How much beer in that keg?

[UTDoug]

Without years of experience that would let me know the contents of a keg by judging the weight, are there any good ways to approximate how much beer is in a keg?

I figure I could weigh an empty keg and compare that to a partially full keg and assume the beer is about 8 lbs/gallon or so, but if anyone has any other methods that don't involve finding a weird battery for my "never need to replace batteries" P.O.S bathroom scale I'd appreciate it.

Hook'em,
Doug:rockin:

 

[olllllo]

I've noticed that when I rearange the kegs in the fridge, that is to say take them out of the fridge for awhile, in a couple of minutes the kegs sweat right up to the level of the beer.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Here's how I tell:
Freshly tapped = full
2 weeks later = half
Foam = empty

After a few friends come over = always empty on the first pour of the following day
After a party = BREW NOW!

Also, I like those keg SmartStrips available from www.micromatic.com

 

[homebrewer_99]

Isn't water like 7 lbs a gallon?

 

[Desert_Sky]

Isn't water like 7 lbs a gallon?

I think it's closer to 8

 

[bandt9299]

Heres a link to a chart, to weigh it. Looks pretty good, I just don't like to mess with my kegs because then they cloud right up.

http://www.foamrangers.com/volume.html

 

[Ol' Grog]

Weight the empty keg with all attachments, that is your tare weight. Then weight it full of beer, subtract the difference and that gives you net weight. Since beer is very close to water, which is 7.34 LBS per gallon, you can divide that up and it will give you the number of gallons. To be even more accurate, take a hydrometer reading of you brew before filling the kegs.
I know one thing, a typical 5 gallon batch of beer will over fill a corny keg. If you absolutely don't want to waste beer, better have a couple of beer bottles ready to bottle.

 

[Desert_Sky]

I think it's closer to 8

Ok, guess not. My bad

7.34 per Ol'Grog

 

[DrewsBrews]

Water is 8.33 pounds/gallon.

Source: USGS
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/waterproperties.html

Weight: 62.416 pounds per cubic foot at 32°F
Weight: 61.998 pounds per cubic foot at 100°F
Weight: 8.33 pounds/gallon, 0.036 pounds/cubic inch
Density: 1 gram per cubic centimeter (cc) at 39.2°F, 0.95865 gram per cc at 212°F

 

[user 574]

Since Arizona is a hot-spot for golf, I've hired on a retired golf caddy with one of those little stroke counting devices. He just hangs out near the keg and after each pint is pulled he hits his clicker. 40 strokes is a keg. I have two taps so he has a clicker in each hand naturally.

No I've not been drinking but I'm definitely ready to leave work and start :cross:. All in good fun of course! Best course of action is to have full kegs waiting in the wings if you can swing it.

 

[anthrobe]

Since Arizona is a hot-spot for golf, I've hired on a retired golf caddy with one of those little stroke counting devices. He just hangs out near the keg and after each pint is pulled he hits his clicker. 40 strokes is a keg. I have two taps so he has a clicker in each hand naturally.

No I've not been drinking but I'm definitely ready to leave work and start :cross:. All in good fun of course! Best course of action is to have full kegs waiting in the wings if you can swing it.

I have been looking for one of those guys.

 

[Ol' Grog]

Don't know what the hell happened to my brain....your absolutely right...off by a pound....working in labs for years, you'd think I'd know that by heart.... Like Homer Simpson said "don't brain my damage."

 

[thebull]

Here's how I tell:
Freshly tapped = full
2 weeks later = half
Foam = empty

After a few friends come over = always empty on the first pour of the following day
After a party = BREW NOW!

Also, I like those keg SmartStrips available from www.micromatic.com

Really, two weeks later?

 

[dantodd]

if you had an idea of how much you have in there I'd bet one of those magnetic propane gauges will do the trick.

Or just pull the keg out and slap some hot water on it. The beer will absorb heat and the empty part will stay warm.


EDIT:
Sorry Yuri, I missed that you listed the smartstrip... same thing as the propane tank device. I didn't know they are available specifically for kegs... cool.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Really, two weeks later?

Really - 5 gallons lasts more or less a month around here.