Acquiring kegs - legally

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J-Malone

J-Malone

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Dickson, TN
I am wondering what the best way is to acquire old kegs. I am talking legally, not what back alley can I get a good deal on kegs. I am looking for old out of commission kegs to convert into keggles.

Thanks
JM
 
Knock on the back door of a brew pub when the brew miester is there, ask if he has some old kegs to get rid of. It worked for me.
 
I go to a scrap yard. I set the guy up to return Miller & Bud kegs to the ditributor. Coors was not interested in buying them back for the deposit. The others (imports, etc. even the ones the BUD distibutors handle), no one will take. Instead of letting them get trashed, I buy them (I'm starting to get too many!). The bottom line is, whatever you consider legal, if you buy them at the scrap dealer, your saving them from a fate worse than death.
 
Check with your local brewery if you have one. Often breweries will receive kegs back that get damaged, and in the small guys case, may not be worth fixing. I have 3 that had holes in the top, one a manufacturers defect, and therefore no longer held pressure. Some brewers may give them to you, some may want a little money for them. Ultimately, if you want legal, don't talk to your distributor, he doesn't own the keg, nor does the liquor store down the street who sells you the beer. Unless the guy giving/selling you the keg has a name that matches the name on the keg, he doesn't own it.
You may also try Sabco Kegs online (http://www.kegs.com) but they often are out of kegs, to a point that they can't even supply their big customers.
 
Thanks guys..I have talked to just about every recycling place around here and they all give me the same BS that they dont accept them so they dont have any...but I find it hard to believe.

But I also have feelers out for the local brewery (Yazoo and Blackstone) to see if they have any they might be willing to part ways with...
 
Check with your local breweries. I got my kegs from New Belgium. I sent an e-mail to the contact on their website asking if I could buy a couple of decommissioned kegs. A few weeks later, I got a phone call, went to the brewery, and got 2 for $15 each. Apparently, the necks got beat up and they wouldn't hold pressure any more.
 
J-Malone said:
Thanks guys..I have talked to just about every recycling place around here and they all give me the same BS that they dont accept them so they dont have any...but I find it hard to believe.
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Same here in my area. They even have a sign displayed in the lobby/office that states they will not accept kegs for recycle. It was originally posted when the scrap cost of Stainless was higher then the cost of deposit on a keg.
 
What does the contract say when paying a keg deposit? ...or is it the same as paying a deposit for glass bottles with a caramel colored cola content?
 
I got mine from a local microbrewery. The owner was more than happy to help me out as he saw it as a "good cause" and gave me two for free. Then we sat down and drank for a few hours. That was a good day.
 
Here in NY if you don't return a keg in 90 days you lose your deposit ($70 or something ridiculous)

I would buy a keg of the cheapest garbage I can get my hands on. keep the keg for 90 days and then contact the brewery and tell them they can have it back for the deposit. When they say no, guess what, its yours.
 
Of all the things on this site I find the conversations about "legal" kegs to be the funniest. Should I ever need one I'm buying it from whoever is the cheapest that will give me a receipt. Should someone question me about the keg(highly unlikely), I will plead ignorance and show them the receipt.
 
Also FWIW, a friend of mine recently got a keg of Coors Light here in San Diego and was given "keg registration" papers for the state of CA by the liquor store. As far as I know he paid for the beer and $45 deposit. I'll ask him to see the paperwork when I'm at his house again. Maybe someone here from CA can shed some more light on that.
 
I purchased mine from a local microbrewery. They own the kegs and the owner sold me an old (but still very nice) one for $40.
 
sjlammer said:
Here in NY if you don't return a keg in 90 days you lose your deposit ($70 or something ridiculous)

I would buy a keg of the cheapest garbage I can get my hands on. keep the keg for 90 days and then contact the brewery and tell them they can have it back for the deposit. When they say no, guess what, its yours.
Click to expand...

Even though what you are talking about has happened countless times...it is wrong and you are stealing the keg if you pay a deposit (knowing it is a rental fee) and do not return the keg. Most importantly you are causing the brewery to have to replace that keg. Now I realize the BMC could care less and **** em, they should have to spend a little money, but for a smaller local brewery or microbrewery that can get expensive after awhile.

I say legally bc I am not a thief and want to acquire a keg that is no longer in use by the brewery and has been decommissioned or damaged beyond the point of repair for the brewery.
 
BeastMaster said:
Also FWIW, a friend of mine recently got a keg of Coors Light here in San Diego and was given "keg registration" papers for the state of CA by the liquor store. As far as I know he paid for the beer and $45 deposit. I'll ask him to see the paperwork when I'm at his house again. Maybe someone here from CA can shed some more light on that.
Click to expand...

There are a number of states that have keg registrations. The primary purpose is so when the police raid a party full of underage drinkers they can track down who to put in jail for supplying alcohol to minors. The keg registration has nothing to do with ownership.

interesting aside: when the cop returns the keg to the liquor store, he walks away with the deposit.
 
Well, once again, I'll have to point out that in the state of NY, ownership of the keg is transferred to the person who purchases the beer at the point of sale, unless the contract so states otherwise.

You can look up the last thread about this for all of the legal mumbo-jumbo, because I posted it all there. It is my job, for my little corner of the world, to take criminal reports, and a report for petit larceny would not be taken for this type of transaction.
 
I think it is more an ethical issue, not so much legal. I couldn't in good conscience keep the keg with just a deposit. Just doesn't seem right and when it doesn't feel right that is typically cause it ain't right.
 
J-Malone said:
Thanks guys..I have talked to just about every recycling place around here and they all give me the same BS that they dont accept them so they dont have any...but I find it hard to believe.

But I also have feelers out for the local brewery (Yazoo and Blackstone) to see if they have any they might be willing to part ways with...
Click to expand...

Hey J-Malone
As a fellow Tennessean, I've checked all of my local recycling places as well. They are correct about not being able to have them. It is a felony for them to accept ANY part of a keg, even if it is cut up, or even the spear if they can recognize it. It's also a felony here to modify a keg after just giving the deposit. I search craigslist here every day (multiple times a day actually), looking for one I can turn into a keggle. The ones you'll find on CL are usually old, and have been sitting in the garage for a couple of years now. I've talked to Yazoo and Blackstone here as well, but Blackstone hasn't been kegging for a while now since the economy tanked. Yazoo may be able to help you, and if they do, let me know. I'm in the market as well. You can always get on eBay and pay those AWESOME shipping prices if you get too desperate. There are also a few restaurant supply shops around here that you can get 60 qt stock pots from for a decent price. If it says NSF on it, its heavy duty.
 
Why is everyone only concerned about sanke kegs being legal. All my cornies have propery of : 7 up, pepsi, Canada dry, coke. I don't have any papers from them stating they were decommissioned. I have 8 cornies and they all are stamped. I would think most are stamped, why does no one ever mention those? Why is it only a big deal with sankes?
 
The corny population is well known to be in a decommission lifecycle.

Your doing the right thing contacting the breweries. Try picking brains during business hours. You will find something.
 
Some how destroying the keg by cutting the top off seems worse than just possessing it.
 
cfonnes said:
Some how destroying the keg by cutting the top off seems worse than just possessing it.
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Makes no difference...possession or cutting it up, its not back in the possession of the brewery who owns it...that is the point.
 
J-Malone said:
Makes no difference...possession or cutting it up, its not back in the possession of the brewery who owns it...that is the point.
Click to expand...

At least in NY, the brewery no longer owns it unless the contract specifically states that they retain ownership. And considering the purchaser does business with a distributor, there won't be a contract.

You can inject you own morals, but business is business, period.
 
I can't believe this is still a discussion, a deposit is not a rental fee.

You don't rent a keg.
 
It amazes me how many individuals believe that by simply handing over a $30 deposit on a $200 stainless steel keg, they somehow take ownership. The deposit is determined by the states, not the breweries. In fact some breweries I've been in who don't distribute kegs are able to charge a deposit of $100 or more, but those that distribute have to suck it up with a $30 deposit. While I have little simpathy for A-B and M-C kegs that go missing (millions of $$ lost in kegs a year), I find it amazing how supporting the local brewery is top priority, but people will take a perfectly good keg from the local brewery and cut it up for their own use, costing the brewery $200 in lost assets. While one or two doesn't sound like much, start adding that number up over time and you find breweries who are out thousands of dollars in kegs.
 
Ahh pooh!

We lost to much on non-returned kegs this year guys. I suggest you all work on your resumes. Never mind the growlers tossed in the trash, never mind the bottles. It was the kegs that were never returned, it killed our profitability!

I have no desire or intention to cut up a keg, but LMFAO at local guys getting killed by it, and double LMFAO if it is ok because it was BMC.
 
Yeah, it is kind of funny that those who inject morals into this have no problem, as long as it's BMC, but when confronted with the fact that this is completely legal, no amount of evidence change their minds.
 
Its not legal to destroy property that isn't yours. Paying a $30 deposit is not buying the keg. The keg still belongs to the brewery.
 
I am not here trying to start any moral debates or arguments, because this issue has been beaten to death.

Here is my take, I dont feel comfortable paying a "deposit" for a keg and not returning it. If you do, great! You get some pretty cheap kegs. I am going to try and find old damaged kegs that will not be accepted by the brewery. A friend called me and said his father found an old keg in his barn that was at least 10-12 years old. He told me I could have it if I wanted it. I am considering taking it because there is no way the brewery (I am pretty sure it is a BMC) would take it back. It is beat up pretty good and scratched all to hell. But I dont know. Most likely this will be the way I have to acquire it, based on the way it is looking around here in TN.

Every brewery and distributor I called said they didnt have any, and none of the recycle joints accept them (supposedly). So finding a friend who has one from god knows how long ago might be the only route I have...

But whatever, I guess if there is no law against it, it isnt illegal, but you have to make a moral judgement...I think I am more willing to accept one from a friend that is clearly old and beat up than going to the store and paying hte deposit and keeping it...
 
On a side note, there is a place here in TN that sells beer kegs (its basically a beer store) and I asked if they had damaged kegs that they got rid of and I got an interesting reply.


John,

Keg deposits are $50 for a full keg and $65 for an empty one.

Thanks!

So I replied back for clarification...

Is the $65 for an empty one for the purchase of the empty keg or just a rental…I know that sounds like a ******* question but I want to clarify…thanks

And I got this...

It's for a deposit, so if it is never returned you simply lose the deposit. There is no sales tax as it is only recorded as a deposit.

Hope this helps,

So it appears that they are just selling the old empty kegs they have for $65 and they also got to keep the initial deposit of $50 in the first place. Even if they have to give that $50 to the brewery (which I am not sure about), they still make $65 on the whole thing.

Thoughts?
 
J-Malone said:
Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to be facetious towards you, and honestly I don't own any kegs, so it's not even personal for me, the only reason this is interesting to me is because I work in law enforcement, specifically I deal with the proper filing and classification of all criminal reports in my command.

Last time this came up, someone specifically mentioned NY, and I got involved by saying that there was no way this was criminal and a report would never be taken (off the top of my head, I was home). The argument continued and when I went to work on Sunday night, I researched everything and bounced the ideas off my partner and boss. We came to the 100% definitive conclusion, that in NY state, the only way this type of transaction could result in an actual legal theft was if you signed something that said you had to return the keg, specifically. What that means is, the wording would have to say that regardless of deposit, the keg is expected to be returned, so basically, the deposit wouldn't even be required.

The reason there is a deposit at all is because they are effectively selling you the keg the way this transaction legally works, so the interested parties hope that a deposit will encourage you to return it anyway.

A few people made the comparison to bottles and cans, and honestly, that is a DEAD ON comparison. The deposit in that case is for a different reason - recycling - but the concept is exactly the same: In NY state, when you purchase something that requires a container, unless there is a contract that states otherwise, you are legally taking control of the container also.

It is in the breweries' best interests to not sell the keg for the full-price of the beer and the keg, because it would be too expensive and no one would buy them! So this is how they make it work for them.

And based on the email conversation you just posted, TN might have a similar legal situation.
 

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