5 Common Keg Misconceptions
Kegs are fantastic in the right situations. If you love local brews that aren’t canned or bottled (yet), if you’re a beer connoisseur always looking for the latest and greatest and/or if you own a kegerator, kegs are a great way to keep satiated in the beer department.
Despite the bad rap kegs get as being for a younger crowd-don’t we see them on movies and TV all the time with a frat boy upside down on top of them?-they’re actually great for some mature party throwers, too, when hosting a barbecue or throwing a pool party.
But they’re not always the best options, and here are some misconceptions that have led folks to believe they are.
Misconception No. 1: Kegs are a good way to get cheap beer.
Kegs are not necessarily a money- or product-saver. Once you consider the foam, spillage and waste that kegs usually lead to, it’s money down the drain in some situations.
I’ve compared prices on 12-ounce keg servings and 12-ounces bottles, and although you’re likely to save a few bucks on the price of beer if you choose a keg, that is no longer true after you factor in the other costs associated with a keg (cups, ice, a bartender to operate, etc.).
Also, if you’re thinking of getting a keg (or kegs) at an event, remember that each keg requires one extra person to operate. Most distributors require that you use a licensed bartender to handle their equipment, so that’s another employee you’ll have to pay.
Misconception No. 2: Kegs are great for big events, such as weddings or corporate events.
Kegs do have a lot of beer in them, but you can’t necessarily get it out at a speed that keeps a big crowd happy. One person pumping one keg at an event with upward of 50 or 100 people equals long lines-and super-unhappy guests.
Misconception No. 3: Getting a keg takes up less space and is less hassle than a bunch of cans or bottles.
True, the keg itself may not take up as much space as hundreds of beer cans or bottles, but a keg comes with a lot of baggage. Obviously you have to have cups to pump the beer into.
Additionally, you’ll need ice and lots of it to keep replenishing it throughout the event-especially if your event is outdoors during the summer or stretched out over a long period of time, such as all day. People will inevitably misplace or throw away their cups and want a second one (or third or fourth) when they come back for a refill, so you have to have lots of extras on hand. Someone will have to man the keg at all times, even when things are slow. So a second person will have to be responsible for going to the freezer and replenishing the ice as needed. Kegs require a careful eye to keep a party flowing smoothly.
Misconception No. 4: Kegs are easy and effortless.
When you buy a keg, you don’t actually get to keep the shell. You’re only paying for the beer inside the shell, and those shells are not owned by the store you get your keg from. Instead, they come from a distributor, and they have to be returned within a few days of the end of your event. So instead of just gathering up the empty cans and bottles and taking them to the recycling center, someone will have to load the keg shell-which isn’t small or light-into a vehicle to return it to the distributor. The store you need to return the shell to may not be open when your event ends, so someone will have to be responsible for the shell until it can be safely returned.
And back to the expense of the keg-every keg shell and tap require a deposit to make sure the equipment is returned in good and working order.
I’ve also seen instances where the keg operator taps the keg at an event and mishandles and breaks it. If you don’t have another tap on hand, you’re unable to get to what’s in the keg. Talk about a party disaster! Kegs are fun and have their place, but they are in no way more effortless than individually packaged beers.
Misconception No. 5: Kegs produce less waste.
If you and your guests don’t finish what’s in the keg during the event, you lose that product when you return the shell and tap. If you had gone with cans or bottles, you’d get to keep what you purchased and it would stay fresh until opened.
Your guests are also a lot more likely to spill beer from a wide-mouth cup than they are from a small bottle or can opening and then come back for a replacement.
Finally, the amount of foam produced by kegs needs to be taken into consideration. Just like an individual beer coming out of a tap at a local bar has some foam, consider just how much more foam is produced by such a large amount of beer. Even the best bartender can’t eliminate all foam when pumping the keg, and that’s just wasted product.