How do Beer Kegs Work? - All About Kegs - Draught Beer Explained

[@CaskTheology]

Quick clarification about lifting kegs- I'm on about FULL kegs, not empty ones. Empty kegs are really easy to move in comparison, but full kegs.. they require technique or muscles to shift.

[@thebeerinnandrewmckenna2655]

I know, as I help in a pub in Ripley, Derbyshire, but what I was saying, can you do a video on casks, as well, and fob detectors, and zi can lift a full cask, when I get asked to roll a cask to the stillage room, then lift onto the Shawl cold step, as they use Cadkwidge, vertical extraction, then I can wash the cellar floor

[@kevanhubbard9673]

I'm mainly a cask man but was drinking a keg Cameron's bitter a few nights back which I quite enjoyed.There tends to be a real ale snobbery against keg but the very same people won't think twice before drinking a pint of Guinness which comes out of a keg!

[@MaNNeRz91]

Technique for sure. I'm skinny AF but have managed well. 22gals are the hardest to get about. Meant to be 3 man lift but doable with 2. Rolling is the best part of the job and slamming kegs down cellar ladders 😆😆

[@gmoney9068]

Beer in a keg is living proof that God loves man.

[@CaskTheology]

Beer in general is proof I think. ;)

[@sebvance6049]

No @G Money you are living proof

[@bickyboo7789]

Methamphetamine and LSD as well.

[@MaNNeRz91]

2:48 I know what all of those kegs contained and I've only been a drayman for a month 😏😏 some of the cellars I go down are grim but there's a lot of really old ones that fascinate me. The size of barrels back then we're 7 or 8 times bigger and I have trouble with a 22gal 😆😆😆 great info by the way. Even covering the fact that Stella use the 10gal 😂 threw me off on my first day walking round looking for a smaller keg amongst 11s 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@djomarigamotea1735]

KZbin:beer kegs are a good way of storing beer Shawn crahan:its a good intrument too

[@trackpackgt877]

Great video I actually clicked on this because I was wondering how the beer stayed cold in the lines like when a bar first opens the first draft but they serve I would figure be warm from sitting in the lines all night but now I get it

[@aquiatic]

I found your video while researching a project, it was really helpful and enjoyable. Thanks for making it!

[@CaskTheology]

Glad you enjoyed it! Hope it helps with your project. :)

[@craighawke4482]

use to work at the manchester arena in the uk and the had two cellers i use use to run one of the cellers on concert nights and managed to change aprrox 100 22 gallon kegs in three hours on my own as they was drinking beer like no tommorow

[@harleyadam4813]

Just for the record, these particular keg sizes are not valid in America. I'm not sure about the rest of the world. Here in the States (where EVERYTHING is strange for those in the rest of the world), the keg sizes range from 7.75 gallon for a quarter (or *Pony*) barrel keg, 15.5 gallon for a half-barrel and 31 gallon for a full barrel. Again, these sizes most likely differ for the rest of the world, because we're weird.

[@CaskTheology]

That's some amazing information, thank you Harley! :) I'm fairly certain the keg sizes I've quoted here are widely used in Europe, as most kegs I've come across have had the volume displayed in gallons and litres. Thanks again for that great info!

[@harleyadam4813]

@@CaskTheology I believe the keg sizes you've quoted are in "imperial" gallons. It's entirely possible the first two, at the least, are the same as the ones us colonial bastards use. I haven't checked the conversions recently. Happy to help, though!

[@CaskTheology]

Having a quick look, A US Gallon and UK one are indeed different. Skipping gallons, in Litres, an Imperial gallon is a bit more than a US one. But does that matter when you still get a great beer? One day I'm going to make it to the USA and taste some of that great beer you lot have. :)

[@harleyadam4813]

@@CaskTheology I have a 3-tap system in my kitchen. Give me a little forewarning and I'll make sure it's full. 😉

[@jordansmith9673]

I can pick up a keg of beer like its nothing im a fairly a big guy so I have no problem with the weight of one

[@EldergodUK]

I used to bench press a imperial 11 gallon in the morning, about 60kg at a guess 😏

[@thebeerinnandrewmckenna2655]

Can you do a video on cask ales, and the fob detectors, and gas, and post mix etc, all of the cellar and the line wash, it was very interesting. Im learning, as I sometimes help at a pub. Thank You.

[@CaskTheology]

Hi Andrew, thanks for popping by. I've already done a video on Cask Ale which you can find here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2O3gmh3ha2LrLs I'd thought about doing a few practical videos such as how to do line cleaning, how to check if glasses are clean and so on, I'll add them to the ever expanding list. :)

[@AncientAccounts]

It's cool that you cite your sources for this sort of stuff... I should get on that. What's the music in this? It's so relaxing

[@CaskTheology]

Citing sources gets hammered into you when you do a degree, so it becomes second nature after a while, especially because you get marked down for not providing appropriate evidence for what you say in an essay. It's been years since I passed, but here I am still providing links and stuff to back things up. As for the music, it's all stuff I got from the Creator Studio, and they're called Room for Two, Hilltop and Rocking Chair. ;)

[@AncientAccounts]

@@CaskTheology Thanks! :)

[@audiotron1003]

How do you get hold of empty 32g kegs? I was thinking of making a garden stool or seat. I'm from the UK

[@EldergodUK]

Big events use them, it might require a stealth mission to get one 😏

[@rafliestrada]

where i can buy it. cause, in my country don't have keg beer like that.

[@dimitarstratiev8828]

Does beer come carbonated in the keg itself, or does it get carbonated while drafting it?

[@CaskTheology]

Bit of both. :) A by product of fermentation is CO2, and some kegs are issued with a pressure warning since most lagers and ciders are carbonated in some way, naturally or artificially. One of the reasons to keep such beers cold is that it stops disolved CO2 escaping and creating a beer that's mostly foam. The image of the keg that split that I used had come straight from the depot- it sprayed absolutely everywhere from a really tiny hole. CO2 from the process of dispense will dissolve into the beer, as does Nitrogen with beers like Guinness, which helps gives it the creamy texture. So the answer to both questions is yes. Keg is like a canned beer but turned up to 11.

[@TechTier_]

Awesome video. Just wondering whether something like a keg of Guiness last long after its expiration date? I understand that the flavour may change but say if it was kept well after its expiration like 1 or 2 months, would it really be all that bad?

[@MaNNeRz91]

A lot of pubs back hand out of date kegs for discounted price so they probably do last quite a bit. but you didn't hear that from me. Some pubs are really strict and won't accept kegs with less than a month on when they're gonna empty them over the weekend anyway 🤷🏻‍♂️🤯

[@TechTier_]

@@MaNNeRz91 I got a keg but I gave in and used it before the date on it. I did everything wrong tho to connect it. Like not pushing both the gas and beer pipe in fully. Ew splurts all over at high pressure lol. I learned

[@MaNNeRz91]

@@TechTier_ I haven't had to connect any kegs up yet thankfully 😂😂😂

[@justluke9166]

I'm currently building a pub-shed and am torn on buying either cans & a fridge or a keg, c02 and a fast-chiller. You said the keg only last 1 month in a chilled cellar before they go off? would this be drastically reduced at room temperature as I was going to let the fast-chiller do the entire cooling? I couldn't find much info online and you seem very knowledgeable. All the best.

[@CaskTheology]

Hi Luke, really sorry for the late reply! So my cellar at work is not exactly big, it's one of the smallest ones I've worked with. This means that sometimes we have to leave our kegs outside, occasionally sat in the sun for a week or two. Generally we try and get them indoors as soon as we can to let them cool down to cellar temperature. We usually try to give them a day or two to chill to avoid fobbing. The whole 'month' thing is generally a Best Before date, and with the whole lockdown thing in the UK some breweries said to us that the date could be pushed for a month or so and should be fine as long as they were chilled first. So there is a bit of grey area when it comes to kegs. I hope that was helpful. What did you go for on the end? I'd love to know!

[@justluke9166]

@@CaskTheology thanks for the response, in the end we have decided to go for the fridges and just buy cans / bottles as its more or less the same price per litre as a keg and we don't have the hassle of the extra equipment upkeep and cleaning lines ect for something that wont get used every day of the week, like a commercial bar would. Regarding the beer going bad, I've spoken to a couple of people regarding it and most say it won't go 'bad' so you can still drink it but it wont be as crisp or taste as 'fresh' so I suppose that's what people mean when they talk about keeping it below room temp.

[@CaskTheology]

@@justluke9166 Excellent! I know that a lot of home bars go for that option because it's much easier to manage. May you be frequented by many friends!

[@souhailla10]

Hello. Very nice video.. i have a question sir... how can i preserve the beer for several weeks when kegging the beer without the beer getting bad?

[@CaskTheology]

Well, while keg can last for a while before getting opened, when you do finally open it then there's a bit of a ticking clock, much like if you'd opened a bottle of wine or can of pop. What keeps a beer the most is the temperature- all British Cellars are cooled to between 9-12 degrees C (48-53 in F). Keep it chilled and you can get more life out of it. Most brewries I know of will stick a best before date on their kegs though.

[@souhailla10]

@@CaskTheology oke thankyou for the quick responding sir ☺

[@tvviewer4500]

I could pick up 11 gallon kegs on my shoulder in college.

[@theothuna9192]

Good day can you consume keg beer past its best before date? I have full KEGS with a best before date of 11 NOV 2011

[@hanku999]

Is there a term that's used to describe the "ridges" or "rings" that are on the body of the keg?

[@CaskTheology]

This is one I'd have to do some extra research on. My instinct is that the metal kegs were based on the old wooden ones in terms of shape, and the rings are basically meant to emulate the hoops of them. That said, one thing I do know is that those rings do have a practical purpose. Many pubs have an underground cellar, and many of them have a ramp to roll the barrels into them. All the pubs I've worked that have this have a set of stairs that ascend the centre of this ramp, bordered by a pair of metal rails. Rails that those keg rings fit into. Which means that when you drop 36 gallons of lager down them they only go in one direction. Which is good, because the speed those things move is terrifying!

[@hanku999]

@@CaskTheology Awesome, thanks for your response and the knowledge on this!

[@rimes3719]

The dog who got bang by a keg brought me here

[@markdevenney5584]

Guinness regularly use the 30L kegs especially for their Rockshore Lager

[@CaskTheology]

Apologies for my late reply, but that's a lager I haven't heard of! I'll have to look for it!

[@markdevenney5584]

@@CaskTheology possibly not available outside of Ireland/Northern Ireland

[@CaskTheology]

Well, I guess that means a road trip. ;)

[@craigw4251]

Where can you buy kegs from for a pub shed in the UK

[@CaskTheology]

I'd try Retail Wholesale / Cash and Carry places. I know Bookers do them, but they have rules about who can shop there. Still work a look as some beer distributers opened their doors to the public due to pandemic. Might be worth looking into key kegs suppliers as well. Hope that helps.

[@kakerake6018]

5:00 nahhh I've seen guys tossing full kegs. It is possible if the guys are absolute specimens or Indian labourers

[@CaskTheology]

I mean.. those aren't your average barfolk if they're absolute specimens! ;) I'm sure someone hefty could chuck around an 11g but once you get to 22 and 32 gallons you've got no chance. You have given me an idea for a future video though, so thanks for the comment Kake Rake!

[@kakerake6018]

@@CaskTheology np i worked at a brewery for a summer job and while i was struggling with loading 1 keg onto the truck the other workers would be casually throwing them around. idk what size keg it was i never paid attention to tht b4 this video

[@Michael-tg5uf]

what are kegs made from ?

[@CaskTheology]

Well, while I don't actually know the answer my best guess would be some kind of steel. However I have noticed that the newer ones are a lot lighter, so they're possibly some interesting alloy.

[@wzr3293]

So... You could make carbonized water. Did'nt know that Keg setups work by carbonating drinks

[@CaskTheology]

Thanks for your comment TheHypedDude. :) Keg beers like lager generally comes carbonated anyway, the kegs are designed to hold pressure after all. The gas in the pub is mostly used to push it down the line, but naturally it'll mix and carbonate as well, something I'm sure the brewery anticipates. ;)

[@shmellon1708]

An eleven gallon beer keg weighs about 90 lbs

[@CaskTheology]

Thanks for the extra info!

[@Toxxyc]

Considering the contents of an 11gal keg alone weighs around 110lbs, I'm not sure that's correct. Keep in mind we're talking imperial gallons here, not freedom gallons.

[@EldergodUK]

More like 140lbs.....i have been moving them around for decades 😏

[@bobmaxfield]

You forgot Key Kegs dude.

[@CaskTheology]

This is something I'm going to have to look into! Not heard of those, but then my experience is limited to what I see in pubs.