Guess what I found on the side of the road?

finsfan said:

AB was just sued for watering down their beer, who knows how long that has been going on. How much do they think they stole during that period of watering down beers?

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Sigh...

kombat said:

Come on, you're better than that. If you have kids, is this the kind of example you'd want to be setting for them? You know deep down it isn't right.

Character is how you act when no one is watching.

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I've certainly made decisions which, in retrospect, were the wrong call, but I appreciate the sentiment here!

finsfan said:

AB has 50% of the beer market, I think they can handle losing kegs here and there.

And yes it would be different if it were from Rogue or Stone.

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Son: "Daddy, why did you take that?"

finsfan: "Because, son, it belonged to a rich person, he won't miss it."

Son: "So it's OK to steal?"

finsfan: "No, no, of course not. It's only OK to steal from people so rich that they'll barely notice it."

Son: "But how do you know if someone is rich enough that it's OK to steal from them?"

finsfan: "That's the great part, son! You get to decide!"

brewkinger said:

Instead of making a long drive to the brewery, why not make a short drive back to the beer truck that you saw on the side of the road?
You think it was coincidence that you saw that truck on the side of the road AND then you found a keg?

That is the conclusion that I jumped to. I never once thought you should drive back to a brewery that is so far from you.
I do conclude that you had no right to that keg.

Enjoy the beer.

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I did turn back toward the truck, (that was driving, not on the side of the road) but did not catch back up to it. I don't know which way he went.

For everyone's moral serenity, I just contacted the brewery. I was told to enjoy the beer and next time I'm in town, stop by and swap the keg for a case of beer and a tour.

While I did say that I was going to enjoy the beer from the get-go I never said that I was keeping the keg, or even implied I was going to. I still conclude that I did not steal anything, My conscious is still as clear as it ever was.

it was fine for Robin Hood

finsfan said:

AB was just sued for watering down their beer, who knows how long that has been going on. How much do they think they stole during that period of watering down beers?

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wow.

also:

If anyone is interested in the actual law in this matter:

The Law said:

7-104. General theft provisions.

(a) Unauthorized control over property.- A person may not willfully or knowingly obtain or exert unauthorized control over property, if the person:
(1) intends to deprive the owner of the property;

jumping ahead a bit:

(3) In a prosecution for theft by possession of stolen property under this subsection, it is not a defense that:
(d) Control over property lost, mislaid, or delivered by mistake.- A person may not obtain control over property knowing that the property was lost, mislaid, or was delivered under a mistake as to the identity of the recipient or nature or amount of the property, if the person:

(1) knows or learns the identity of the owner or knows, is aware of, or learns of a reasonable method of identifying the owner;
(2) fails to take reasonable measures to restore the property to the owner; and
(3) intends to deprive the owner permanently of the use or benefit of the property when the person obtains the property or at a later time.

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http://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2010/criminal-law/title-7/subtitle-1/7-104/

i'm not a lawyer, but it seems pretty straightforward to me that this was "theft", by definition.

It's also "illegal" to drive 5mph over the speed limit.

Aaww c'mon guys. You tryin to tell me if you were in the same situation,that you wouldn't keep it?! They'd have to dump the beer legally anyway. And how could you know who lost it? I don't think the truck stopped in that spot,or he likely wouldn't have been able to walk away with it.

Chad_C said:

I did turn back toward the truck, (that was driving, not on the side of the road) but did not catch back up to it. I don't know which way he went.

For everyone's moral serenity, I just contacted the brewery. I was told to enjoy the beer and next time I'm in town, stop by and swap the keg for a case of beer and a tour.

While I did say that I was going to enjoy the beer from the get-go I never said that I was keeping the keg, or even implied I was going to. I still conclude that I did not steal anything, My conscious is still as clear as it ever was.

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Since we are all so moral high road in here you would do well to contact the distributor regarding the beer since the brewery, in fact, no longer owns the beer once the distributor took possession of it. Cause, you know, everyone respects the distributor.

Just another thought, do kegs have serial numbers placed on them to track shipments? I'm just thinking if the brewery owns the keg, they charge a deposit fee to the distributor, the distributor loses it, who's to say you get it back to the right distributor? If you return it to the brewery, the distributor is out the deposit fee. If you return it to the wrong distributor, the one who paid the deposit won't get it back, and the other one will. The OP might be offered the deposit fee. Usually not without a receipt, but maybe. Is that his reward for returning it? What if he tells the story, and they give him the deposit anyway? If they can't take the beer back, maybe he should just go dump the keg back on the side of the road where he found it. What if a mower hits it when they now the side of the highway? There's a big difference in a person losing a wallet that contains very important and valuable items, and a keg that was found. It'd be like me writing my name on a dollar and then losing it. I don't expect anyone to bring it back to me. The OP said he was going to return the keg. That's good enough for me.

No but for the sake of arguing, the brewery does in fact own the keg, which is what is in question.

Chad_C said:

No but for the sake of arguing, the brewery does in fact own the keg, which is what is in question.

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The keg, yes.

The beer, no.

And this thread being about a beer or a keg was lost, some might say stolen, long ago.

So, distributor failed to secure keg, lost profits from beer and deposit on keg. Could be worse. It could've killed someone coming out of that truck. Everybody wins.

Chad_C said:

I didn't mean for this to turn into the moral conversation about keeping/stealing kegs, but it did.

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You don't know this place too well then.

How many people have stolen milk crates that they found on the side of the road?

For the record I would keep the beer and the keg. I have two sankes and I'm pretty sure they are both "stolen".

Chad_C said:

For everyone's moral serenity, I just contacted the brewery. I was told to enjoy the beer and next time I'm in town, stop by and swap the keg for a case of beer and a tour.

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I imagine they will reach out to their distributor or distributors in the area. Seems like they are satisified and, as many suspected, they don't want the beer back. Plus, you got a free case of beer and a tour. My opinion, you've done a good thing here!

unionrdr said:

Aaww c'mon guys. You tryin to tell me if you were in the same situation,that you wouldn't keep it?! They'd have to dump the beer legally anyway. And how could you know who lost it? I don't think the truck stopped in that spot,or he likely wouldn't have been able to walk away with it.

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I would probably call the distributor. I would be tempted to keep it though. I don't believe the OP was doing anything malicious here. Sometimes it's good to sit and think a second about the best course of action.

Many times I've been given change for a purchase that was more than I paid in the first place. I admit, as I walk out the door counting my money and realize I gave the lady $5 and she gave me change for a $20, I am tempeted to keep walking. I try to let the better part of me prevail and turn around and explain what happened. Have I always made the correct decision? No. Does this make me morally superior to anyone else? No.

This sorta of discussion makes me feel old... Years ago I bought a keg of beer and at that time the deposit was like $15.00... The thing was (and I did not know it at the time...) that the local package store would NOT take back the said keg after 10 days... So I just would trade that keg for each deposit thereafter... The last time I used the keg for a deposit was over 10 years ago and you can guess what it is being used for now...

MadCnty said:

The last time I used the keg for a deposit was over 10 years ago and you can guess what it is being used for now...

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Flower planter?

Shooter said:

Have I always made the correct decision? No. Does this make me morally superior to anyone else? No.

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I forget the details but, I was once buying some bulk speaker wire. Was supposed to be s'thing like $5 a foot and got rung up at $0.55 a foot. I saw the total and flat out said "That can't be right. Look at it and try again." And the very cute cashier re-rang the items up at $0.05 a foot. I said, "Are you sure about this" she said "Yes. Definitely!"

Yep. I walked.

OK, official apology to OP.
Sorry fellow brewer.

It is easier to look back now and see that your intentions were not malicious.
Once again I say to thee: "Enjoy the beer"

Shooter said:

I would probably call the distributor. I would be tempted to keep it though. I don't believe the OP was doing anything malicious here. Sometimes it's good to sit and think a second about the best course of action.

Many times I've been given change for a purchase that was more than I paid in the first place. I admit, as I walk out the door counting my money and realize I gave the lady $5 and she gave me change for a $20, I am tempeted to keep walking. I try to let the better part of me prevail and turn around and explain what happened. Have I always made the correct decision? No. Does this make me morally superior to anyone else? No.

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I've been in that situation with the amount of change given. More often as not,I get it taken care of. Especially with a store I deal with a lot. But knowing what I do about foodstuffs & the law,keeping it would turn out the same either way. Good deal on the keg return,certainly.

kombat said:

Son: "Daddy, why did you take that?"

finsfan: "Because, son, it belonged to a rich person, he won't miss it."

Son: "So it's OK to steal?"

finsfan: "No, no, of course not. It's only OK to steal from people so rich that they'll barely notice it."

Son: "But how do you know if someone is rich enough that it's OK to steal from them?"

finsfan: "That's the great part, son! You get to decide!"

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haha this is laughable. You are jumping to huge and terribly wrong conclusions here about me. I have never stolen anything, from any company or person. Did i even mention I had or was going to? No, but that didnt seem to stop you here. I only mentioned that keeping a keg from AB is a little different than keeping one from a craft brewer. Anything else you'd like to completely embellish and falsify?

brewkinger said:

OK, official apology to OP.
Sorry fellow brewer.

It is easier to look back now and see that your intentions were not malicious.
Once again I say to thee: "Enjoy the beer"

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Nah, you're good, this is a hot topic and things get heated. I don't think you were over the top at any point at all.

finsfan said:

I only mentioned that keeping a keg from AB is a little different than keeping one from a craft brewer.

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And I'm trying to point out that it's not.

What if I pay the deposit on a keg, I can keep it then right?

Well I would do the right thing. So you have to return the keg. The best way to return the keg is empty since the beer could spoil and endanger public health. So first you need to drain the keg, I would pour down the sewer, now if you run it through your body first thats ok.
So in effect you protected your fellow motorist by removing a obstruction from the road, removed the potentially spoiled product and returned the property to its rightful owner.
Congratulations are in order.

Chad_C said:

What if I pay the deposit on a keg, I can keep it then right?

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Oh, sure...no, wait, no you can't!!! This is so hard!!!

kombat said:

And I'm trying to point out that it's not.

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That is your opinion, and I have mine.

Chad_C said:

What if I pay the deposit on a keg, I can keep it then right?

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I would call the distributor back and tell them you have decided to charge a "finder's fee".
If they wish to deny payment of this fee for your good service, then I would think that all is settled and square.

Chuckle chuckle.....

You shouldn't take any chances. Cut some words out of a magazine that say, "If you ever want to see your keg alive then pay me one hundred dollars" and paste the words onto a piece of paper and then take a brick and put the paper around the brick and then take some string and tie the paper around the brick and then throw the brick through the window of the brewery. And then just keep the keg.

GilaMinumBeer said:

I forget the details but, I was once buying some bulk speaker wire. Was supposed to be s'thing like $5 a foot and got rung up at $0.55 a foot. I saw the total and flat out said "That can't be right. Look at it and try again." And the very cute cashier re-rang the items up at $0.05 a foot. I said, "Are you sure about this" she said "Yes. Definitely!"

Yep. I walked.

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lol, I had a guy give me $20 more back in change one time at a gas station than i should have gotten. Tried to return it and he threatened to call the cops on me. He said, "I've heard about these scams, you give me that 20, then I have to give you back other change and you end up ahead." I told him, "No, just trying to give you this 20 back." and left it on the counter. When he finally said, "I'm not touching that, if you leave it I'm calling the cops!" I just pocketed the 20 then.

Back to weather or not the OP was stealing. I really do think this one falls into grey area. Technically, in my neighborhood, items left by the side of the road are considered free for the taking. The whole trash day thing. So, I thnk in the end, you just have to do what feels right to you. If I found a car sitting in the street, with the keys in it, I wouldn't assume it's OK to take. I know a car is different value from a keg of beer, but in my mind, I know where the keg would have come from, I know it wasn't set out for trash, so for me, I probably would have at least attempted to let the driver know he had lost a keg. I certainly wouldn't have delivered it to him though. My back just doesn't like lugging kegs around anymore. I don't know if I would consider what the OP did was stealing, but I wouldn't have felt right just taking it home to drink either.

All I found was a coon skin cap in the rough.

brewkinger said:

Your conscience may be clear but your moral compass is most definitely off.

Directly from the dictionary:
1) steal: to take surreptitiously or without permission

So to summarize, you took the beer and the keg without permission.

That is stealing.

Then you come on to HBT and look for people to congratulate you. Like some others have said, I think you are going to find the majority of HBT users are going to find that unacceptable.

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Um....Finders keepers, losers weepers...

The worlds smallest violin, playing a sad song for the poor lost kegs of the world....:cross:

Wow.....I bet a lot of you drive Prius's don't you?

Good job OP on calling the brewery. More than I would have done.

Enjoy the beer. Personally I'd be a bit weary of drinking from a keg I found on the side of the road. Kind of weary. Ok I'd drink it.

Good grief, would a mod close this thread or at least move it to the debate forum?

It may have been stated already, but from a food/beverage quality and sanitation perspective, there is no way the distributor would put that beer back out into society by selling or redistributing it. So, you are doing the beer a favor by consuming it as it was already getting flushed anyway. I feel compelled to add that you are taking a risk also by drinking the beer. But, since you feel pretty sure you know where it came from and it wasn't in the ditch for a month or tampered with by disgruntled teens who couldn't figure out how to access the stuff, you should be safe.

A call about the empty keg wouldn't hurt. If you can't get ahold of someone to discuss the situation with in a reasonable amount of time/attempts - I would suggest that you made a good enough effort.

Good Job on calling the brewery, I know a few drivers for distributors and when the truck is returned "light"...dented keg/ missing keg/ broken bottles whatever the driver will be paying for it and in crap head boss days losing a job as well. Ever hear of shrinkage anyone....that's what the driver would be accused of the material on those trucks is inventoried, and it is missed....

Do you try and lecture bums picking up cans for the deposits?

kombat said:

Son: "Daddy, why did you take that?"

finsfan: "Because, son, it belonged to a rich person, he won't miss it."

Son: "So it's OK to steal?"

finsfan: "No, no, of course not. It's only OK to steal from people so rich that they'll barely notice it."

Son: "But how do you know if someone is rich enough that it's OK to steal from them?"

finsfan: "That's the great part, son! You get to decide!"

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kombat said:

Wow. I guess I'm in the minority. All kidding aside, it would never even occur to me to keep such a thing if I knew who the proper owner was.

I just got a little more disillusioned with humanity. I thought the folks of HBT were better than that.

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Agreed. I hope the OP doesn't lose his wallet some day.