WH4 hash 1135 -- July 9, 2007 -- 6:30 pm -- U Street Metro

Today's lesson is on kegs. Many of us deal with these wonderful items on a daily basis and never think twice about how remarkable they are. For your edutainment, here are some keg fun facts!

• What we typically call a "full keg" is in fact a half barrel of beer. A U.S. beer barrel is defined as 31 gallons. What your lovely brew crewers buy each week is a 15.5 gallon keg.
• A half-barrel keg is equivalent to 6.88 cases of 12 oz cans, and can weigh 140-170 lbs, depending on the kind of beer and what kind of metal was used to make the keg.
• Hand pumps use outside air to pressurize the keg, which allows microbes in the air to come in contact with the beer, the result of which is that beer dispensed with party pumps will only stay fresh for about 48 ours. CO2 systems keep the beer fresh for up to 120 days. Fortunately, the hash doesn't often come up against these constraints.
• An interesting game called "Keg Race" is played by competing teams who race to finish a keg without turning off the faucet.
• Replacement costs of a keg is about $150. Depending on the metal used in construction, a keg can fetch $15 to $50 at a scrap yard. Makes that $10 deposit seem charitable, doesn't it? Keg thefts have increased in recent months as scrap metal costs have gone up.
• Here is a cool photo of a keg that's been cut open.