[cwh]

When i bought a used kegerator from Craigslist, it came with a 1/6 Sankey keg.  I have since purchased a corny keg and do not know what to do with the Sankey.  I realize i can, with some practice, access the inside to clean it, but i don't want to.  Does it have any value?  To whom?   Thanks,  CW

[Thirsty_Monk]

Sandkey kegs should be returned to their rightful owners.

If it is local brewery, let them know that you would like to return it. It not it, there is local beer distributor it should be returned to.

[charlie]

Sanke kegs usually have a $50.00 or up deposit on them. Depending on the brewery it came from you can probably exchange it for a full keg without paying a deposit. You may also be able to return it and collect the deposit if the clerk isn't too sharp. Just make sure that it's a keg from a brewery that's distributed in your area.

Charlie

[majorvices]

Agree return the keg. That is the property of a brewery. Just because someone puts a deposit down on the keg it does not make them the rightful owner.

That said, the only way to really clean them is to set up some type of CiP with a pump. Just recird hot cleaning solution in it while it is upside down with a pump. A submersible pump in a bucket of Oxi would work. If you pump through the "beer out" part and let the solution drain through the "gas" part. Then repeat with sanitizer. Then purge. You should not have to remove the spear to clean it.

[Slowbrew]

I agree with the ownership question on the keg.  A deposit doesn't make it yours.

I have a story about trying to return a "stolen" keg that is kind of a counter point to our normal positions though.  I'm not justifying keeping a keg, just trying to point out that big distributers (at least in Des Moines) don't really seem to want one back.

I found it difficult to return a Sankey keg gifted to me by a neighbor who was moving.  It was "too much of a hassle" for him to return the keg for the deposit and thought, as a brewer, I could use it. 

Knowing the keg was worth more than his deposit (and not knowing where he actually picked it up from) I reached out to the distributor to see how to return it to them.  I left 5 or 6 massages asking for someone to call me back.  Weeks went by, but eventually, I happened to reach an actual  person at the company, explained the situation and that I wasn't asking for any monetary reimbursement.  To say the least, they were not enthused about me bringing it back.  The individual finally agreed that I could drop it at their warehouse and gave me directions.

When I showed up, no one knew what I was doing, much less why.  After explaining it to 4 different people in the loading area they finally said "sit it in that corner".  I felt like I had wasted 2 - 3 hours of my time and gas trying to do right by them and they could not have cared less.  I can actually see them having scraped the keg because it was easier than actually putting it back in inventory.

It can be hard to "do the right thing" when the macro-brewery's intermediary (the distributer) doesn't care whether it comes back or not.  I have avoided this kind of issues since then by just turning down kegs when they are offered.  If someone wants to keep it, it won't be my problem.

Paul

[majorvices]

I agree with the ownership question on the keg.  A deposit doesn't make it yours.

I have a story about trying to return a "stolen" keg that is kind of a counter point to our normal positions though.  I'm not justifying keeping a keg, just trying to point out that big distributers (at least in Des Moines) don't really seem to want one back.

I found it difficult to return a Sankey keg gifted to me by a neighbor who was moving.  It was "too much of a hassle" for him to return the keg for the deposit and thought, as a brewer, I could use it. 

Knowing the keg was worth more than his deposit (and not knowing where he actually picked it up from) I reached out to the distributor to see how to return it to them.  I left 5 or 6 massages asking for someone to call me back.  Weeks went by, but eventually, I happened to reach an actual  person at the company, explained the situation and that I wasn't asking for any monetary reimbursement.  To say the least, they were not enthused about me bringing it back.  The individual finally agreed that I could drop it at their warehouse and gave me directions.

When I showed up, no one knew what I was doing, much less why.  After explaining it to 4 different people in the loading area they finally said "sit it in that corner".  I felt like I had wasted 2 - 3 hours of my time and gas trying to do right by them and they could not have cared less.  I can actually see them having scraped the keg because it was easier than actually putting it back in inventory.

It can be hard to "do the right thing" when the macro-brewery's intermediary (the distributer) doesn't care whether it comes back or not.  I have avoided this kind of issues since then by just turning down kegs when they are offered.  If someone wants to keep it, it won't be my problem.

Paul

As a brewer and brewery owner I had a great chuckle at your story, Thanks for sharing it! If possible just return the keg to the brewery. Distributors are usually filled with a bunch of people who have absolutely no idea what's going on. Very few breweries like their distributor, but due to the idiocy of the "3 tier system" have no choice but to work with them. I appreciate your noble attempt at returning the keg but, yeah, that's way far and beyond what should be expected.

[Slowbrew]

Thanks!

It was Coors keg.  Going to the brewery would mean a trip to Milwaukee or Colorado.  which seemed a bit far to go.    If it was a Bud product, I at least know people at the distributer. 

I would have just dropped it off at a local brewery.

Paul

** Fixed a misspelled word.  Because I can't eat and type at the same time.

[Kevin]

list if for sale on Craigslist.

[narvin]

We also had trouble returning an old BMC keg that someone left in a kegerator. The local distributor didn't want some random keg without any paper trail. Since they basically own the distribution channels I'm not going to cry any tears over it.

You can take the spear out of a sankey and make a big stainless fermenter.  Carboy cap should fit over the opening if you soften it in hot water.

[BrewBama]

Write the brewery. Explain what happened and that you wanna make it right. They might be able to help direct you to the proper way to return it.


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