is it cheaper to buy cans or a keg

My wife and I throw a party every Memorial Day weekend. We supply our guests with choices of soft and alcoholic beverages including beer. During party planning, each year my wife and I discuss whether to buy cases of canned beer or a keg. The perception is getting a keg is similar to buying in bulk, therefore it’s cheaper. But is keg or canned beer cheaper?

I decided to break down the math and compare the cost of a keg of domestic light beer to buying the same beer in cans.

A standard keg contains 15.5 gallons, or 1,984 ounces. A case of Budweiser contains twenty-four 12oz. cans (288 total ounces) and costs about $23. To get the same volume by ounce as a standard keg, you would need to buy seven cases of Budweiser for about $160 – resulting in over $55 in savings per keg.

Keg Beer (16 Gallon)

• 16 Gallons x 128oz per gallon = 2048 ounces of beer
• $252 for the Keg (including deposit, tap and keg cost) / 2048 ounces of beer = about $0.123 per ounce

But, we also have to take into account the stack of 300 cups I purchased ($19 at Sam’s Club), and the ice I purchased to keep the keg cold (4 bags of 20 pounds of ice at $3.09 at Costco = $12.36). After taking these factors into account, the cost of keg beer looks like this:

• $252 for the keg + $19 for cups + $12.36 for Ice = $283.36
• $283.36 / 2048 ounces = $0.138 per ounce

• 24 Cans x 12oz per can = 288 ounces of beer
• $20.37 per case (on sale) / 288 ounces of beer = $0.070 per ounce

We also have to take into account that I’d likely put ice into coolers since I have to keep the cans of beer cold as well. If we assume using the same amount of ice, and that we’d need 7 cases of beer (it’s actually 7.1 cases) to equal the keg, our cost for canned beer looks like this:

• 7 cases of beer x $20.37 per case + $12.36 for Ice = $154.95
• $154.95 / 2016 ounces = $0.076 per ounce

4.594 cases of beer or 165 cans x $22 per case + $5.92 for Ice = $106.75 for 165 Cans

Four different stores were selected to give the best prices possible on the products reviewed above. TotalWine has the cheapest Keg Tap Rentals and can save you $40.00 per keg tap versus Bevmo. Bevmo has cheaper Keg prices versus TotalWine. Costco has cheap 36 pack of Coors Light beers compared to most other sellers. Winco & Grocery Outlet have the cheapest Ice prices at $1.48 per 10 pound bag.

But, we also have to take into account the 165 cups one might purchase ($10.62 at Bevmo), and the ice one would purchase to keep the keg cold (4 bags at 10 pounds at a cost of $5.00 each = $20.00).

While canned beer isnt the classiest way to consume beer these days it definitely is the cheapest form one can buy. Beer snobs would prefer the proper glassware associated with the beer they consume. I have yet to encounter a beer snob or a regular beer consumer to complain about a bottle to sip out of. Venues might request all bottled beer to be poured into cups for security issues. This mostly has to do with their insurance policies and the liability it can expose them to. Also, security guards get uneasy with glass bottles as they can very easily be used as a weapon that causes great harm. I hope you enjoyed this small piece on Beer Comparisons. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me directly via email at [email protected]

When it comes to Kegs vs Bottled Beer many customers assume buying in bulk is cheaper. Many also overlook the total costs involved with such purchases. For instance, when an individual purchases a keg they normally dont factor in the total cost of the keg such as the keg tap ($42.00), bucket rental ($20.00), ice ($20.00) and cups ($10.62) until after the purchase when its too late.

Is a KEGERATOR worth it?

FAQ

Are kegs cheaper than cans?

Do you save money buying kegs?

How many cans equal a keg of beer?

Is draft beer cheaper than canned beer?

Is a keg of beer better than a can?

Clever Dude did the math and compared the cost of a standard keg of “domestic light beer” with that of a the same amount of canned beer. The keg resulted in a per ounce saving of only .001 cent per ounce. However, when you figure in the cost of the cups needed to serve that beer, that’s the tipping point and the cans are a better value.

How much does a beer keg cost?

Let’s say the keg costs $129; when that is divided by 1,984 ounces of beer, you end up paying $0.065 per ounce. However, you must consider the 165 cups you might need to purchase, at the cost of $10.62. You will also need to buy some ice to keep your keg cold. Thus, you will need to pay $5.92 for every four 10-pound bags.

Should you buy a keg of beer?

If you buy canned beer the leftovers can easily be stored for later use. However, you will need coolers or a large container of some sort to fill with ice to keep it cold. The cost of having a 16-gallon keg is actually slightly more than canned beer if you can find it on sale. Buying an 8-gallon keg is much more expensive.

How much does an 8 gallon keg cost?

Unfortunately, even though an 8-gallon keg is half the size of its 16-gallon counterpart, it is not half the cost. While a 16-gallon keg of domestic light beer costs $110, the 8-gallon version will set you back $80. Assuming you’d need to buy the same package of cups, but only half the ice the cost breakdown is as follows: