Keg Morality Question

[bartron]

A mate of mine has this really nice bar setup. Kegs downstairs and piped up to the bar (which is just off the HUGE home theatre setup.... :beerbang: )

Anyway....he buys kegs from the local liquor shop that stocks them..the 50l jobs. Problem is the guy that sells them doesn't want to take them back so my mate is getting a small collection of empty kegs in his garage. I've offered to fill one or two up with homebrew for him however these kegs have a label on the side....hand painted...of a small microbrewery.

now I know Lion Nathan and CUB get a bit shirty if someone nicks off with their kegs so I was wondering if these kegs are to be returned or not. I would imagine the local guy that stocked the brew would have been asked to collect empties by the brewery but he has said outright that he doesn't want them back.

Any thoughts?...I can't recall if the purchase of the beer included the cost of the keg as well...I can't imagine these things being cheap.

Bartron

 

[fixa]

i'd keep them... if he doesn't want them back, what can you do? you can send them to me if you want

 

[bartron]

i'd keep them... if he doesn't want them back, what can you do? you can send them to me if you want

like fun :lol:

I'd like to fill one up....would have to split the brew up though as I don't have a 50+l fermenter (not sure how that would turn out).

Alternatly I'd sell them off or swap for some cornys....the label on the side is a bugger...might come off with some scrubbing (looks like aerosol spraypaint)

Bartron

 

[Steve]

bartron you know what I would do...I would contact the small microbrewery and explain that you have a load of his kegs and the place you bought them from doesnt want them back...be upfront - he may exchange them for a full keg for being honest? You never know unless you try. Failing that send me a PM and i'll help you mate shift a few h34r:
Cheers
Steve

 

[PostModern]

Contact the micro in question and ask if they'd like to collect them. The cost of the empty is worth more than the beer inside them.

If you'd like the micro to stay in business, that is.

 

[fixa]

i'd keep them... if he doesn't want them back, what can you do? you can send them to me if you want

like fun :lol:

I'd like to fill one up....would have to split the brew up though as I don't have a 50+l fermenter (not sure how that would turn out).

Alternatly I'd sell them off or swap for some cornys....the label on the side is a bugger...might come off with some scrubbing (looks like aerosol spraypaint)

Bartron

I've got a spare 50l fermenter.. maybe we could swap h34r: h34r:

 

[devo]

I'd contact the micro, cause ya gotta help out the small players in the industry.

 

[bartron]

Contact the micro in question and ask if they'd like to collect them. The cost of the empty is worth more than the beer inside them.

If you'd like the micro to stay in business, that is.

I'd contact the micro, cause ya gotta help out the small players in the industry.

I might do so.

I'll find out how much my mate paid for the beer. If it seems like he's paid for the keg as well then otherwise I'll contact the brewery and see if they want them back.

knowing my luck the spraypaint is probably hiding something else though h34r:

Bartron

 

[hooky]

Honesty is the best policy.

 

[bartron]

Honesty is the best policy.

That it is.

Here's the situation. The brewery sells kegs through the local IGA (my mate actually called the brewery and they pointed him there). The guy that runs the IGA doesn't want to know about the empties so either 1) he has effectivly 'purchased' the keg or 2) the IGA guy is being a jerk....the brewery still sells beer through them though so we're leaning towards option 1.

He 'could' take the kegs back but he would be asking for some re-imbursement or something. No-one has come knocking on his door asking for them at least.

So while he has them in his posession he wants to try filling one with a non-alcoholic ginger beer. I'm assuming once the keg is cleaned out that he can just pour everything in and force carbonate (using a ginger beer kit)....would adding yeast and getting it to self-carbonate work or does that sound like a bad idea (sediment and all that).

thanks for all your opinions BTW. Any excess kegs, we'll call the brewery and see if they want to come collect them, otherwsie I'll let my mate know there are people here that would happily take them off his hands.

Bartron

 

[T.D.]

The guy that runs the IGA doesn't want to know about the empties so either 1) he has effectivly 'purchased' the keg or 2) the IGA guy is being a jerk....the brewery still sells beer through them though so we're leaning towards option 1.

I am much more inclined to go with option 2 I must say. These kegs are a significant investment for breweries and to my knowledge are NEVER sold as a package deal with the beer. I have no doubt that the micro legally owns the kegs and would be very keen to have them back.

 

[Doogiechap]

I reckon do the righty !
In the very least, advise the micro that there are some of their kegs have been found and are avail for collection. Kep the micro's alive by returning their property ! Micro's are the main source of educating the masses that there is more to beer than XXXX/ Toohey's New/ VB etc.
Rant off h34r:
Doug

 

[browndog]

Do the right thing Bartron.......... Micros are not in the same league as the XXXX, Carlton. They could be blokes like you and me that are living the dream. Do the right thing.


cheers

Browndog

 

[FNQ Bunyip]

do the right thing , ring the micro asap...

Its one thing to releve the multinationals of a keg or 2 ( compensation for the hangovers) but a small micro trying to do there best with a quilty product with huge overheads needs their kegs back.

Its ezy to reuse a keg a couple of times then retrun it for proper serviceing and borrow another. If your mate is still buying kegged beer there should be no problems with them collecting the ones hes not reusing.

If you want to use kegs for other purposes use multinationals..

cheers

 

[InCider]

If you want to use kegs for other purposes use multinationals..

cheers

I'm with FNQB, same goes for Milk Crates - the ones from the local dairy get left alone. But the multis have had a lot of custom for megaswill they owe some of us for really nasty preservative hangovers!

 

[Lactobacillus]

If your going to steal a keg, then steal the bloody thing and stop trying to justify your actions with a f$%ked up sense of morality. I can see by this thread that most of the people here seem to think that stealing is essentially wrong unless you are stealing from someone you dont like, someone who makes a product you dont like, or someone who is richer than you. But good lord, man, dont steal from someone who makes a product you believe to be superior! Thats just plain wrong!

 

[Weizguy]

just for my information, how much do you (or your friend) pay for a 50 litre keg from IGA?
What style of beer is it, and how do you tap the beer without, at least, CO2 and a pluto gun?

My opinion is to contact the microbrewery, and advise them that the store is not asking for the kegs back, and they can at least spray a message on to the kegs, requesting the consumer call them for collection once the keg is expired.

Are they stainless kegs, or the new enviro-recyclable plastic units? That will make a significant difference to what the suggested action should be, too.

Beerz
Seth out

 

[jimmyjack]

if your gonna take some kegs, take the CUB ones there better :lol: Home brewers are a drop in the ocean with the massive increase of keg theft. At the end of the day someone has to suffer for decreasing margins and theft, usually its not the profit but the Australian work force.


Cheers,

JJ

 

[Ross]

Barton, Makes no difference whether they are plastic, s/s or whatever - The keg has the owners name on it.
If you do nothing it's STEALING, & there's no excuse for that, especially from a micro. Ring them & explain the situation & post here the response. Until then, stop trying to justify your claim to these kegs - there's really no discussion to be had.

cheers Ross

 

[Weizguy]

Ross,

If it's plastic jobbie, they are (IIRC) non-returnable, and that's why I suggested that there may be a different course of action...

I just checked the Inventors ABC website and those are non-refillable, too. So it's prob not one of these.

Not that I condone theft (in fact, I abhor it), but the Ecokeg website mentions the following:
What is the taxation depreciation rate for kegs in %? 37.50

Seems to me that if a brewery get 3 years from a keg, they have completely written down the value of it and they have already got their value from it. Yeah, I know that's a bit simplistic, but it's Saturday and my brain is having a weekend away from work.

Let the responses issue forth...

Seth