Kegerators save you very little money

[reboot]

With hopes of saving money as the big driver for building my kegerator. The savings just dont add up.

Here are the numbers:

$46.00 Cost of 1/4 barrel of domestic beer (Miller Lite).
$7.47 for 12 pack miller lite (on sale Kroger)


I crunch the numbers like this:
82 beers at $44.00/quarter barrel cost of $0.54 per beer.
12 beers at $7.47 has cost of $0.62 per beer.

So, I am only saving $0.08 per beer or about 13%.

So having spent $400.00+ for the kegerator Conversion I will have to drink 5000 beers to pay for the investment.
That is about 2.5 years of beer drinking (at 1/2 barrel per month) just to pay for the kegerator.

The bottom line is....you save about $13.00 per month starting after 2.5 years of use. This does not take into account the additional Utility costs! You may want to think twice before investing! Mileage may very.

[Ypsibeerguy]

Who's filling their kegerator with Miller lite? crap.........

What's your point?

I think it's the convenience of having fresh, good, beer on tap at your whim. I don't think the argument here is "cost savings"

[neiu77]

First, why would anyone build a BEER dispenser to dispense WATER??

Second, what's the issue with drinking 5,000 beers??

Just wondering.....

[snow-ape]

Resists urge to comment on beer of choice...
Nice post, Have a great day!!

[reboot]

I knew this thread would get you guys fired up.

I drink Light Lagars (Miller or Bud) because I dont like using a Wheel Barrel to carry my Beer Gut around. A few less empty calories never hurt anyone.

If I had my choice I would drink Blue Moon or some other microbrew but cant afford the calories.

Lighten Up on the Light Domestic Lagars Please!

[mp_cs]

Most people keep a kegerator for the enjoyment and to have great draught beer at hand, as for the brand it is entirely personal preference. I prefer miller lite and thats my choice, some prefer more exotic blends, but thats why there are so many beers out there.

[bg44]

Every time I drink a beer I save .08 Cents? Man that great. That could shave days off my early retirement plan.

What about all the gas you’re saving driving to and from the beer store? And the cost of the cheese dip you buy on the way out of Kroger that you would have not bought had you not needed the sixer?

Well you may not be saving any money but you’re saving the environment, one beer at a time.

[AZGR]

You should buy 1/2 bbl kegs... even more $$ savings that way.

[klooless69]

First off you would drink less from a keg because you could pour as much as you would want to drink rather than opening a can or bottle. if you open a can or bottle you would have to drink the whole 12oz otherwise it would go bad. if you have a keg you could pour off maybe 5oz so there would be less chances of a beer gut and tap beer is always better

[kenb123]

Originally Posted by klooless69

First off you would drink less from a keg because you could pour as much as you would want to drink rather than opening a can or bottle. if you open a can or bottle you would have to drink the whole 12oz otherwise it would go bad. if you have a keg you could pour off maybe 5oz so there would be less chances of a beer gut and tap beer is always better

My wife and I used that Philosophy of "Hey we can just have a half glass instead of a full glass when we feel like it" - the problem is it's SO convenient that we always end up with 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 glasses instead of the one.

But I don't believe anyone's motivation for buying a kegerator is saving money, it purely is the convenience of always having ice cold beer a tap pull away.

I think if you home brew you might save a few bucks.

[Joe Bagadonuts]

Originally Posted by reboot

I knew this thread would get you guys fired up.

I drink Light Lagars (Miller or Bud) because I dont like using a Wheel Barrel to carry my Beer Gut around. A few less empty calories never hurt anyone.

If I had my choice I would drink Blue Moon or some other microbrew but cant afford the calories.

Lighten Up on the Light Domestic Lagars Please!

75 calorie difference between a 12 oz serving of Miller Lite and Blue Moon, according to:
Calories in Miller Brewing Company - Miller Lite (Miller Lite)
Calories in Coors - Blue Moon (Blue Moon)

And from the Yuengling Website, the regular Lager is 150 cal per 12 oz serving, so only 54 saved calories w/ the M-Lite.
Yuengling Frequently Asked Questions - America's Oldest Brewery

For me personally, the calorie savings in lite beer isn't worth it -- I'd rather just deal with the extra 50 to even 100+ calories per what I think is better tasting beers, but everyone should drink what they like as they like.

I'm just finishing up my freezer-conversion kegerator because I love the idea of cold beer on tap at home and am looking forward to the reduction of empty bottles/cans I'll have to deal with on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.

[cubby_swans]

To each his own for what you like to drink. You'll never pay for a keg tapping the big three's macro lagers. I like Bud, but I'll never buy a keg of it, because it's practically the same price as cans, or even bottles when on sale. We keep Miller Lite in the fridge depending on what's on tap. I have Founder's Centennial IPA on tap right now. It's a damn fine beer but you can't sit there and pound one after the other on a weekend bender without getting way to crooked way too fast. I'll have two of those and grab a Miller Lite before heading back to the keg.

Anywho...

My go to keg has been Boulevard Wheat. I can drink those all night and not need to switch. Typically $12 a 12pack in my neck of the woods. A keg is $120. So a buck a beer per bottle vs 73 cents a beer in the keg. That's 27 cents saved per beer. $45 per keg. Plus I don't have a trip to the store every day, plus I don't have those 165 bottles sitting in a landfill somewhere.

The Founders IPA cost me $185. $1.12 a beer. It's $9 a 6 pack. Which is $1.50 a beer. So that's a 38 cents a beer, or a $62.70 savings on one keg.

I've actually kept a spread sheet of how much I've spent vs how much I've 'saved'. I bought my Kegerator in November of '07. My kegerator cost, including co2 fills, modifications, etc, has been $565. My savings so far, as far as what bottled beer would have cost vs the keg beer cost has been $494.60.

So by the time my kegerator is a whopping 1 year old, it will have paid for itself.


The cost was never the reason for buying it in the first place, however. I just wanted it. The cost savings factor helped me get the idea past the spousal financial committee.

[Sammy1759]

Dont forget the best part is the "cool factor" of having a keg in your house! You now have become the beer guy among all your friends.

[bard]

Not that I did it to save money, but my results are different.

12 pk Shiner Bock = $9.99 = $0.83/12oz
1/2 barrel = $96.00 = $0.58/12oz for ~30% savings.

I guess if you want to make the break even point sooner, you'll need to drink better beer or at a faster rate

[jumper]

Sam Adam's Summer Ale

.86 per 12oz in the keg

1.20 per 12oz in the bottle


Is that savings worth the fridge? Maybe, depending on how fast I go through it. I typically make money because people come over and toss me a $10 and drink maybe 4 beers. I bought my current setup because I prefer draft beer over bottle, plain and simple.

Most of us on this site also make beer and keg it. I don't see a point in insulting anyone on their taste in beer since taste is mostly opinion... I can enjoy a Bud when I'm out with my friends just as easily as I enjoy a Bass or Shiner beer. But... like was mentioned above, you're not going to save that much money by drinking top 3 macro brews.

[psychodad]

The only way my kegerator could have been a better use of money was if I built it instead of buying one.

[WTF Over]

OK, so I am the new guy on this forum…gotta start posting somewhere. I would like to say thanks to all of you that have posted your conversion pictures, plans, and ideas on here. It has been a great help. I drink Guinness, and we all know it is crap from anything but a keg. I started this project with a donated keg tap and 6” shank. I bought a used fridge from craigs list and was all set to convert it. Then I did some research and found this site. So, I bought a 7 cu foot freezer and had to reorder a new setup.
Here in South Eastern NC Guinness is not hugely popular. There is one place in my town that has it on tap, $6.00 a pint. My research showed that there are 105 pints in a ½ barrel; $635 is a lot of money. The keg cost me $46 and the Guinness in it was $150, but now I own the keg shell and don’t have to worry about deposits. I had to but my “beer gas” cylinder from the only place that carried the blend I needed and that was $140 plus $23 for the gas in it. I guess I am in the $700-$800 range for my conversion now and still need a few things for aesthetics. I figured I want the beer close so it’s going in the kitchen, and it might as well be something good to look at. I will post some pictures when I get it all completed.
Even if it wasn’t for the “cool factor” of having a kegerator, I figure if it saved me from walking home one night it is worth it. I can enjoy my favorite beer in my house and stumble to my bed worry free; except for running out of beer and having to order a new keg that takes two days to come in. I should only have to drink a keg and a half to pay it all off. I will keep you posted.

[tappa kegga bud]

Cost savings or none, the only thing I'd do different is get my keg system set up sooner!! The main thing for me is easier cleanup after friends coming over (one dishwasher load vs. cans and bottles everywhere) and if I stay home and drink, there's no way I end up with a tab full of $6 shots for me and everyone else at the bar. Also, my tap closes when i say so, not some bouncer and there's no cab ride $ or potential DWI ($$$) if I'm already home. Plus I control the music, and if I have a date we're only steps from my bedroom. I think you'd be hard pressed to find many folks on this forum that are anti-kegerator, especially from a relative cost perspective. Just my 2 cents, happy drinking everyone!

[AZGR]

Another thought.... If you drink more beer, your savings will increase faster..

[lunkhead]

Here in michigan we have a can and bottle deposit law so taking the cans back was a real pia for my wife. She had seen an ad in the paper for the danby kegerator and said why don't we get that. So the hassle of bottle returns is gone plus it's cheaper by the half barrel and it just plain tastes better.

[40percentrobot]

The main reason I pulled the trigger on getting the kegerator was the cost savings. It just made sense for me.

I pay $100.00 per half barrel, and even if it only lasts 3 weeks, I am still coming out ahead - that's about $34 per week vs. approximately $80 or so per week buying cans/bottles (of Bud Light - I have a personal grudge against my liver and Bud Light is the most cost-effective and palatable way to destroy it. Plus I kinda like it.)

The math in my part of the country works out thusly:

1/2 barrel : 100.00
165 12oz beers = approx. 61 cents per beer

12 pack BL : 11.00 (or so)
12 12oz beers = approx. 92 cents per beer

Add to that the fact that I buy my smokes in cartons now since I don't have to stop at the store on the way home from work, and I'm saving money.

Technically.

[Zanpa]

In Japan the numbers are different.

1/2 Barrel of Miller Light: $75 = $.45 per 12ounce
1 each 12 ounce Miller light: $6

Thats a $915 dollar savings per keg not including gas (one bottle lasts me 7 kegs) or electric costs. The kegerator paid for itself quickly.