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From Small Batch to Large Scale Vats – Keg Conversion Made Simple

(Source: Unsplash)
(Source: Unsplash)

Whenever you are first starting out in the world of brewing your own beer, you start small. You might brew some beer that is just enough for your friends and family, or for yourself. Even if you own a small brewery or are selling your beer, you will still be producing pretty small loads. However as your beer business expands, quite a lot of things are going to expand with it, and you will need to scale up your operation in order to stay relevant and meet demand.

But it can be extremely difficult to take a small scale operation and take it to larger heights, especially if you don’t know how many beers are in a keg, or what equipment you need to buy in order to effectively scale your business. 

Well, there’s a process called keg conversion that makes it all simple for you, and if you make sure that you have all the numbers matched up, you can scale your business with just a few equations and a little bit of hard work! Here’s all you need to know about keg conversion and how it can help your business skyrocket.

Why Keg Conversion Is Helpful

Much like many other liquids, beer comes in many shapes and sizes. From six ounce cans to massive 50 liter kegs and all others in between. All of the different ways you can store beer all hold different volumes of beer, which makes discovering how much you have and need very difficult.

But whenever it comes to conversion, you need a standard metric that you can measure everything by, so that’s why in our guide to keg conversions, we picked the measurements you will be running into as a brewery owner. The 16oz pint, and the 12 ounce can or bottle. Being able to turn every beer storage option into a question of “how many pints/cans/bottles will this hold?” is going to make it easier to visualize what comes next.

The Half Barrel Keg

This keg is the traditional beer keg, used in beer breweries and frat parties alike. These kegs are used to serve and distribute beer, and if you are going to be using one storage option whenever you are moving your beer around… it is this one. So how much can a standard keg hold?

A half barrel keg holds 124 16 ounce pints, and 165 12 ounce cans or bottles, and this makes them a perfect choice for brews that you are always selling. You will be able to get a massive volume out of getting a half barrel keg, and it can help you move your popular beers very quickly. 

Just make sure you have the space for them, because these full sized kegs can be hard to maneuver and even harder to store. If you are selling limited beers, you should aim for a smaller option like the sixtel, which holds a lot less and is also easier to move around.

Focus On Converting, Because The Numbers Don’t Lie

Whether you know how many pints or bottles you are going to be selling every single day, or you need to start counting and getting some data down, don’t be afraid to start gathering data and getting some numbers written on paper. Because the keg conversion isn’t going to lie to you, and it will help you ensure that you are always able to keep your drinks and your bar in stock.

Once you have a handle on how your conversion rates work, you will never run over or under on your beer quota again!

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