Easy Method to Measure the amount of beer remaining?

[BeerRules]

Hi:

Is there an easy way to measure the amount of beer left in a 1/6 barrel? I don't have a scale at home so weighing the keg is not an option. With the weekend approaching I don't want to run the risk of running out of draft beer and being forced to drink -gasp! canned or bottled beer.

Thank you in advance.

Thanks!

[Duff Beer]

This is what I do:
I have a cup of coins on top of the kegerator.
It holds X number of coins equal to the number of pints in the keg.
Every time I draw a pint I remove a coin.
I set the coin on top of the kegerator.
The next day, I can see how much I drank last night. It is easy to lose count after 5 or 6 pints.
These coins the go into the "already been drank" cup.
I can then count the coins in the "not yet drunk" cup & know how many pints are left.
And when you consider that there is usually a head on the pint of beer, when there are no more coins, I know there are at least a few more beers in the keg.

[TomK]

Are you married, Duff? I'd be afraid the wife would shake that "already been drank" cup in my ear to wake me up every Saturday morning! I think it's better to just wait 'til the keg blows and then say something like, "Wow, that one didn't last very long, did it? How much did you drink, honey?"

[Duff Beer]

I just tell her it's a "donation jar" for when my drinking buddies come over to mooch my beer.

[TomK]

Hey, you have friends like mine! No chance of them throwing off the count by actually making a donation. I used to try to keep and count bottle caps to track my consumption. All I really learned was that I usually stopped counting somewhere around six.

[pvs6]

I like read outs, I was going to get a thin digital scale with a remote read out unit to set on top of kegerator. I found one for $150. It had a tar weight function to subract the empty weight of the keg thus reding only beer wieght, weight equals volume so would have been auccurate to a couple of ozs. But when I talk to their tech. people it turn out that it being electronic the opterating range was 45 to 90 F. Plan B very low tech but very accurate. When you think you're getting low open the door for a minute or 2, and you'll see exactly how much beer is left. The outside of the keg will sweat right up to the level of the beer inside and be dry above that.

[Jack Manstroke]

Another sloppy method is pour hot water down the side of the keg, youll notice that where the beer is will cool down alot faster then the empty space. Youll know how much is left in your keg but your floor will be wet

[BeerRules]

Originally Posted by pvs6

I like read outs, I was going to get a thin digital scale with a remote read out unit to set on top of kegerator. I found one for $150. It had a tar weight function to subract the empty weight of the keg thus reding only beer wieght, weight equals volume so would have been auccurate to a couple of ozs. But when I talk to their tech. people it turn out that it being electronic the opterating range was 45 to 90 F. Plan B very low tech but very accurate. When you think you're getting low open the door for a minute or 2, and you'll see exactly how much beer is left. The outside of the keg will sweat right up to the level of the beer inside and be dry above that.

I like the low tech version as well.

Thank you for your suggestion.

[Skinsfan1311]

After a couple of sixtels, you'll start to get an idea.

I always stick an emergency 12-pack in the kegerator when I tap sixtels.

[Scott Zuhse]

Has anyone attempted to use the Smartstrip? Wet a small towel with hot water, wring it out and then wipe the strip.

It will give you a temperature reading of the beer at the bottom of the keg as well. Uses liquid crystal technology. Same as an aquarium thermometer.

[TomK]

Originally Posted by Scott Zuhse

Has anyone attempted to use the Smartstrip? Wet a small towel with hot water, wring it out and then wipe the strip.

It will give you a temperature reading of the beer at the bottom of the keg as well. Uses liquid crystal technology. Same as an aquarium thermometer.

I have one on my keg now, but I haven't been able to get a really definitive answer from it. I wipe it down with hot water and it immediately comes back with pink squares from the bottom up to the point where I think the actual level is, but then there'll be some more pink squares somewhere above that level and some more above even that.

[cubby_swans]

For the smart strip, I think you have to hold the hot rag against it for more than just a swipe, so that it warms up the metal behind it.

I can't use the 'coin' method to count the beers, as I use different size glasses depending on what's clean and what I'm in the mood for. Sometimes it's a pint (16oz), sometimes a globe (12-14oz), sometimes a tulip (10oz).

I always have some good beer in bottles/cans on hand anyways, as I often drink off those as well as the keg.

[TomK]

Originally Posted by cubby_swans

For the smart strip, I think you have to hold the hot rag against it for more than just a swipe, so that it warms up the metal behind it.

It's a 2 ft long strip, so holding a wet rag against it wouldn't be very easy. But, I can try spending more time wiping it down with the hot water. I've tried wiping it several times in a row, but maybe not long enough to heat the metal. Thanks.

[jwhartline]

Originally Posted by BeerRules

With the weekend approaching I don't want to run the risk of running out of draft beer and being forced to drink -gasp! canned or bottled beer.

18 Days!!!!! 18 Days!!!!! I got my kegerator on 9/29/09 as an early birthday gift for myself. I purchased a 1/2 keg of Bud the day after receiving it, assembling it and firing it up. We celebrated my birthday last night with a few family and friends. Steaming hot crabs, shrimp, baked chicken........a nice spread! We started hitting the keg and everyone was impressed with how good the beer tasted. After everyone had finished their first and most were on their second...squirt-splat-squirt-splat!!! Lots of spitting foam!!! OMG, I'm out of beer!!!!! This was the embarrassing part. All of the hype of sharing the beer and to run out, terrible!! Everyone, including my wife, got a laugh at my expense!!!

The scary part is I've had the beer for 18 days and I'm the only person to have drank from the kegerator!!!! Prior to the kegerator I would have two beers with every meal and a couple extra during the weekend. But to have gone through 160 beers in two and a half weeks? I will say that I'm still struggling with the 3/4 glass of foam and assume it's due to not being able to get my tower cool enough and most of the foam has gone down the drain, but I never expected to have killed that keg so quickly. I will also say that I'm in between jobs and have been home the since getting the kegerator. I do start early, 12:01 PM, and don't stop until bedtime. I'm totally amazed at how easy it was to consume that keg in such a short time. I was more worried about finishing it before it went bad......so much for that!!!!

All that to say I do have the measuring strip on the side of my keg but I guess I better start using it and better start keeping track of how many beers I've consumed. I like the coin idea however the bar manager, aka wife, will be able to track my intake......not sure that's a good idea!!! Maybe I'll get one of those chrome counters you hold in your hand and hit the little button for each beer poured. If you do a google search for "Tally Counter, Hand Held, Chrome" you'll see what I'm talking about. I can keep it in my pocket or inside the kegerator. The wife wouldn't go in there.

Oh well, another one bites the dust. Off to the liqour store tomorrow for a new keg!!!

Jeff

[jtrainer]

I use the open the door and look at the sweat line.... Or when it kicks.

The solution is to home brew and keep a decent supply on hand. I try to maintain 3 beers on tap with at least 1-2 being ready. I then try to keep a keg or bottled batch in reserve.

18 days is quick for 1/2 barrel, or maybe not....

[Gregory Earl]

I use the smartstrip. Works for me.

[raptor131]

I must admit this is a very entertaining thread, I myself have tried the smartstrip, removed it and now i just tilt it and am pretty close to knowing when it will spit, another thing i have noticed is the slight change in flavor right before it spits

[freitagb]

I purchased a dry erase board at Target for about 5 bucks. It is magnetic and I put down the date it was tapped, temp, and PSI. I then place a checkmark for every beer that was poured. I then have an idea when the keg will kick. It is useful for 1/6 kegs. Hope this helps

[jsbrugg]

eBay has a handheld luggage scale as the deal of the day for 5.99 and free shipping. I'm going to pick one up so I can check on the kegs and my CO2 tank. Of course, I'll have to figure out how much the different size kegs weigh when empty, but I've already marked on my CO2 tank what its tare weight is.

[bkl63]

I generally have a 1/2 of Miller Lite, and 1/6 of something with another 1/6 backing it up, nice to be able to fit all that in a converted fridge. A couple weeks before a party I will do a lift test and finish off anything nearing empty. Doing that now with a 1/6 of Landshark for a party on Saturday to have a new full 1/6 ready to go. Wife is bugging me to have all 3 on line instead of just the two. May have to order another line to make it happen.

[atalanta]

Originally Posted by jsbrugg

eBay has a handheld luggage scale as the deal of the day for 5.99 and free shipping. I'm going to pick one up so I can check on the kegs and my CO2 tank. Of course, I'll have to figure out how much the different size kegs weigh when empty, but I've already marked on my CO2 tank what its tare weight is.

I don't think a handheld luggage scale would be strong enough for a keg.

We use the smartstrip. Get a rag with hot water (usually if I'm making tea) and wipe it on the strip a couple swipes to get the whole strip "warm" then where the beer is cools faster than the "non beer" area.

We also have a calendar next to the kegerator and write the date the keg is tapped. A 1/2bbl will run 18 to 21 days (with two of us drinking it), less if there's a holiday. So far a quarter runs a little over 2 weeks (we tapped one around Halloween and I replaced it just past monday) with one of us drinking it. A sixtal will last about a week with both of us drinking, though this year we have the dual tower so there will be a quarter on tap at the same time so it shouldn't go as fast.

[panthermark]

Originally Posted by freitagb

I purchased a dry erase board at Target for about 5 bucks. It is magnetic and I put down the date it was tapped, temp, and PSI. I then place a checkmark for every beer that was poured. I then have an idea when the keg will kick. It is useful for 1/6 kegs. Hope this helps

I have something similar to that. A magnatic "Chicago Bears" dry erase board (They were given out at a game I went to) placed on the freezer...right above the tap. I mark what beer is on tap and the date I tapped it.

I never thought about a check for each beer....that might look depressing....

[marzsit]

Originally Posted by jwhartline

18 Days!!!!! 18 Days!!!!! I got my kegerator on 9/29/09 as an early birthday gift for myself. I purchased a 1/2 keg of Bud the day after receiving it, assembling it and firing it up. We celebrated my birthday last night with a few family and friends. Steaming hot crabs, shrimp, baked chicken........a nice spread! We started hitting the keg and everyone was impressed with how good the beer tasted. After everyone had finished their first and most were on their second...squirt-splat-squirt-splat!!! Lots of spitting foam!!! OMG, I'm out of beer!!!!! This was the embarrassing part. All of the hype of sharing the beer and to run out, terrible!! Everyone, including my wife, got a laugh at my expense!!!

The scary part is I've had the beer for 18 days and I'm the only person to have drank from the kegerator!!!! Prior to the kegerator I would have two beers with every meal and a couple extra during the weekend. But to have gone through 160 beers in two and a half weeks? I will say that I'm still struggling with the 3/4 glass of foam and assume it's due to not being able to get my tower cool enough and most of the foam has gone down the drain, but I never expected to have killed that keg so quickly. I will also say that I'm in between jobs and have been home the since getting the kegerator. I do start early, 12:01 PM, and don't stop until bedtime. I'm totally amazed at how easy it was to consume that keg in such a short time. I was more worried about finishing it before it went bad......so much for that!!!!

All that to say I do have the measuring strip on the side of my keg but I guess I better start using it and better start keeping track of how many beers I've consumed. I like the coin idea however the bar manager, aka wife, will be able to track my intake......not sure that's a good idea!!! Maybe I'll get one of those chrome counters you hold in your hand and hit the little button for each beer poured. If you do a google search for "Tally Counter, Hand Held, Chrome" you'll see what I'm talking about. I can keep it in my pocket or inside the kegerator. The wife wouldn't go in there.

Oh well, another one bites the dust. Off to the liqour store tomorrow for a new keg!!!

Jeff

i killed a 1/2 barrel once in 16 days by myself, it's not hard to do when it's 80-90 degrees outside for 3 weeks straight and you don't have air conditioning....

when i first started having beer on tap at home, the ugly-looking kegerator was out in the garage so i would fill a pitcher and bring that into the house.. i discovered that using a pitcher would make me drink more than i wanted, because of the threat of the beer getting warm/flat and the fear of waste.. now, the decent-looking keezer is in the living room and i pour pints one at a time. generally a 1/2 barrel lasts me 27-32 days now. i use a tally counter to count pints, which works out well.

[Gregory Earl]

27 to 32 days is about right for me too. My last 3 kegs have been in the 27 to 30 day range.

[slomo007]

Originally Posted by atalanta

I don't think a handheld luggage scale would be strong enough for a keg.

We use the smartstrip. Get a rag with hot water (usually if I'm making tea) and wipe it on the strip a couple swipes to get the whole strip "warm" then where the beer is cools faster than the "non beer" area.

We also have a calendar next to the kegerator and write the date the keg is tapped. A 1/2bbl will run 18 to 21 days (with two of us drinking it), less if there's a holiday. So far a quarter runs a little over 2 weeks (we tapped one around Halloween and I replaced it just past monday) with one of us drinking it. A sixtal will last about a week with both of us drinking, though this year we have the dual tower so there will be a quarter on tap at the same time so it shouldn't go as fast.

I bought the referenced luggage scale and it does hold a keg very well, well a nearly empty one anyway.

I then built a spreadsheet which allows me to enter the measured weight of the keg (10 ft beer line so I don't even have to untap it) and it tells me the ounces remaining in the keg. I just finished a keg and it was within about 50 ounces of being correct (thought there was more), but still very close and a good way to estimate. I will continue tweaking the spreadsheet and eventually I think I'll get it pinpointed.

[panthermark]

I just ordered a smartstrip....so we will see...

Since I will use mostly sixtels and cornys...it is pretty easy for me to lift them up....