To Keg or Not to Keg, That is The Question!

Kegger Parties from college were the way to go then but is that what works best for the party you are going to throw now? Not only do our tastes change but we are more sophisticated now, right? Variety is the spice of life and to offer several kinds of beer is a classy thing to do. If it’s a big bash, then maybe the keg is just the ticket. How do decide is now the question. Here are some practical tips to help you with your adult beverage decisions.

Full Kegs, Pony Kegs and Cases of Beer

A keg, which liquor stores call a half-barrel - contains 15½ gallons of beer. Here’s some math to help you decide how much you need and if a keg is the way to go. There are 128 oz. in a gallon, so one keg contains 1,984 oz. or 248 8-oz. servings, 165 12-oz. servings or 124 16-oz servings. A pony keg is about half the size and contains 7 3/4 gallons of beer.

A quarter-barrel (pony) is the equivalent of about 3½ cases (of 24 cans), and the full keg is about 7 cases.

I tend to prefer cases of beer rather than kegs for several reasons:

1. Leftover beer in a bottle or can are easily stored (refrigerated or not) for another party.
2. Buying 3-4 different cases gives people a choice. With a keg you only get one type of beer and not everyone thinks light beer is a must have!
3. Any savings from a keg is lost if you have too much leftover. Now you have a bunch of beer, you have to give back the keg and lose the beer (to get your deposit). Also if the delivery location is difficult that will add to the cost.

A keg can be a good idea if you have a lot of people, but if you only have about 30 people, unless they are big drinkers, you're going to end up with leftover beer. The cost of a pony keg is not half the cost of a full keg so you lose savings there too.

Cheers!