How Many Servings Are in a Keg of Beer?

If you're planning a party and want to serve beer, a keg may be the way to go. Per ounce draft beer from a keg is more economical than bottled or canned beer. There are different sizes of kegs to suit different occasions, so knowing how many servings are in a keg is of paramount importance when planning your party. When you go to the store or beverage distributor to get the keg, it's best to have some knowledge of what type keg you want. A deposit is usually required on the keg itself to make sure it is returned after it is empty.

There are three main sizes of beer kegs used in bars and sold or rented in stores. They are technically known as the half barrel, the quarter barrel and the sixth barrel keg. These kegs are reusable and are usually owned by a beverage distributor or brewery who will clean and refill them when they are returned. Oftentimes these kegs are referred to in writing on pricing labels or in catalogs as the 1/2 keg, the 1/4 keg and the 1/6 keg.

A half barrel keg is also called a "full keg" because it is the largest keg size available on the market. A quarter barrel keg is often referred to as a "pony keg" because it looks like a smaller version of a full keg. A sixth barrel keg is known a "torpedo keg" because of its long cylindrical shape. These names are frequently used by people in the beverage distribution industry and their clients.

Though it's slightly confusing that a full-size keg is referred to as a 1/2 and so forth, there's a simple explanation for the use of fractions. By definition, a keg is a container that is smaller than a barrel. In the U.S. a legal beer barrel is defined as 31 gallons. A 1/2 keg, the largest available, contains 15.5 gallons. A barrel is used for storing beer, while a keg is defined as a container used for storing and serving beer.

For a determining how many servings are in a keg, we will use the standard serving size that most bars use: a pint, which is 16 ounces. A half barrel keg (1/2 keg, full keg) contains 124 16-oz. servings. A quarter barrel keg (1/4 keg, pony keg) contains 62 pints and a sixth barrel keg (1/6 keg, torpedo keg) contains 42 servings.

The serving sizes given in the Section 4 are for true liquid ounces. A consideration when pouring beer from a keg is how much foam, or head, you want per serving. If there is a desire for more head on top of the beer, it would mean less true liquid ounces per serving to allow for the foam. According to beverage equipment supply company KegMan (see Resources), a full half barrel keg with a 1/2-inch head on top would yield 143 servings in a 16-oz. glass. For a 1-inch head of foam it would yield 164 servings.