Are kegs worth the cost your cases of beer?

The following answer is indeed applicable to American macro-brews like Budweiser, Miller, and Coors. However the price per beer of a micro-brew and most imported beers is farcheaper if you buy a keg vs. a can. Yes, many imports and micros come in cans.

- There are qty 165 12 Oz beers in a half barrel.

- There are 5.5 30 packs in a keg.

- An average Bud 30 pack price is approx. $18 (sometimes cheaper).

- That breaks down to $99 for 5.5 30 packs of Bud.

- A 1/2 barrel of Bud costs between $105-$107, or thereabouts.

- You have to buy a kegerator, run it (electricity), plus buy cups, all of which add to cost. Not to mention CO2 tank refill costs and potential repairs to your kegerator in the future.

- 30 packs can be bought at any time in smaller quantity's and stored in the fridge in the kitchen or one in your bar. This would negate the kegerator running costs. No cups needed.

- Hence, it is cheaper to purchase 30 packs of Bud than buy a keg (I haven't even mentioned the deposit, because when you return the keg you get it refunded at the same with a tap).

Per drink, yes.

But there are deposits on the keg and the tap to consider, as well as purchasing the necessary cups and ice. And a keg can be difficult to cool down and keep at a good temperature. Long term use, say a single person in an apartment, the beer may go bad long before it is consumed. For a short term party it is good, and it will work for someplace with a decent turnover, say a house with half a dozen people in it that drink a couple beers a day.