Lightweight Containers Introduces New 30-litre KeyKeg with Double Wall Technology

I guess this is good for low volume establishments or for stronger, rarer beers. But seeing that 30 liters = approx. 8 gallons or half the capacity of a regular keg, I can't see how is this going to work for high volume establishments.

 

High volume breweries put tons of beer in 1/6 kegs, which are only about 5 gallons. If these would be more cost effective/practical, I could see anybody using them.

 

So the liquid goes into the bag, right?

 

By establishments I meant bars & restaurants, not breweries. My main concern is how often a keg would have to be changed, which in this case would be twice as much. This is as much of a cost effective/practical concern as any other, IMHO.

 

Most kegs around here are 20 liter, 25 liter, or 30 liter. Very very rarely will you see anything larger than 30 liter. But then again, Italians aren't known for consuming large quantities of beer.

On a different note, a brewpub nearby that recently opened kegs it's beers in plastic containers that basically look like huge soda bottles with a spear down the middle. Don't know what they would be called in English. All 20 liters.

 

Yeah, so the advantage is that you could push this beer with an air compressor or hand pump because the gas doesn't touch the beer.

 

This post is highly apropos and useful relative to a similar discussion on the above (Beer News) forum. Seems like some of my concerns about the original product are being addressed. In any case, beer technology probably needs a great deal of attention. I would suspect that innovation in beer delivery (in all ways) is already happening in a big way.

 

This would be really good for new breweries just trying to get their beers on the market too. Instead of investing in a large supply of expensive steel kegs, they can use these cheaper, smaller quantity, one-way kegs. Heck, depending on the state laws a beer rep could even drive around with these in the back of their car and make a sale immediately.

I could see homeowner taps switching to a product like this too. Sixtels are often a more convenient volume for a home tap, but sixtels aren't cheap, so this could be a cheaper alternative. It also sounds like the inside bladder could be filled with regular air, so the homeowner might not have to maintain a CO2 or N2 system.

 

My local often gets the high ABV beers in sixtels, and those are poured into snifters, 8 oz pours. Change cycle is not so bad.

 

This is more about shipping kegs overseas (to us) then anything else. It's also about shipping them back, which adds even more to the cost of the beer. Though I disagree with the statement that steel kegs go bad after a few days after being tapped.

 

So these are basically disposable kegs? What are the cost of them versus a traditional keg? This would get rid of the problem of people keeping kegs from small breweries that can't absorb the loss...I see it as a good thing (assuming they work correctly).

 

Yeah, that statement could have been clearer. If a keg is pressurized with CO2 and that is used for dispensing, then it's last indefinitely. However, if regular air is used for dispensing, say at a party - a non-professional environment, with a regular pump tap, then the contents will rapidly oxidize. I suppose that is what they're referring to.

 

Plenty of bars and restaurants, especially craft beer bars, buy sixtels. 30L is already a common size too.

The smaller containers are usually for expensive/high ABV beers that move slow. But plenty of breweries offer all their beers in both keg and sixtel sizes.

 

They're priced competitively with the labor and chemical involved in cleaning stainless, and including a small consideration for the depreciation of a stainless keg fleet.
Where they lost us was the need to purchase a $90 specialty coupler for EACH account/tap. They just aren't prevalent enough for most accounts to have a stock of the couplers, so there's a huge financial hurdle to overcome. Imagine doing a tap takeover and purchase eight of those things. Ridiculous.
We ultimately went with: http://pubkeg.com/
Overall it seems better reviewed, still has the recyclable lining (which we take care of upon return), and a much more durable exterior. It is nominally more expensive, but still within the realm of comparison to maintaining and purchasing a stainless fleet.

Edit: I should say that they don't seem to be prevalen enough in our market for accounts to stock multiple couplers. Obviously that can vary elsewhere. This seems like a good product though, and better than previous iterations.

 

Couplers remains as a nagging issue all across the distribution chain. There is no real standardization outside of the US, and Euro couplers- German sliders, etc.- are super expensive. The large wholesalers often "give" couplers to accounts. As a former smallish wholesaler, absorbing this cost in an attempt to be competitive is just plain stupid. I used to charge a very reasonable deposit for all couplers, regardless of original cost. Customers still fussed, even knowing that just keeping the coupler would be cheaper than buying it elsewhere. In my estimation serious on-premise beer purveyors should keep a variety of specialty couplers on hand, at their expense. Now, line cleaning........

 

Some bars around here with limited cooler space use sixtels allow them to have more beers on tap, without having to remodel the bar.

 

That too.

Also, restaurants who dont go thru craft beer fast go with sixtels to avoid having old beer.

 

2nd trip to the thread. Just a thought...is this the craft beer answer to the cold activated can, the vortex bottle and the bow-tie can? I just don't see BMC using these unless they can sell their product for more per oz.

 

Having dealt with the beer-ball-in-a-card-board-box type "kegs" at BA fests, these would be a welcome improvement. Those things were always a P.I.T.A. to deal with - leaky connections, specialty couplers, they tip over in ice baths when 1/2 full, easy to puncture, etc...