How Many Beers in a Keg: All You Need to Know About Keg Options

It's no surprise that beer is one of America's favorite alcoholic drinks. In fact, in 2018 Americans consumed over 6.8 billion gallons of beer. However, do you know how many beers are in a keg? How about the different keg sizes? 

There are six different types of kegs on the market today, and each one is unique. Kegged beer is different than its bottled counterpart, so you might not actually want how many beers in a keg the size of a barrel versus how many come in a traveling container. 

Below, we cover the basics of each style of a keg, what they might be used for, and what you should do once you select the right style of keg for your event so you can have the best beer keg possible. 

Types of Kegs

When you picture a keg, what comes to mind? Chances are you're picturing a big metal drum filled with booze, and someone may or may not be drinking out of it upside down. 

This big metal container is called a half barrel. It holds a whopping 124 pints of beer and is the largest keg on the market. While it's certainly one of the most popular options, it's not your only choice when it comes to getting a keg.

The smallest options hold as little as five liters of beer, and there are kegs in all sorts of shapes and sizes between these two extremes. Let's cover what makes each choice different.  

1. Mini Keg

The Mini keg is the baby of the keg family. It only holds up to five liters of beer and is specifically crafted for mini kegerators. 

The small size of the keg makes it the perfect choice for portability and one-sitting usage. Due to the size, however, you might find that your options are limited. Beer suppliers usually focus their attention on larger kegs that they can charged higher prices for. 

If you're looking for a keg to take camping or to an outdoor concert but don't want to haul around a hefty metal container, this is the ideal keg as it's easy to both carry and keep chilled. 

2. Cornelius Keg

Are you a homebrewer who prefers kegs to bottles? If so, the Cornelius keg is probably the right choice for you. 

These kegs are easy to clean and keep stored away in-between brewing sessions. They aren't as small as the Mini keg, however, so you can walk away from a brewing session with more beer than you might otherwise get. 

Cornelius kegs have two different types of connectors that they might come with, and you need to be familiar with both. They are the ball-lock and the pin-lock connectors. You can find these at most local bottle and brew shops. The keg will have one or the other for coupler connections. 

The Cornelius, or Corny keg, holds five gallons of beer. This is a huge increase from the Mini keg, which only holds five liters. 

Another, thing to keep in mind is Cornelius kegs can be used to make your own cocktail batch, and dispense nitro coffee.

3. Sixth Barrel Keg

Next on the list is the Sixth Barrel keg, a popular option for beer-heavy restaurants. 

This keg is usually found alongside dual or triple-tap kegerators and is only slightly larger than a Cornelius Keg. Its tall and slender shape makes it a great option for restaurants who want to provide a large breadth of beer selections in their menus, but don't have a ton of storage space. 

The Sixth Barrel holds 5.16 gallons but looks significantly slimmer than other kegs on the market. As a result, it's easy to have multiple Sixth Barrel kegs near each other so that you can provide multiple beer flavors at once. 

Also, most draft wines come in sixth barrels for dispensing. Owners of retail outlets will use sixth barrels to test seasonal beers before they move up to 1/2 barrels to see if they move. 

Lastly, sixth barrels can be used in commercial kegerators to give owners more tap handles / products to dispense for their customers.

4. Quarter Barrel Keg (the Pony Keg)

You may have never seen this keg, but the Pony keg is famous for its design. This keg is large enough to hold down 82 bottles of beer, and its large carrying capacity makes it a popular keg choice for beer experts. 

It's much shorter and stouter than other options, which makes them a little easier to transport even with the large carrying capacity. We should note, however, that these kegs do take up more ground space. Each Pony keg holds 62 pints of beer. 

5. Slim Quarter Keg

The Slim Quarter keg is like the Pony keg's taller and thinner twin. 

It holds the exact same amount as the Pony keg but is long and lean instead of short and stout like the Pony keg. The Slim Quarter is a perfect option for anyone who wants a big keg and has a dual-tap kegerator. 

It comes in a similar shape to the Sixth Barrel keg but holds an additional 27.5 bottles of beer. 

6. Half Barrel Keg

The largest option on the market, and arguably the most famous, is the Half Barrel keg. The sheer carrying capacity of this keg makes it a great option for big parties and events. One Half Barrel keg holds the equivalent of 165 bottles of beer, or 1,984 ounces of bubbly fun.

This keg size is most often found in bars and restaurants and, because it's so popular, most home kegerators are designed to fit this size of keg unless they're specifically designed for Mini kegs. 

While the overwhelming popularity of the Half Barrel keg might make it seem like the natural choice, the size of the Half Barrel can be a detractor. Their large size makes them heavy and difficult to transport. They also come with a healthy amount of beer, typically 15.5 gallons. which must be kept cold and consumed before it spoils.

How to Choose a Keg

Now that you know the various sizes of kegs available in the market, you can start to decide what type of keg would be right for you. Consider the type of kegerator you are working with. While most kegerators are already designed to be dual-tap, some kegerators are single-tap only and only let you work with one beer at a time. If you don't have a kegerator at your home or business, make sure that you have a place where you can keep the keg cold in some way. 

Next, you'll need to decide how many beers in a keg you're going to require. Keg beer is almost always unpasteurized because it's designed to be stored at cold temperatures and consumed quickly. This is different than bottled beer that can last for months at a time at room temperatures. 

If you don't think you'll need all 15.5 gallons, don't purchase a Half Barrel because you'll just be left with an unused amount of beer. Remember there are other options to go with.

You'll also want to be aware of the keg coupler being used for your keg. For example half barrels can use different couplers than the most common D-Sanke coupler, in the US. So Check this. Draft wines usually carry a different coupler and remember the cornelius keg has ball-lock, or pin-lock connectors.

Remember Your Crowd

Are you choosing a keg for people who just want to drink beer and relax, or are you trying to pick a keg for a group of beer aficionados? Keeping your audience in mind as you select your keg will help make sure that you choose a keg that fits the need of your event. 

Mini Kegs are a great portable choice but often come with limited options in terms of beer types. If you're trying to appeal to a crowd who prefers microbrews.

Once You've Chosen

Once you've picked your keg size, the fun can begin. Plan to order your keg at least a week before your event. You can normally pick them up at your local brewery or distributor. 

Remember that you'll only be renting the keg, so make sure to double-check that you're renting the right equipment to go along with your choice and have a deposit ready to grab your keg.

Consider how you plan to chill your keg. A kegerator or keg bucket will work well but, in a pinch, you can also use a clean trash can filled with ice. Just make sure that ice surrounds the entire keg, especially the stem.  

How Many Beers in a Keg?

It might feel like the only question you should have to ask, but choosing a keg extends far beyond the simple question of how many beers in a keg. 

I'd also refer you back to the picture of the different kegs above so you can choose the best keg option for you.

The good news is that, even though there's a lot of information, beer is fairly straightforward. Using this guide, you'll be on the right path towards not only choosing the right keg...you'll know a lot more about draft beer dispensing.

Cheers!