Beer Types

• Purchasing a keg of beer usually limits the type of beer you can serve. In contrast, you can usually buy many varieties of bottled beer, including pilsners, lagers, ales, stouts, dark beers, wheat beers, etc. Most beer stores have a much larger selection of bottled beers to choose from compared to keg beers.

Keg Sizes

• Beer kegs are typically available in three sizes. The largest size is called a half-barrel keg. Many people call this a full keg because you cannot purchase a keg larger than this one. The next size down is a quarter barrel keg, commonly called a pony keg. The third size is called a sixth barrel keg, or torpedo keg because of its cylindrical shape.

Ounces

• Standard bottles contain 12 ounces of beer. You can purchase in packs of six, 12, 18 or 24 bottles. A half-keg contains about 15.5 gallons, or 1,984 ounces, of beer. They can serve about 165 12-ounce cups. A quarter-keg contains 7.75 gallons, or 992 ounces, of beer and can serve about 82 12-oz cups. A sixth-keg contains 5.16 gallons of beer, or about 660 ounces. It can serve about 55 12-ounce cups.

Costs

• On its website, Hoboken Beer & Soda Outlet said it sold a half-keg of Miller Lite for $79.99, as of August 2011. The website also listed a price for a 24-pack of Miller Lite bottles of $17.99. Using this comparison, you would need to purchase about six cases of bottled beer to equal the amount of beer in the half-keg. The bottled beer would cost about $28 more than the keg. This is just one comparison. Prices can vary widely based on time period, location and promotional sales.

Other Details

• One difference between the beer in kegs and bottles is the taste. Beer served from kegs has oxygen mixed with it. Many people think this adds to the flavor of the beer. Beer in a keg typically goes bad after 24 hours, so if you have a keg, use the beer right away. Most bottled beer can stay fresh for months. If you choose to purchase keg beer, most places charge a deposit for the keg and expect that it is empty when returned.