How much beer is in the keg?

[foxtrot]

Has anyone come across a device that shows the beer level in a corny keg? It would be nice to see how much is left "at a glance". I'm thinking maybe some kind of strip on the side of the keg that shows this. Usually I just lift to get a feel, but its hard to do that with the kegs in the back of the fridge...

 

[Bobby_M]

If you leave the door on the kegger open for 5 minutes, you'll see a distinct difference in condensation (more where the beer is and less or none where there's no beer). I don't know that there's any kind of strip that would do this for you.

 

[Funkenjaeger]

Well, there's the "smartstrip" which is a combination of beer level indicator and thermometer:
http://www.beveragefactory.com/SmartStrip.shtml

They work alright, but to get a reading you have to wipe the strip with a cloth soaked in hot water, so you still can't just get a reading at a glance.

 

[mrfocus]

I have seen one other product that does what you want, but the price is far from being attractive: http://www.kegworks.com/product.php?productid=21393&cat=423&page=1&country_selection=US, around $80 USD.

 

[Bobby_M]

Yeah, that's the thing. While the keg is being chilled, the beer and keg shell is sitting at the same temp. You have to quickly warm up the keg shell for a difference to show up. The beer will quickly recool the metal that it's touching while the empty section will remain warm. I just pick the keg up and gauge the weight a bit. You can also tap on the side with a knuckle and it makes a different sound when it hits beer.