for a keg when you buy a full keg of beer. So in my mind I can find someone who is getting a keg for a picnic or whatever and offer them the $50 for the keg and they wouldn't be out any money. Just a thought. But I was wondering what other folks did.

Alan
 
Paying the deposit on a keg does not inherently give you the right to keep it and just lose your deposit.

The store selling you the keg does not own the keg, the brewery does. And when you keep it, you are stealing it from the brewery.

In turn driving up beer costs and possibly in the future driving up deposit prices.

In the news here in Upstate NY they just busted a bunch of scrap yards for buying the kegs as scrap (stainless steel is worth more than the deposit). They also arrested people who were "obtaining" the kegs and selling them for scrap.

Craigslist is an option, but again you run the risk of the legal status of the keg. Breweries that decommision them, yes you can ASK them if they will sell them to you at scrap prices.

Sabco





Keg Ethics 101: Mr. Wizard

The wise one answers your homebrewing questions.



Dear Mr. Wizard,
I recently have acquired a keg from a buddy at work. I’m not sure where he got it, but I was wondering if I should pay a welder to cut the top off the keg or if I can do it myself? Also, to add a spigot, does that have to be welded on the keg or could I use something else instead of welding?
Jeremy Sherman
Sterling Heights, Michigan

Mr. Wizard Responds: Jeremy, this sort of question comes about once a year and when I answer I always “beat up” the questioner . . . so I hope you’re a good sport! Okay, just so I understand, your buddy at work found a “stray keg” that was abandoned at a party or behind some skanky bar and gave this keg a nice warm home in his basement. Now the keg has been donated to you since you are a homebrewer and can put this sad and lonely keg to good use. Is this a decent re-creation of the facts of how you got this keg?

The true owner of the keg does not really care where your friend got this keg. The owners really just want their property returned. Most keg owners do not camouflage their identity to confuse prospective keg users with questions about who really owns the keg, rather they stamp the brewery name on the perimeter of the top (called the chime). Sometimes they even paint their name on the side of the keg. Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, Missouri, has clever stickers on their kegs asking customers to help return lost kegs to the brewery. These stickers also comically explain that keeping one of their kegs is theft.

The reality of kegs is that some are damaged to the point where they can no longer be used and are actually retired. For those readers interested in buying used kegs, start with your local craft brewer. This is a legal way of acquiring property. Many brewers, especially the larger guys who don’t sell their used stuff to individuals, sell used kegs to companies like Sabco (KEGS.COM, All about KEGS, All of the Time !) who recondition and resell them. Reconditioned kegs typically have the original owner’s name ground off of the chime, especially if they are resold to another brewery. Sabco even sells the parts required to convert a keg into a kettle, and actual keg-kettles.
 
Thanks Jilaman.....I didn't consider it in that light.

Alan
 
Personally I would get a keg of budweiser, throw a party, charge for a keg cup, and make back all my money, and not give Budweiser their keg back. But thats just me. Those guys do much worse to plenty of other people. But don't get in trouble and say I made you do it.
 

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