Buying Second Hand Kegs

[RobW]

Guys, this got buried yesterday so I'll post it under its own thread:

Can you legally obtain brewery kegs? I know a scrap place that sells them but there's still that "always remains the property of" bit that makes you wonder just where you really stand. Anybody know the true legal position? ....Deebee? Also I saw somewhere that the imported beer kegs are scrapped because it's not worth sending them back. Anybody know if that is true & if so can you get 'em & where?

 

[Justin]

I guess it really comes down to who they are the property of. If the brewery is still operating then I guess they're are still the property of them and you would have a hard time proving otherwise. If the brewery is deceased then I'm guessing they are yours.

I have found kegs belonging to deceased breweries before in recycle shops and scrap yards. Its pretty bad form for a scrap yard to try and sell you a keg that belongs to a currently operating brewery, you might as well go and steal one from behind a pub yourself as there is no reason why the scrap yard should be paid for a item that is legally not theirs.

Basically it is a moral issue. However, you should try ringing up your local breweries as lots of these breweries still have stock of the old kegs (before they went to sankey). They are usually 5, 9 or 18 gallon (the later makes an excellent kettle for 50L batches) in size and can be had for around $15-$20 each, they do require a bit more work to convert though as they have a bung hole in the side.

So it's up to you and your ethical stand point. But remember these breweries are wasting these kegs by filling them with mega swill so you could look at it as your duty to minimise these breweries ability to distribute this thing they call beer .

Cheers, Justin

 

[Tony M]

My wife picked up a news item on the wireless yesterday that said that brewerys were considering changing to plastic kegs because of transport costs of returns. presumably they will be throwaway items. They should leave the beer in them when they do!
It would certainly mean that there would be a heap of tin kegs about.

 

[JasonY]

I watched New Inventors on the ABC last night and there was a very good on on these plastic kegs. This guy has invested a fortune in building them but I think he should coin it in. Aimed at beer exports so you dont have to get the keg sent back home ... think they were about $30 and non-reusable but recyclable.

Plastic Eco-Kegs

 

[Hoops]

I saw that on ABC last night. He said they cost $30 to make compared to $130 for SS kegs. Great idea, and I'm sure some HBers would be able to use them again

 

[Andrew]

Keneasy, if you don't mind spending up, try Craig Deacon at KegSystems Australia. They are on the net somewhere, and sell recon and new kegs.
Cheers

 

[RobW]

Thanks Andrew, I've had a look at the Kegsystems site. I was really more interested in establishing the legalities of the thing re: brewery kegs - and finding out what happens to the imported kegs.

 

[Justin]

I don't know about all imported beers but a lot of them are actually made in Australia under instruction of which ever brewery the beer is made for. Guinness and Kilkenny are one example, I think even Stella and Pilsner Urquell may very well be another. It usually says it on the back of the bottle-"Made and bottled in Australia under instruction of blah blah" or something along those lines.

So I wonder which ones (particularly those beers available on tap) really are imported beers?

Cheers again, Justin

 

[RobW]

You're correct Justin but some of the others like Old Speckled Hen, Tetleys and the Belgians are fully imported AFAIK. Might be simpler to ask at the places that sell them I guess.

 

[big d]

brother inlaw does work at an adelaide brewery.he asked the same question about the slightly not to be used damaged kegs.are they available to buying public.short sharp answer.NO.
apparently they are sold to scrap dealers and crushed.not to be used again.
bummer really as it would stop the borrowing/liberating of brewery kegs.they get money for the kegs and the ag brewer is happy in the knowledge he has a legally bought keg.

cheers
big d

 

[ant]

I went through a similar experience with a brewery over in WA with a black bird as a logo... got bounced about half a dozen times till someone knew anything about the old kegs. "No" was the clear answer I received from everyone I spoke to, "... the kegs aren't safe to be re-pressurised, that's why we're retiring them". None of them could quite comprehend that I didn't want them as pressure vessels, I even indicated I would be happy to take them with dirty big holes in the top (figured if they would cut them for me, why not ).

I was told they got rid of them to one of two scrap dealers; rang both of them, not even remotely interested, they wouldn't even keep a number on file in the event they received some. You could be forgiven for thinking no-one is interested in cash these days.

Doesn't leave you with many options...

 

[SAMEAGAIN]

And they wonder why so many disappear.
Mark

 

[Hoops]

I think they should put me onto the case, I have a radical strategy that would solve the whole problem......
cut the top off so they can't be pressurised then flood the market with these old kegs cheap/free (that were to be destroyed).
People would no longer need to steal kegs, and we would all live happily ever after.
My little fairy tale
Hoops

 

[Batz]

Scrap guy in Adelaide sells then buy the kg , tops are hacked out