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Wondering how many beers are in a keg? Or are you curious about how much does a full keg weigh? Look no further. Here are the weights and beer totals of the 6 primary keg sizes.
And after that, we’ll walk you through how to figure out the number of beers left in a keg by weighing it.
Because beer keg weight and knowing how many beers are in a keg based on its weight are crucial to beer keg tracking and pricing beer: knowing how many kegs to order and forecasting when kegs will run dry. Knowing the answer to "how much does a keg of beer weigh?" will be your best friend in ordering and inventory management.
Along with well drinks, kegs are the most common thing for a bartender to interact with. Once you've mastered the drinks every bartender should know and the standard wine pour, impress people with your encyclopedic knowledge of kegs.
So enjoy this article about the type of kegs, because kegs are required to pour beer and are enjoyable things. And even articles about kegs should be enjoyable. You won't find this information in your standard bartender guide. You'll be able to share unique tidbits with your visiting cicerones.
Full Keg AKA Half Keg
This is the keg you're probably thinking about. It's the ones you see being carted into bars, dragged up steps into house parties, and generally looming large in U.S. beer culture. The full keg, also known as a half barrel keg, half keg, or full size keg is the standard size keg in the U.S. Much like a fifth of alcohol is the standard liquor bottle size. You don't need to go to bartending school to know about these.
How Heavy is a Full Keg?
The full keg weight of a half barrel keg is 160 pounds, and its empty keg weight is 30 pounds. That means there are 130 pounds of beer in a full half barrel keg.
How Many Beers In a Half Keg?
There are 124 16-ounce pints or 165 12-ounce cans or bottles in a full half keg, also called a half barrel keg. If you run out of beer in your half keg, it might be time to practice your upsell.
50 Liter Keg
A 50 liter keg is also known as an import keg or European barrel. It’s the most common beer keg sizing in Europe and tends to be the keg used for popular imported brands.
How Heavy Is a 50L Keg?
The full keg weight of a 50 liter keg is 130 pounds, and its empty keg weight is 27 pounds. That means there are 103 pounds of beer in a 50 liter keg. The total weight of beer only is useful to know as take your keg inventory.
How Many Beers Are in a 50 Liter Keg?
Approximately 105 16-ounce pints or 140 12-ounce cans or bottles is the amount of beer in a full 50 liter keg.
Quarter Barrel Keg AKA Pony Keg
The quarter barrel keg is also called the pony keg or the stubby quarter. Stubby because there is another keg with identical volume to the quarter barrel: the slim quarter keg, also called the tall quarter. The difference is that the slim quarter keg is above 10” higher and 5” thinner than the standard quarter barrel keg.
All the below numbers for the quarter barrel keg apply to the slim quarter keg.
How Heavy Is a Quarter Barrel Keg?
The full keg weight of a quarter barrel keg weighs is 87 pounds, and its empty keg weight is 22 pounds. That means there are 65 pounds of beer in a full quarter barrel keg.
How Much Beer Is in a Quarter Keg?
62 16-ounce pints or 82 12-ounce cans or bottles is the amount of beer in a quarter barrel keg.
How Much Beer Is in a Pony Keg?
Same as a quarter keg: 62 16-ounce pints or 82 12-ounce cans or bottles is the amount of beer in a pony keg.
Sixth Barrel Keg
A sixth barrel keg is also called a sixtel. It’s the 2nd smallest widely-available keg size out there.
How Heavy Is a Sixth Barrel Keg?
The full keg weight of a sixth barrel keg weighs is 58 pounds, and its empty keg weight is 15 pounds. That means there are 43 pounds of beer in a full sixth barrel keg.
How Many Beers Are in a Sixth Barrel Keg?
41 16-ounce pints or 55 12-ounce bottles or cans is the amount of beer in a full sixth barrel keg.
Cornelius Keg
The little guy! Also called the corny keg and a mini keg, the Cornelius keg is the smallest widely-available keg size.
How Heavy Is a Cornelius Keg?
The full keg weight of a Cornelius keg weighs is 55 pounds, and its empty keg weight is 10.5 pounds. That means there are 44.5 pounds of beer in a full Cornelius keg.
How Many Beers Are in a Cornelius Keg?
There are 40 16-ounce pints or 53 12-ounce cans or bottles in a full Cornelius keg. These kegs are better suited for bars that don’t serve a lot of beer or for catered events where you’ll expect 50 or fewer beers to be served.
Frequently Asked Questions People Also Ask About Keg Sizes
Beyond these questions about how heavy is a keg of beer and standard keg size options, there are a few other questions frequently asked about keg sizes. Those questions include:
Is a keg cheaper than cans? The answer here varies depending on the brand of beer. Overall, the cost of a keg is generally cheaper. However, if you're buying a pricey brand you might not save much. And when it comes to keg prices, you'll have to factor in cup prices.
Is getting a keg worth it? For bars and restaurants, generally the answer here is: yes! Kegs will save money and storage space, and make inventory tracking much easier in the long run. For individuals, getting a keg is usually worth it if you're throwing a party. Kegs can also come in handy if you have a regular beer setup in your home. If you know the beer you like, and you want to always have it on hand and fresh and cold, getting a keg is absolutely worth it.
How long does a keg last in a kegerator? If you're unfamiliar with the term, a kegerator is a special type of refrigerator designed to hold kegs. For bars and at-home keg users, a kegerator is a great investment. As for how long a keg will last in a kegerator, the answer varies. For pasteurized beers, the general best-to-use-by date is three to six months. For non-pasteurized beer, two months is the general expected timeline.
How do I transport and store a keg? Different keg sizes should be transported and stored upright to prevent damage to the valve and fittings. They should be kept cold at all times to maintain the quality and freshness of the beverage inside. Kegs can be stored in a refrigerated kegerator or cooler, or in a cold room or cellar.
What are the standard keg sizes? Standard keg sizes vary depending on the region and the type of beverage being dispensed. Common sizes include the half-barrel (15.5 gallons or 58.7 liters), quarter-barrel (7.75 gallons or 29.3 liters), and sixth-barrel (5.16 gallons or 19.5 liters) kegs.
How long does a keg of beer stay fresh once tapped? Understanding the shelf life of a tapped keg can help manage inventory and ensure the quality of the beverage being served. Asking about factors affecting freshness, such as temperature and carbonation levels, can provide insights into maintaining keg quality.
Get A Keg Up
Kegs are a vital part of nearly every bar’s operations, but they can be confusing in regard to inventory tracking. Hopefully, this information and exercise helps you manage your liquor inventory better. Knowing how many beers are in a keg of beer is generally helpful in smoothing out your inventory process. And smooth bar inventory is a big part of how to stock a bar profitably. Another way to smooth your inventory process out is to use a perpetual inventory bar inventory system like BinWise Pro. It turns taking inventory from a drawn out manual counting process to a quick succession of scans. It also helps avoid issues like excess inventory or discovering the answer to "does beer expire?"
And once you have all your inventory scanned, BinWise Pro keep on helping you. It'll figure out your variance, pour cost, and all the other numbers you need to increase your bar's profits. Book a demo and we’ll walk you through exactly how BinWise Pro will help.