Tips on Keeping Your Keg Cold During Parties

There is an age-old question that man has been asking himself ever since he discovered that the combination of barley, malt, hops and water makes a delicious brew and that question is: "How do I keep it cold?"

The short answer is: "Ice".

The thought of adding ice to beer will send shivers up the spine of any beer drinker. It just isn't done! Any beer drinker knows that the mix must not be disturbed. Barkeeps keep their kegs refrigerated. Folks who want to enjoy a cold beer at home chill glasses and refrigerate cans and bottles at just the right temperature. But what about the poor fellow who wants to have a party and share a fine beer with friends but cans and bottles just won't do? There are just some special occasions that call for beer on tap. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford a refrigerator specially built to accommodate a keg.

In those cases, one must become creative. There are several methods available for keeping a keg cold during a party. Every one of them involves a great deal of ice. (You could certainly consider emptying your refrigerator to accommodate your keg, but chances are that your refrigerator will be kept open during the entire party and your beer will be kept less than cool.) The obvious choice is packing your precious keg in ice, and lots of it!

How you pack your keg in ice depends upon the formality of your party.

The ultra casual host will simply fill a large garbage can (preferably a clean one) halfway with ice cubes, insert the keg so that it sits comfortably on the ice and then cover the keg completely with ice. This method will keep a keg cold for many hours, but you'll want to insure that you have plenty of extra ice in a freezer nearby in case your guests drinking soft and mixed drinks steal your keg ice for their drinks. If kept indoors, the garbage can filled with ice will inevitably sweat, so you should be sure to place something underneath it to catch the condensation and protect your floors.

The practical host will place the keg in a bathtub and then fill the tub with ice. This is a fine method of chilling a keg for casual parties, provided you have more than one bathroom available for your guests to use! This method makes for easy disposal of the gallons of water that are inevitably created by so many melting ice cubes and completely eliminates worry over condensation.

For a more upscale event, you might invest in a large, attractive, copper tub to hold your keg and ice. This is an excellent method of chilling a keg for outdoor barbeques and patio parties. If used indoors, you'll want to protect your floors from the condensation which will certainly develop.

You may be wondering what the least expensive method of keeping your party keg cold is. Well, here it is: kick the kids out of that little turtle pool and fill that bad boy with ice! Make your keg comfortable in the kids' pool and use the extra icy space for all those juice boxes and cans of soda pop so you can keep your designated drivers and those tea totaling guests from getting too parched.

Whatever you do, always remember that cold beer should never be allowed to warm and warm beer, once chilled must remain chilled or be lost. So respect your keg, keep it comfortable and cold and always remember to drink responsibly.