Brewery kegs

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by twizzard, Feb 15, 2014.

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  1. twizzard

    twizzard Pooh-Bah (2,080) May 11, 2013 New York
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    Are breweries allowed to sell kegs at the retail level like beer stores?
     
  2. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,846) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
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    Depends on various laws. Around here all the craft breweries that do retail sales include kegs. YMMV.
     
  3. LancetherealLeader

    LancetherealLeader Initiate (0) Jul 12, 2013 South Carolina

    Not in South Carolina.
     
  4. dbrauneis

    dbrauneis Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,071) Dec 8, 2007 North Carolina
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Even within a state it can vary depending on the license that the brewery holds.
     
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  5. Spider889

    Spider889 Pooh-Bah (1,933) Mar 24, 2010 Ohio
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    Many can and do, but many more do not.

    Part of it is that a brewery that is not of a huge scale does not want to be sitting on inventory. Move it out the door to make room for more.

    Part of it is that kegs represent a decent amount of hassle to deal with on an individual scale. Deposits, the potential need for a tap/CO2, etc. No offense but the average keg buyer is not likely to return the empty keg as quickly or reliably as a bar will.

    Finally, the sale of beer on premise can often create strain with the distributor. This is why you'll see the beer sold on site no cheaper (and sometimes more expensive) than at another retail location.

    I'd ask each brewery individually. If they won't sell a keg then contact their distributor who would likely be happy to sell you a keg.
     
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  6. Eriktheipaman

    Eriktheipaman Pooh-Bah (2,303) Sep 4, 2010 California
    Pooh-Bah

    In California they are. I'm sure there are exceptions but the overwhelming majority are.
     
  7. Jeffries55

    Jeffries55 Initiate (0) Sep 5, 2013 New York

    I know I've seen my favorite local brewery sell kegs while I was there, but I'm not sure what the laws are here in SW Ohio...
     
  8. TongoRad

    TongoRad Grand Pooh-Bah (3,884) Jun 3, 2004 New Jersey
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    I'm pretty sure you can in NJ.
     
  9. rozzom

    rozzom Pooh-Bah (2,620) Jan 22, 2011 New York
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    Are you NYC/LI? You can buy kegs directly from Barrier Brewing
     
  10. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    They can even the brew pubs, many insist that you have your own keg but they will fill it.
     
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  11. twizzard

    twizzard Pooh-Bah (2,080) May 11, 2013 New York
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    Albany
     
  12. MostlyNorwegian

    MostlyNorwegian Pooh-Bah (2,236) Feb 5, 2013 Illinois
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    Depends on the state and then it would depend on what their licensing with that state is. Production breweries in Illinois cannot, just as they cannot hang a shingle outside of their facility advertising what they are. Brewpubs, taprooms etc are already licensed to sell at the consumer level so they can also hang a shingle.
     
  13. Providence

    Providence Pooh-Bah (2,652) Feb 24, 2010 Rhode Island
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    You can't buy growlers from breweries in Rhode Island, so I'm guessing it's a no-go for kegs.
     
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