How to tell amount of beer left in keg w/o opening it

How can I tell how much beer is left without opening the keg? Is this possible? Having a new years party tonight and may need to force carb a keg reallllly quick but I dont want to do that if my other keg has enough left.

with friends like mine, I'd need the second even if it was full....

Lift it up and compare the weight against an empty one. Conversely, you can take it out of the fridge and wait until condensation forms on the outside. It will form on the coldest area which is the area that has beer behind it.

If you only have a full keg and the partial, weight them both. Pints a pound, so the difference is headspace.

Nope, there is an easier way. Just take it out of the fridge and place it in the house, with the heat from the house and the cold of the keg condensation will only form up to the level that the beer is at in the keg. Figure about 15-20 minutes is all you will need. I found that out one night when I was too lazy to walk back and forth from the house to the garage down stairs, so I brought it inside. If will form rather quickly too so no worries about warm brew.

I know this works for propane tanks, maybe it'll work for beer....thoughts?

Pour hot water on the side of the keg then feel for the temp change. Where it feels cold is the beer level.

Really, the best way is to put a glass under the tap and then open said tap. If a bunch of foamy beer and CO2 starts spitting out, then your keg is empty!

Fingers said:

Lift it up and compare the weight against an empty one. Conversely, you can take it out of the fridge and wait until condensation forms on the outside. It will form on the coldest area which is the area that has beer behind it.

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I use a mini fridge as a kegerator and I just open the door for a minute. The condensation forms up pretty quick.

well the horse may be out of the barn on this idea but..... you would weigh the keg when its empty. weigh it again when its full. the difference in weight is the weight of the beer.

now drink some beer, have some fun, and weigh the keg again and subtract the weight of the empty keg. divide new weight by old weight and multiply by original volume of beer. the result is how much beer you have left.

When you become a seasoned drinking pro, you can tell just by lifting. I can get within 2 pints.:cross:

thanks guys. I will do the condensation method when i get home. i bought some yuengling just in case. this should be the last time i buy commercial brew aside from belgians. new years resolution is to become self sufficient!

You should be able to just feel the liquid line with your finger (colder). Rub your hand on the side a bit to get the metal warm where you think the line is and it is a little easier.

Beersmith, has a calculator that will tell you the volume of a container, if you know the weight of it empty and the gravity of the liquid in side of it

Disconnecting the line, dumping the pressure, and removing the lid is about the fastest way to tell and takes all the guess work out of the equation.

Everything else requires other equipment or time.

If I have a gathering or special event that im planning on having copious amounts of beer for I will pour off what I have left from a keg into a few growlers then put them in a cooler then carb up a new keg or 2 just to be safe

Keg smart strips work alright
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=11818

I've found that tapping on the side of a keg gives an accurate way to tell where the fluid level is. The pitch changes when you hit the fluid level and sounds more like a thud than a tympanic drum like sound in the headspace. It works for me and I don't have to weigh kegs or let them sit out for 20 minutes.

ruffdeezy said:

Keg smart strips work alright
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=11818

Click to expand...

X2 .. have these, work all right on my sankey kegs.