Where to buy a keg of beer?

red_fraggle_2

Hope this is the right forum for this...

I've been looking at home beer taps for Mr Fraggle's Chrismas present and have found one that is not too expensive, but I'm now wondering where I/he'd be able to buy 5 litre kegs on a semi-regular basis, as there's no point in me spending 100-odd quid on a tap if it's then really difficult/expensive to get the kegs.

Does anyone know where I'd be able to get 5 litre kegs without too much hassle or expense?

Owain_Moneysaver

I've seen Heineken in Tescos but a google suggests Heineken may use a proprietary keg style.

A quick google suggests lots of small breweries sell 5l kegs by mail order eg and eg

Per pint they don't usually work out very cheap, and often they have to be drunk quite quickly.

Lugh_Chronain

You could try a local specialist beer store. There's one in Twickenham that I know of though may not be as cheap as the supermarkets but should be able to recommend a good beer or two. It's called Real Ale Limited. They sell an array of little-known beers from micro-breweries across the British Isles. They also have a website where you can buy their beers.

http://www.realale.com/

Something like BrewDog Tokyo should knock his socks off, if Mr Fraggle likes stout that is. This clocks in at 18.2% alcohol.

Brewdog also do some really good but expensive corkers too such as Tactical Nuclear Penguin and Sink the Bismarck (not currently in stock at Real Ale Limited). These clock in at 32% and 41% ABV respectively. Come on if you think you're hard enough Mr Fraggle! Not for the faint hearted either!

Real Ale Limited appears not to sell kegs though the beers they sell should make excellent gifts.

You could also try searching Yellow Pages for local specialist beer stores.

Not seen any kegs in Tesco though you can get Heineken Draught Keg (5L) in Sainsbury's for £16.49.

Other kegs sold in supermarkets though not currently in stock are:

Adnams Bitter Mini Keg (5L)
Adnams Broadside Mini Keg (5L)
Brains SA Mini Keg (5L)
Brains Dark Mini Keg (5L)
Carlsberg Draughtmaster Keg (5L)
Carlsberg Export Keg (5L)
Stewart Brewing Edinburgh Premium Gold Bier Keg (5L)
Stewart Brewing No 3 Ale Keg (5L)

You could also try searching the MegaShopBot as well.
:beer:

Lugh_Chronain

Incidentally, Real Ale Limited sell Hopback Summer Lightning mini-casks (5% 5 Litre) for £19.96 though delivery is £7.25. Not bad if ordering more than one but may be a little steep otherwise.

Thought I'd check as I didn't think of searching for casks earlier instead of kegs.

escortg3

http://www.mayfieldsbrewery.co.uk/#/about-us/4552462674

this one is local to me, they do deliver. Wouldnt have a clue on prices but you could give them a ring.

Lugh_Chronain

Was just looking at some of the craft beer pubs (pubs that sell beers made by small-scale microbreweries) on Timeouts website and found one that's fairly close to where I live. May take a walk up there one day as it's only a good hour and twenty minutes away.

Anyway, I had a look at the Hopback Summer Lightning mini-cask I posted above before logging off earlier and notice that it says: If kept cool, below 12°C, it will keep for up to 4 days. So you may want to bear that in mind. Does depend how much Mr Fraggle drinks of course. No doubt he'll find someone to help him drink it though.

I nearly forgot to mention, I managed to find a directory of independent specialist beer retailers in the UK earlier. Hope this helps.

jas101

Bit of a late reply to this thread but there is a facebook page called 'beer minikegs' which features several breweries that sell them. Some sell online or you need to visit the breweries.

You can buy London Pride minicasks from the brewery shop or online, Hopback Brewery deliver 'Summer Lightning' and Adnams have a range of minicasks with free delivery if you spend over £50.

Hope that helps!