[phillamb168]

One of the many reasons why lots of people are going the KeyKeg route. Makes me eye my corny kegs suspiciously...

[Thirsty_Monk]

Terrible news indeed.

Plastic kegs have max pressure at 60 psi.
I think this is the same with SS kegs.

[bo]

I have cornies that are stamped 130 psi max.

[nateo]

One of the many reasons why lots of people are going the KeyKeg route. Makes me eye my corny kegs suspiciously...

I'd never heard of KeyKegs before, but they look pretty cool. It seems like a lot of small brewers would be into not having kegs to buy/lease and wash.

[phillamb168]

One of the many reasons why lots of people are going the KeyKeg route. Makes me eye my corny kegs suspiciously...

I'd never heard of KeyKegs before, but they look pretty cool. It seems like a lot of small brewers would be into not having kegs to buy/lease and wash.

They're basically plastic bags surrounded by cardboard. The CO2 is pushed around the bag and so doesnt' actually come into contact with the beer (which is already carbed). I am quite surprised that people in the US haven't heard of them more. Cost is about $15 / 30 L (7.5 gal) keg, they are super light to transport and don't have the sort of risks (theft, explosion, etc) that 'normal' kegs do.

Only downside is that they require a special connector.

[bo]

One of the many reasons why lots of people are going the KeyKeg route. Makes me eye my corny kegs suspiciously...

I'd never heard of KeyKegs before, but they look pretty cool. It seems like a lot of small brewers would be into not having kegs to buy/lease and wash.

They're basically plastic bags surrounded by cardboard. The CO2 is pushed around the bag and so doesnt' actually come into contact with the beer (which is already carbed). I am quite surprised that people in the US haven't heard of them more. Cost is about $15 / 30 L (7.5 gal) keg, they are super light to transport and don't have the sort of risks (theft, explosion, etc) that 'normal' kegs do.

Only downside is that they require a special connector.

Something doesn't sound right here. Are you sure you aren't talking about "bag in a box" where they put
soda syrup and then mix it with CO2 and water at the dispenser?

If the beer is carbed, the bag would be pressurized, unless it's VERY cold.

[majorvices]

I had never heard of it either, so I tried a simple google search.

http://www.keykeg.com/

 

[rjharper]

One of the many reasons why lots of people are going the KeyKeg route. Makes me eye my corny kegs suspiciously...

I'd never heard of KeyKegs before, but they look pretty cool. It seems like a lot of small brewers would be into not having kegs to buy/lease and wash.

They're basically plastic bags surrounded by cardboard. The CO2 is pushed around the bag and so doesnt' actually come into contact with the beer (which is already carbed). I am quite surprised that people in the US haven't heard of them more. Cost is about $15 / 30 L (7.5 gal) keg, they are super light to transport and don't have the sort of risks (theft, explosion, etc) that 'normal' kegs do.

Only downside is that they require a special connector.

Something doesn't sound right here. Are you sure you aren't talking about "bag in a box" where they put
soda syrup and then mix it with CO2 and water at the dispenser?

If the beer is carbed, the bag would be pressurized, unless it's VERY cold.

It looks like the beer version is a PET sphere with the bag inside. It's still something plastic under pressure. And I'm not a fan of the disposable concept. Once again, it's the throwaway plastic single use, rather than reusable, refillable stainless. Ok, mini enviro-rant over

[FirstStateBrewer]

It looks like the beer version is a PET sphere with the bag inside. It's still something plastic under pressure. And I'm not a fan of the disposable concept. Once again, it's the throwaway plastic single use, rather than reusable, refillable stainless. Ok, mini enviro-rant over

You could just recycle it with the rest of your plastics.

[phillamb168]

It's "bag in ball" so you have pressure on the PET squeezing the bag and pushing the beer out. Still seems a whole lot safer than regular kegs.

Re environment, here at least they have a recycling program for this stuff. You just include it with your other plastic recycling. Don't forget that while those steel kegs are multiple use, transportation costs (i.e., fuel consumption) are much higher just because there's more weight.

Re beer going flat, nearly all the bars I patronize use KeyKeg, and it's what Mikkeller, BrewDog and Nogne 0 use, so I don't think that's an issue.

[richardt]

Less weight on packaging makes sense.
More product gets delivered for the same weight.
Plastics are recycleable, and better plastics are being made all the time (e.g., PLA) from non-petroleum sources.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid

[Slowbrew]

It looks a lot like the old Miller Party Ball.  That didn't sell very well to the public after the novelty wore off. 

It looks like a very convenient system for the brewery and would eliminate one of the drudgery jobs in the brew house.  That being cleaning kegs. 

My main question would be cost efficiency over the long hall compared to stainless?  I'll admit that I do not know how many SS kegs get stolen or damaged beyond repair any given month or how much SS kegs cost in bulk.  Maybe the costs are a wash or even lower if you eliminate 2 way transport and cleaning.  Definitely something to look at if going pro ever becomes something more than a day dream for me.

Paul

[nateo]

My main question would be cost efficiency over the long hall compared to stainless?  I'll admit that I do not know how many SS kegs get stolen or damaged beyond repair any given month or how much SS kegs cost in bulk.  Maybe the costs are a wash or even lower if you eliminate 2 way transport and cleaning.  Definitely something to look at if going pro ever becomes something more than a day dream for me.

Paul

I did a quick scan of the classifieds at probrewer and it looks like 50L kegs cost about $75-85 each. I don't know how freight works for shipping beer, but usually less weight means less money. I've read of people setting up basic keg washer for $5k, but I think they usually cost a lot more than that. If you add in return transport and labor for washing, I think it'd take a very long timeline for stainless kegs to be more cost-effective. 

[a10t2]

I've read of people setting up basic keg washer for $5k, but I think they usually cost a lot more than that.

That's about right for the automated units, but a "basic" keg washer can be put together for about $200-300. All you need is a coupler, a pump, some tubing, and a jerry-rigged stand.

[dak0415]

I've read of people setting up basic keg washer for $5k, but I think they usually cost a lot more than that.

That's about right for the automated units, but a "basic" keg washer can be put together for about $200-300. All you need is a coupler, a pump, some tubing, and a jerry-rigged stand.

Yes, but do you want to clean 60 or so kegs with a non-automated system?