How do you limit beer consumption off kegs?

[Setesh]

I usually bottle special or big brews from the keg when it reaches the carb level I want. Then I have more space in the keezer for things that go faster and I can keep a few of each "special" beer in bottles on the hump. I will pour one of these special beers if they ask for them, otherwise I let them serve themselves from the taps. I usually have an array of fairly low gravity beers on tap because that's what I prefer to drink most of the time. If they go through half a keg of one of those then I'm not out a lot of money and I appreciate the compliment

 

[brettg20]

If I am having a lot of people over I will buy a 30 pk of cheap beer. I have 8 beers on tap in my living room so it is impossible for people to not want to help themselves, so if I don't want someone drinking one of the beers for any reason I speak up, pretty simple.

Always have other options available. I know it's kind of a hassle but when you brew beer you are known as the beer guy so if you don't want your keg of IIPA or Imperial Russian Stout gone in 4 hours keep other beer ready to go. More often than not it works....or don't invite D-bags to your house.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

If I am having a lot of people over I will buy a 30 pk of cheap beer. I have 8 beers on tap in my living room so it is impossible for people to not want to help themselves, so if I don't want someone drinking one of the beers for any reason I speak up, pretty simple.

Always have other options available. I know it's kind of a hassle but when you brew beer you are known as the beer guy so if you don't want your keg of IIPA or Imperial Russian Stout gone in 4 hours keep other beer ready to go. More often than not it works....or don't invite D-bags to your house.

most of my friends are D-bags. or as my friend Scary Larry put it: Where ever I go, all my friends are f#*%heads.

 

[brettg20]

most of my friends are D-bags. or as my friend Scary Larry put it: Where ever I go, my friends are f#*%heads.

HAHA most of my friends are D-bags as well, that is why I keep Coors Lt in my fridge. I don't mind a buddy have a few, but when they get sloppy out comes the Sh&# beer because at that point to them it is all the same

To be honest to me it's not about the money lost in someone drinking all the beer, it is the time involved in brewing it that they don't realize

 

[Billy-Klubb]

HAHA most of my friends are D-bags as well, that is why I keep Coors Lt in my fridge. I don't mind a buddy have a few, but when they get sloppy out comes the Sh&# beer because at that point to them it is all the same

To be honest to me it's not about the money lost in someone drinking all the beer, it is the time involved in brewing it that they don't realize

which brings me back to making them brew a batch or two. :rockin:

 

[BigJack]

Basically, if a friend drinks all my homebrew, the next time we hit a bar, my tab is on him.

 

[Setesh]

LOL. I guess I'm pretty lucky. None of my friends are D-bags. Most of them have kept me company on brew days and understand what goes into making beers from scratch. I also don't tolerate lushes. I'll cut you off if you start slurring words. You wanna get drunk at your house that's your deal, but at my house, with my family around I don't like it. I've never had anyone give me any grief about the policy at all. In fact, I can only think of a few times I've ever had to do that. Again, I guess I'm blessed with good friends.

 

[mikescooling]

I gotta say all my brewer friends are good guys. People I've gotten to know through here and my home brew club. Some of them are the best people I know. They know how to pace themselves.

 

[DrunkleJon]

My friends are pretty respectful and will ask before they even grab a glass/mug or even think of pulling a beer. I keep a beer fridge near the keezer that has some BMC and other commercial offerings for those who want to drink more irresponsibly, and no one seems to overindulge much. In my experience the irresponsible drinkers prefer the BMC anyway. If/When I have a special for me only keg (does not really happen) I just disconnect the beer out, and possibly connect up a different keg. Easy peasey. Most people are decent enough to not open the keezer and mess with kegs.

I know, I know. Get one of those court ordered integrated car starter breathalyzer machines and hook it up to an actuator that will block off your beer out lines. Make it so if someones BAC is approaching the legal limit that it will not pour. Brilliant!

 

[Hello]

I really like the idea of letting them brew a batch with you. I really think it is a great experience that someone can enjoy. If they don't want to do the work then fine, but at least you get some company come brew day.

I have the exact opposite problem on my end. I am overly excited about my first brew and really want to share. I've been turned down by people because they say the only home brew they had was bad or that they're not taking my beer after I worked so hard. The entire point of me brewing is to learn, drink, and share. I really enjoy sharing with neighbors and I don't expect anything in return. Well, perhaps they can throw a bucket of water on my house if it is on fire one day or something like that. I think with kegs it is hard to tell how much has been poured or to limit people. I would probably keep a brew that perhaps was considered one I wanted to have around for months in the back and put something that can be a daily drinker up front. Or maybe bottle that a-list beer in bombers. You can still break out a few with buddies, but you're not opening up your entire batch to people.

I disagree with people saying get new friends. As someone with very few, I'd prefer to have my friends around than my beer. I do hope that all friends can be respectful as I would do the same.

 

[Brewmech]

Easy... brew 10 gallon batches. Buy more kegs. I couldn't keep up with my friends demand for beer so I brewed bigger batches. Problem solved.

 

[NickTheGreat]

Put a coin slot or bill reader on it.

 

[Dirty25]

You don't. Brew more or don't have friends over. All my friends are welcome too all the beer they want from my kegorator. The faster they kill it the faster I get to refill it.

 

[IL1kebeer]

I don't brew beer to enjoy it by myself, even if it is an "A" list brew. So i could care less if my friends/family drink most of my beer. It actually makes me proud that they can't get enough of my brew. Don't get me wrong, I drink at least a pint of my homebrew daily, but the best part about homebrewing, in my opinion, is to share it with good friends/family. Plus, if they finish half of my keg it gives me a reason to brew more.

 

[bleme]

I think it would also help if they understood some of the cost. I can't think of a single time that I have served my beer to a group and someone didn't ask about the cost of homebrewing. It is tempting to just total up the grain bill - it makes you look smarter and keeps the eavesdropping wife happy - but if you add in ALL the costs, they will get a truer picture. Think yeast, propane, ice, StarSan, CO2, OxyClean, bottled spring water, shipping, minimum wage... You come out looking like a real dumbazz spending $100+ on 5 gallons of beer but they will respect the brew more.

 

[stpug]

I've swapped what keg I had connected to a tap prior to company coming over but not necessarily because I didn't want that keg being drank but because I thought the new keg was better. Because I wanted my friends to taste all of my offerings I simply poured out a growler of the "lesser" beer prior to swapping kegs and the growler was offered up for drinking along with the taps. You could do similar by pouring out some of your good stuff in a growler(s) so you can limit how much of it gets drank.

Additionally, you could simply disconnect a keg and remove the tap so you have a blank spot there (at least there's nothing to pull ).

 

[Jipper]

http://morebeer.com/products/beer-faucet-lock.html?site_id=7

I'd say lockup the taps that you don't want people to drink, and allow the B-List beers to go. I don't have enough room in my kegerator, so I personally allow them to drink whatever / however much they want. If I have a special beer like an imperial stout or lambic that I worked a long time on, I put a lock on it. If one of my friends is interested in trying it, I grab them the appropriate glass, unlock it, pour one out, and lock it back up!

Sorry for your loss though, but sounds like you had a great beer that people just couldn't get enough of, so congrats on that!

Cheers.

 

[beernutz]

Put a tip jar near your taps.

Use smaller glasses.

Get new friends.

 

[mattd2]

Put a coin slot or bill reader on it.

or a CC reader... and then completly deny that you are the cause of fraudulant charges on you freinds cards
...
too soon?

 

[Rhumbline]

My first response was that you need to put the fear of God into them so they can be trusted around your beer.

My second response, after reflecting on me and my friends is that you should have known better.

My final answer... let them know how much a keg of beer costs to brew, and how much work is involved. Tell them you are replacing the beer, and that they have been volunteered to help you brew it as well as buying the ingredients.

Of course, this will result in them drinking even more of your beer during the process, but it at least drives the point home. Tell them they will be bringing the snacks for brew day.

All said tongue in cheek, my friends would drink every drop in the house, eat everything that wasn't fuzzy, and raz me for being such a chump that I left them in the a/c with unlimited beer whilst putzing around outside.

 

[Braufessor]

lots of good suggestions. #1 - brew more beer. That helps a lot - I am pretty stingy with my german lagers that take 10-16 weeks to be ready. I am not about to let people swill those down to get drunk. Same with other beers that are expensive/a lot of work/ or I simply want to keep for myself. I will hand out smaller sample glasses perhaps, or save some pints for people who will really appreciate it - but nothing wrong with just keeping some kegs "off-line." I try to brew regular batches of a few beers that have fast turnarounds and are good session beers - british bitter, british mild, american pale ale..... I keep them low alcohol, but full of flavor. No one gets "wasted" and if we burn through a bunch - no big deal, I can have another keg brewed and on tap in 3 weeks easy.

 

[chocotaco]

Step 1) Be glad you have a great keg system!
Step 2) Be glad your homebrew is so great that people can't stop drinking it!
Step 3) Put away the chainsaw and join your friends! The tree will still be there tomorrow, or next weekend.

Have some fun. YOLO. If you are upset that people *you invited over* enjoyed your brew so much that it's half gone, you have what's called a "good problem." Brew some more! It's what you love doing! If it's about the money, have them bring over some 2-row and hops and help you brew another batch! If they would "help" you cut up a tree, then they would certainly help (no air quotes) you brew some tasty beer.

Value your friends; if you want to "beat the crap out of them" for having one too many of your homebrews then you're not a good friend.

Two cents given.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

I say beat the crap out of your friends with a chunk of that tree! ALPHA MALE!!!! if your friends can't take a beating after finishing your keg, then they ain't friends. take that to the bank.

 

[pjj2ba]

I'll second to idea to give them smaller glasses. I have lots of 6-10 oz glasses (as well as pints) and ask folks which size they prefer. Most folks take the smaller glasses so they can try all of the beers I have on tap (almost always 4)

Besides a plug on the tap you don't want then to drink from, also take the handle off.

 

[kh54s10]

Don't allow your mooching friends to serve themselves. Pour them a beer and refill at your discretion.

 

[Dirty25]

It seems a lot of people love to drink their beer more then share. I am all about sharing my homebrew with them. I like all the compliments I get and really just like making beer. Spending my Sunday crushing grains, mashing, and brewing is a fun day for me. I never have put a dollar amount on my beer an look at it more of the enjoyment side.

 

[Dirty25]

*plus after about 1 gallon of my homebrew down I am looking forward to the next thing so I want to kill the keg anyway

 

[JonM]

"In-law dip tube."

 

[Babybatch]

I know a lot of people are saying get new friends. My friends and family come with faults and I accept them and they put up with my crap too. We are problem solving here people, thinking critically, out of the box. when I started this tread, I was thinking of limiting beer and now I'm thinking of decoy beer. Now we need a faucet that explodes.

Here is a fun/annoying idea. Maybe you could attach a loud horn to the tap. Or some kind of setup that plays a quote from a movie every time you pull the tap. Maybe you could attach it to a secret toggle switch so it only works that way when you want it to. I have ZERO skills with electronics but it seems that this hobby will be an education in that to some degree.

Arduino & Raspberry Pi here we come!!!

 

[Babybatch]

Put a coin slot or bill reader on it.

Might as well add an change machine.

Ooo. That would make a cool keezer conversion project!

It would be cool to tie in one of your taps to and arcade game. Get a high score get a pull! That sounds so fun!