How Much Does A Keg Cost
For adults, parties are more fun and more enjoyable with the company of friends, food, and of course, an abundant supply of beer. And when we speak of beer for big parties, we all know that bottles will never be enough to satisfy everyone. For this reason, a keg or a metal barrel, which can contain large quantities of beer (ciders and sodas, too), would really be ideal. And since they are much bigger than bottles and cans, it is expected that a keg will have higher costs as well. With this being said, how much does a keg cost these days?
Estimate Costs of a Keg and a Keg of Beer
Typically, the average price of keg is around $145, with actual prices ranging from $40 to $250. But the overall costs of this metal barrel vary based on several factors such as the size of the barrel, the choice of content, the tap that gives you access to the drink, and the ice bucket to keep the drink cold. But you should know that retailers, from whom you purchased the beer, cider, or soda, own the kegs, which means they have to be returned after using them.
The keg of beer cost, on the other hand, greatly depends on the choice of your beer brand, your geographical location, and the type of reseller you deal with, according to Buy Keg Beer. In addition to these contributing cost factors, customers are always required to provide deposit fees for the kegs, which may run from $30 to $100 or more. There are also tap deposits, having average costs between $50 and $70. Don’t worry. The deposit fees are refunded once the kegs and taps are returned to the retailers.
Aside from the aforementioned additional costs, you also have the option to rent the items. A tap has a rental fee between $2 and $15 for one week, a tub for $6 , and an ice bucket between $2 to $20 per week.
Price Ranges of Kegs
Although the question, how much does a keg cost?, has already been answered, it will still be good to know the price ranges of kegs based on their size to give you an idea on how big you want the container to be and how much you can spend on it. Apparently, a keg comes in three sizes: sixer, pony, and full-size.
*Sixer
Also known as a 1/6 keg, a sixer can hold 5.17 gallons, which is about 55 full 12-ounce cups. The average price of keg for this size is $60, having a range of price from $40 to $80. This includes the deposit fees, but there are some instances when you need to spend more for the deposit costs, so make sure to ask the retailer what constitutes the price.
– Budweiser $45
– Blue Moon $60
– Samuel Adams $65
– Killian’s Irish Red Lager $46 plus deposit charge
– Bud Light Light $48 plus deposit charge
*Pony
This is also referred as 1/4 keg, and it comes after a Sixer-size metal barrel. This type of keg can hold 7.75 gallons, which consists of about 82 12-ounce cups. If you want to have this size, then you pay around $65 to $80.
– Miller Lite $67
– Modelo $80
*Full-Size
Apparently, this is the biggest keg size, which is sometimes called as a 1/2 keg. It can hold about 15.5 gallons or 165 12-ounce cups. The average price of keg for this size is $175, ranging from $100 to $250. Here is a list of the most popular beer brands in America and their respective average full-size keg of beer cost as provided by Buy Keg Beer.
– Keystone Light is a produce of Molson Coors Brewing Company, which is based in Golden, Colorado. The average price of keg of this beer is $70.
– Busch Light is one of the many beer brand products of Anheuser-Busch, which happens to be the largest brewing company in the U.S. A full-size keg of this beer has an average cost of $80.
– Natural Light is another alcoholic drink brewed by Anheuser-Busch. The average cost of this beer is around $80.
– Bud Light and BudWeiser have the same average full-size keg of beer cost, which is $87.
– Miller Lite, popularly known as Lite, is a beer brand sold by MillerCoors, which is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It costs $88 for a 1/2 barrel.
– Coors Light is a light beer that is brewed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Golden, Colorado. If you like to have a full-size keg of this beer, then the average price is around $90.
– Pabst Blue Ribbon is lager beer manufactured by Milwaukee-based Pabst Brewing Company. A 1/2 barrel of this alcoholic drink has an average cost of $100.
– Heineken is a pale lager beer brewed and manufactured by Heineken International in Netherlands. A 13.2-gallon keg of this beer is $130 on average.
– Michelob Ultra is another beer brand distributed by Anheuser-Busch. The average full-size cost of this beer is $135.
– Corona Light is a light beer with an average full-size keg cost of $165.
– Blue Moon is brewed by Golden, Colorado-based Blue Moon Brewing Co. A full-size barrel of this beer costs $175 on average.
– Guinness is a dry stout beer manufactured by Diageo, which is based in Ireland. This has the highest price on the list, with an average of $200 for every 13.2-gallon keg.
