Obtaining kegs for kettles

[bobbyc]

I've heard of lots of people using full size 15 gal. kegs as brew kettles. How does one go about obtaining one of these legally? I assume you *could* go to the store and get one, have a party, and not return it - but I also assume thats frowned upon.

 

[joutlaw]

You can do that and lose the deposit or get one for free.

Talk to your local bars... most of the time they will throw kegs away after they end their service life. We got one keg this way and they said they give us some in the future. Most of the bartenders will find it interesting you homebrew and want to help you out... at least that was our case.

Do you know anyone that works for Coke or Pepsi distribution? In MS they distribute the beer kegs as well and thats how my GF's dad got a lot of equipment for free. 4 cornies, 2 15 gallon kegs, 1 7.5 gallon keg, couplers, disconnects, etc.

 

[Orfy]

The bars do not own the kegs. Just because you pay the deposit does not mean you own it. If you modify the keg not only are you depriving the owner of their property (theft) you have caused criminal damaged.

But heyo it's only a keg.

(that's the case in the UK anyway)

I buy mine from the industry watchdog, Keg Watch. (They deliver as well)

 

[bobbyc]

I think I may try calling the distributor. My guess is they are the ones that would be tossing the kegs at the end of their lifespan.

 

[Pumbaa]

I've heard of lots of people using full size 15 gal. kegs as brew kettles. How does one go about obtaining one of these legally? I assume you *could* go to the store and get one, have a party, and not return it - but I also assume thats frowned upon.

I really think the whole frowned pon thing is either very area specific OR a plot for LHBS to get you to spend your money there instead of the local booze store. Here in Milwaukee no has any problem with you walking into a Booze store and picking up a 1/4 or 1/2 barrel for the deposit only. Infact when I got my 1/4 barrel the guy from Miller Brewery was there and told me I was a retard for wanting to pay more then just the deposit and told me the deposit was fine. When I took the 1/4 barrel back becuase I decided I wanted a 1/2 barrel instead there was still no problem. Maybe it's because Miller is right here in Milwaukee, BUT in the end my 1/2 barrel ended up costing me a whopping $10 plus what ever the blacksmith is gonna charge me to cut the top off of it (thats where I am going as soon as I finish my morning soda and smoke).

Pop on into the booze store and give it a shot, worst thing they can tell ya is they are out of kegs or flat out NO. Like Joutlaw said, most of the time they are interested in what you are doing and are very helpful.

 

[wild]

Exerpt from previous discussion:
Just because the deposits are artificially low (see here for a pro brewer's discussion relating to this) doesn't mean that the costs borne by the big brewers aren't just passed on to consumers in the form of higher costs... and yes, any liquor store or bar owner would definitely be concerned about higher keg deposits, because then they'd have to front them to the distributor, and I'd bet a bunch of smaller establishments wouldn't be able to afford them and would be out of business.

Wild

 

[Ed_Savage]

Talk to your local brewery. I have a sweet hookup here in town for $25 bucks each. They are decomissioned with a hole drilled in the top. But the top is going to be cut and removed anyway. Im gonna pick up three of them. I need to sell off my humongus bottle collection first though, or my girlfriend is gonna kill me.

 

[feoxorus]

We're HBers, right? Does the price of BudMilCurse really matter? And, BTW, they are each a huge multinational corporation which thrives by buying the little guys and killing their product. I bought a 15- and an 8-gallon keg at a local liquor store ($15) - the employee said the distributor wouldn't accept them back because the bar codes didn't match up. So, their fancy bar code tracking system cost them 2 good kegs, to my gain. I also bought another pair of 15s from Sabco. I feel a lot better about the cheap ones than I do about the $400 that Sabco charged for a MT and a universal kettle. Not that it mattered to my welder, he wasted the fittings' threads on the universal kettle just as thoroughly as the $10 kettle's fittings. Thankfully, I never let him touch the Sabco MT!

 

[Orfy]

I totaly agree.

I have never said that you shouldn't pick up a keg where ever you can. I have just gave the facts as they are in this country. I've been lucky enough to pick up totaly legal kegs with reciepts. I'm sure if I hadn't I'd of been a keen to get them from where ever I could.

 

[MarkPhxAZ]

I have a 15 gal that was purchased through my local brew club, they even modified it for me, cut the top out and welded the fittings on it. I think I paid them $90 for the whole thing. The only problem is that the thermometer is up at about the 7 gal point and the spigot leaves about 2 gals in the pot if used level. I would like to have a second thermometer mounted about 3" lower, a spigot down at the bottom and a site glass added with markings for the quantity of liquid for accurate measurements of liquid while brewing.

 

[1234maverick]

I called our local distibuter for beer and they wanted 50 bucks for a beat up keg . Went to the local scrap yard and he had a good one but wanted 25.00. So Iam still looking! Trying to think of some alternative that not only would function but would look cool. Something that would make people say "hey arnt those.......?

 

[Ivan Lendl]

check the walmart parking lot. a friend of mine was a cart-pusher there and someone left a keg in the lot, so he put it in his jeep, (he doesnt even homebrew, he just knew it was something he should throw in his jeep)

youd be suprised what else he 'found'...