Using other breweries kegs

[StrongArm]

Hey all,

I saw a post for kegs for sale in the classifieds that were stamped with a brewery name. Clearly if I were to buy them and distribute my beer to bars and stores in them it would be marked with another brewery not mine (at least the stamped portion).

This got me to thinking...I know there a lot of kegs floating around out there in distribution that are marked with a brewery other than the one that the beer is from.

My question is what has been your experience with this, especially if you are a small (sub 500-1000bbl) brewery. I have a few kegs from some of the big breweries floating around in my warehouse, what would happen, if anything, if I put them into distribution.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Bierkoenig]

If you have kegs from other breweries "floating around" your warehouse you should return them to their owners, otherwise you're committing theft. I bet the owners of those kegs would like to have them back regardless of how big, corporate, or "non-craft" they may be or perceived to be.

When you buy used kegs from another brewery, you destroy or obscure their embossing by grinding it off, welding beads or plates over it, dimpling it, or some other method which removes the previous owner's mark.

[Larry Doyle]

Let's make believe I'm a small brewery. I buy 500 new kegs for $100 apiece. I fill them with beer and ship them to outlets, charging a deposit that is far less
than my purchase price. The kegs are emptied and 500 kegs are returned to me and I refill them. Then I notice that 6 of those kegs are "foreign" kegs with my beer in them.

You are telling me I am guilty of theft if I reuse the kegs and don't return them to to their owner(s). I say HOGWASH. I'm gonna slap a paper label over whatever needs to be covered and ship the kegs. That's what an extremely large beer company does and that's good enough for me.

[MPKill]

I don't want another brewery using our kegs. So I wouldn't use someone else's. When I get a keg in from another brewery, I simply return it to our distributor and make sure I get the credit back.

We try to clearly mark our kegs (chime, paint, sticker, etc.). So normally we can pick out a keg that isn't ours before we clean it and fill it.


Cheers,
Mike

[Bierkoenig]

You are telling me I am guilty of theft if I reuse the kegs and don't return them to to their owner(s).

Absolutely. I'm not licensed in Texas or familiar with it's statutes, but in both jurisdictions in which I've practiced law, that would be theft. Think about it this way: If you loan a car to a friend and they bring back some other car that you know is not your car but you start driving it around anyway, that is theft (may be called theft by receiving or larceny depending on the jurisdiction).

[Larry Doyle]

Its built into the supply chain that some breweries will wind up with some foreign kegs. For every foreign keg there's a lost keg out in the great unknown. If I have a foreign keg must I give it back to the original owner,ask for the purchase price or ask for the deposit amount?

[biosonik]

Large breweries sell off their old stock when they change keg styles too. They don't have to be stolen ...
Use what you can.

But when cooperage is returned to you that is not yours, I'd bring it up with your distributor, and return them. Because if they are giving you someone else's kegs, I'm sure they are giving yours away too. Also, you have no idea what condition they are in.

[Kev7555]

Don't get caught using Anheuser/Busch kegs.

[LuskusDelph]

Absolutely. I'm not licensed in Texas or familiar with it's statutes, but in both jurisdictions in which I've practiced law, that would be theft. Think about it this way: If you loan a car to a friend and they bring back some other car that you know is not your car but you start driving it around anyway, that is theft (may be called theft by receiving or larceny depending on the jurisdiction).

I agree. It's theft, plain and simple (not to mention being a just plain tacky practice).

[monkeybrewer]

Why would any brewer bare the responsibility of another brewers kegs? Should the brewer pay to have the keg shipped back? Rent enough warehouse space to hold them until the brewery who owns the keg pays to have them shipped back? Even the time taken to contact another brewery? Why would this be the responsibility of the brewer who received the errant keg? Fill it and get it back into the distributors chain and the problem should resolve itself. That being said I haven't had to do this (we're just a small brewpub)...just my opinion. I do know of one large craft brewer that sells (or gives away...not quite sure) any random kegs returned to the brewery to a local scrap guy who does as he sees fit. Just curious about the "Don't let AB find out" statement. Have you heard of trouble caused by them and wrongly returned kegs?
Cheers

[yap]

I look at it as Karma. If somebody ended up with one of my kegs I would hope they would try to get it back to me. I'm not saying they should rent a truck and drive it to me personally, but they could give me a call and we could see if we have a distributor in common to try and route them back. If it's not worth my trouble to get it back then I can just tell them to keep it or whatever. In the end it shouldn't take but a few minutes to make a call and then stick it back on a truck..

I just did this the other day for somebody. Took a total of 5 minutes out of my day and the guy will get HIS PROPERTY back. The statement to just fill it and put it back in the supply chain so it can "resolve itself" is BS. All you are really saying is "its not my problem now" and passing the buck.

As a very small brewer I can't afford to buy more kegs every other week because some of my float is running around in the market with other peoples beer in them. we should be helping each other out when possible in my opinion... like i said...karma...

[Wayne1]

Just curious about the "Don't let AB find out" statement. Have you heard of trouble caused by them and wrongly returned kegs?
Cheers

Please look over this story from Calfkiller Brewing.

Calfkiller story of AB kegs

Lot of interesting comments after the Calfkiller rant.

[monkeybrewer]

After reading that FB post it only strengthens my opinion. He should sue AB for theft or charge them for the years of warehousing their lost kegs....I'm sure that would be easy Would be interesting to see if the local authorities would do anything about it...to help the craft brewer mentioned in the FB post that is.
Cheers

[dberg]

After reading that FB post it only strengthens my opinion. He should sue AB for theft or charge them for the years of warehousing their lost kegs....I'm sure that would be easy Would be interesting to see if the local authorities would do anything about it...to help the craft brewer mentioned in the FB post that is.
Cheers

Most of the industry would disagree with you.

[yap]

I was going to say almost the same thing (i even had a stolen car reference) but that article sums it up for me.....