how much is an old keg worth?

Ok, since I'm now in the market for a used, 15.5 gallon keg to convert into a brewkettle, how much are they really worth? I'm scouring eBay and Craigslist, I'll contact some of the local micros soon, not sure if there are really any scrapyards in the area (and I know most of the kegs there are probably stolen). I just need to have a general sense of - well, are they worth $40? $80? How much?

No prices listed on kegs.com, anyone know ballpark how much they get for one, pre-conversion?

I didn't realize Sabco raised the prices of thier brew kettles to 200 bucks now. I got mine for half that a year ago. Unreal.

Yeah, your best option is to find a keg. I've seen people get them at scrap yards for 15 bucks. On ebay, I wouldn't pay any more than 50 bucks though.

Might try your HBS as well, mine has these kettles for sale every once in a while. Ours will also cut the top off and put in a weldless spigot.

i got mine off of carigslist for about $20 each. i saw them already cut at my local hbs, and the ones with just the spigot were $250, and with a thermometer were $300. that was rediculous, i spent about $30 for all the spigots and nipples and tubing. it didn't take much time, and it is higher quality stuff.

Kegs arent worth much around here (UCF College town) since they only cost $5 deposit on them when you buy them full of beer.

If you want to do something useful with them, make a brew kettle for your still...i mean for your beer

Well, I want to buy one legitimately.

I have bids on on two on eBay (if I get both, I'm 2/3 of the way to a three-tier setup) - so please - NO ONE BID ON EBAY FOR A COUPLE DAYS!

ya sure the ones on Ebay are legit?

The first one I bid on promised to send some certificate that validated it. At this point, I'm so frustrated with my crap-ass electric fryer, I'm almost to the "don't ask, don't tell" stage.

Talk to a local bar owner and see what they are willing to do. Micros value their kegs too much to let them go for any reasonable price.

Bar owner doesn't own his kegs, though, right? Can they legitimately sell one?

I should probably call Sabco so I can get a decent baseline price estimate.

I bought mine Sabco keg a few months ago - it was $70.00 without any thromometers/taps -it just had the hole on the top and was acid washed. I don't see the prices anywhere either - or the basic kettle.
They were really good to me on the phone - and may be able to ship the same type even if its not listed (based on their customer service). Its worth a shot.

Cheers.

That'll probably be the route I go if I lose these auctions. I can drill a hole to add a spigot. $70 plus shipping?

Yes, shipping for me was $30.00 in Canada. It came within 48 hrs!

Here is the model # Kettle PR740
Here is the address of the guy I talked to: [email protected]

Maybe you could give this site as the place you heard about the kettle and tell them that everyone here recommends that model. Maybe the thought of the promo may soften them up if that basic model is no longer available.

Good Luck.

Bird just saw on on ebay for $48 plus shipping. http://cgi.ebay.com/homebrewing-keg-kettle_W0QQitemZ290034082739QQihZ019QQcategoryZ38172QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It's in Pa so shipping should be that much.

Saw that, I'll keep my eyes on it for a couple days (see if the bids I have in go through, I don't want to end up with THREE right now).

Axegod said:

I bought mine Sabco keg a few months ago - it was $70.00 without any thromometers/taps -it just had the hole on the top and was acid washed. I don't see the prices anywhere either - or the basic kettle.
They were really good to me on the phone - and may be able to ship the same type even if its not listed (based on their customer service). Its worth a shot.

Cheers.

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Looks like those are $139 now.

http://www.kegs.com/buildyourown.html

Right now scrap prices are sky high stainless is $1 per lb. an empty keg weighs 30lbs

I've got the guy at a local scrap yard saving them for me. So far I've only got one, but it was in perfect shape with no dents and cost just under $30. I cut the holes and welded in a coupling that I picked up for $4.

Maybe I should start selling them...

Dude said:

Looks like those are $139 now.

http://www.kegs.com/buildyourown.html

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Wow - doubled in price since when I got mine in July.
Thats good for me - I can now show the wife that I actually saved us some money.

Still for the size and quality of product (for those who can't get them from a scrapyard) its a once in a lifetime purchase - so its not too bad.
I think the website has a list of its dealers - perhaps one of them still are selling it at the old price.

Cheers.

I looked for some cheap (or free) empty kegs for about two years. All of a sudden a guy that worked for a beer distributor showed up on my doorstep with 12 empties. He said that they were out of circulation and gave them to me. I only wanted a couple, and gave some away. I still had a bunch left so I sold them on ebay. I received as much as $95.00 + s/h and as little as $20.00 + s/h for identical kegs. I think shipping was expensive $30-$50 each. What state are you in? If you were close to me. I would give a couple to you. I wouldn't want to mess around with shipping them. It's a PITA to box them up.

Where in Ohio are you? I go out to Columbus on occassion to visit my sister, haven't been there in a while but we might make a trip out this fall. We do go out to western NY quite a bit, so if you're anywhere near the eastern border maybe I could swing by and we could work out a sale/trade.

I am 40 miles due south of Columbus.

contact a local distributer and see if they have any out of circulation or damaged kegs they would get rid of. http://www.abwholesaler.com/ is for anheuser-Bush just lookup your state and start calling.

Dude said:

Looks like those are $139 now.

http://www.kegs.com/buildyourown.html

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Sabco's price did not go up. They are no longer using used kegs. All of their prices are for new kegs. In the past, if you wanted a new keg you had to add $85.00, to the cost.

I have an extra one that I bought from Tuscan Brewing Co. when they went out of buisness I could cut the top off to fit a ten inch lid I have 60 bucks in it. I'll cut the lid (I have a plasma cutter here) you can have it for the sixty + shipping if you want just PM me and let me know
Cheers
JJ

I really do not understand why you all are paying these extradinary amounts for kegs.

Step 1 ) Goto liquor store and get you a keg of Budweiser $60 including deposit for keg shell

Step 2) Drink the beer

Step 3) Dont return the keg. You just got a keg shell for $10 wow!

Ive been buying kegs since I was in H.S. and never once have I read a sign or spoken to a liquor store owner who says I MUST return this keg or that it is illegal to keep it.

I would think speeding would be more dangerous/illegal than the above process.

My $0.02

gonzoflick said:

I really do not understand why you all are paying these extradinary amounts for kegs.

Step 1 ) Goto liquor store and get you a keg of Budweiser $60 including deposit for keg shell

Step 2) Drink the beer

Step 3) Dont return the keg. You just got a keg shell for $10 wow!

Ive been buying kegs since I was in H.S. and never once have I read a sign or spoken to a liquor store owner who says I MUST return this keg or that it is illegal to keep it.

I would think speeding would be more dangerous/illegal than the above process.

My $0.02

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Most homebrewers consider this stealing since the deposit in no way covers the cost of the keg. I'm not going into the whole discusion here but there are threads on this topic here and a rather long one over on the big green board(www.brewboard.com) on the subject.

Wow, yeah, they obviously just had a big price increase. They do have prices listed, you just have to drill down to find them. The do-it-yourself keg that has a cut top but no welds like Axegod described is $139.95 now, whereas it was $69.95 just a week or 10 days ago when last I looked. The Universal Keg is $199 now. It used to be $129.95, I think, for the version based on the reconditioned older keg, plus $80 for a new keg.

What I notice is the old-style possibly beat-up kegs are not listed anymore. All of their keg conversions are listed as new kegs, so maybe they are just out of the old kegs for reconditioning now, or have decided only to offer conversions based on new kegs.

Well, this is depressing news. I should have bought a couple of weeks ago, as I surely won't be now.

jaybird said:

I have an extra one that I bought from Tuscan Brewing Co. when they went out of buisness I could cut the top off to fit a ten inch lid I have 60 bucks in it. I'll cut the lid (I have a plasma cutter here) you can have it for the sixty + shipping if you want just PM me and let me know
Cheers
JJ

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A twelve inch diameter hole will be much better. It'll be hard to get a wort cooler into a 10 inch wide opening, since most commercially made wort chillers are about 10 to 10.5 inches in diameter. That, plus you'lll end up with a smaller hole that'll make it harder to see into while boiling and more difficult to clean. You may not be able to fit a false bottom in it unless you get a folding one from SABCO.

2nd Street Brewery said:

Most homebrewers consider this stealing since the deposit in no way covers the cost of the keg. I'm not going into the whole discusion here but there are threads on this topic here and a rather long one over on the big green board(www.brewboard.com) on the subject.

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Yeah, there's just so much wrong with that suggestion (starting with drinking A-B!) that I don't know where to begin

I do have a certain level of discomfort with buying one off eBay because I do suspect that many will have been originally acquired in that manner. One of the ones I was bidding on (they have more that I am watching) does promise that the kegs are legitimately acqurired and will send paperwork along with them to "prove" that is the case. Another one - an AB keg - well, I don't know, somehow I'm thinking that was a non-returned one. I won't chase the bid on that one.

I just bought one the other day from a scrap yard for $15. Its all beat to hell though. It has several large gashes in the top - since I'm cutting the top out who cares. The scrap yard guy thought I was crazy to want a dinged up punctured keg!

I paid close to $150 for my keg with the top cut, brass spigot and false bottom at my LHBS. I figured it was probably a little more expensive, but if I have any problems I can get help and I'm still supporting the local community.