Exporting Your Beer Globally

The Opportunity

American beer continues to become increasingly beloved internationally. The U.S., of course, isn’t alone in its affinity for beer, nor is it spearheading the craft movement by itself. From the U.K. to China to Brazil, people across the world are searching for the best microbrews out there. And just as many lager lovers in the U.S. are looking to access more international brews, the demand for American beer abroad is growing. But finding the most worry-free, cost-effective and dependable way to send your beer to distant retailers, bars or brewpubs can be challenging when you want to expand your customer reach across states and borders.

What Are My Options?

Let’s be real here, kegs are expensive. The chances of having that puppy ‘misplaced’ overseas is a real concern. It’d be too costly (and risky) to send and retrieve your own kegs abroad without losing money to make it not worth it. Let’s not forget you’d have to retrofit your kegs to other valve types for the foreign market. But that shouldn’t stop you from finding a way to all that opportunity. So what are the alternatives?

One-Way Plastic Kegs
One-Way Plastic kegs seem like a good option to consider. It would solve the issue of having to make sure your kegs are returned and aren't stolen. They also aim to be a sustainable option that reduces the carbon footprint and energy costs; Bonus. Unfortunately, “recyclable” plastic kegs rarely get recycled. More often than not, the proper disposal method isn’t always followed (do you really think everyone properly disposes of those AA batteries). Even when plastic kegs are retrieved properly, there’s a major flaw in the way plastic gets recycled around the world.[1]

Let’s also not forget that one-way is also one-use, unlike traditional kegs. That’s a lot of waste, which makes them even less appealing to seriously consider as a true option.

Keg Rentals
Renting kegs is the other option. We know what you might be thinking… the liability is still there. And even if you did rent kegs, most companies would never allow you to ship it to another country. We feel your pain. In fact, at International Keg, we’ve gone to great lengths to rock the boat in this area.

International Keg offers stainless steel fit-for-use SmartKeg™ rentals that are both “one-way” and “pay-per-fill”. Meaning your brewery can send your beer anywhere in the world using our RFID trackable SmartKeg™ with zero liability, and without ever having to recover any kegs. You pay for the use, scan it, send it on its way and you’re done. If you need more kegs, you just repeat the process. No crazy contracts that limit your business potential or waiting to have them returned to you before you can use them again.

It also turns out to be more environmentally friendly than you can imagine. Stainless steel is 100% recyclable (because of its reusable value across industries, it actually gets recycled). Moreover, they can be reused repeatedly as you’d expect. And because of our global operations, once a keg is sent to the other side of the world, we have another customer there that wants to do the same. Remarkable. So why think micro when you can go global?

Keg Sizes

Something to seriously consider beyond renting kegs is the best size to distribute and export your beer. We’d like to offer a solution here as well.

Unlike other Keg Rental companies, we're the only Keg Management service to ship ⅙ bbl kegs abroad, which can be adapted to fit any fill line. Even those that have specialty or odd size keg requirements can use an adapter produced exclusively for us by one of our premier Europen keg manufacturers. And with a number of European Labor Laws imposing restrictions on certain weight handling (50L requires two people to lift and handle) in more and more countries, ⅙ bbl kegs are the optimum import/export weight and size.

Think about it, your beer can be in more international taprooms, with people demanding more choices. A smaller keg size is a win-win for you and the establishments, allowing them to fit more beer on tap, including yours. Don’t let the wrong size keg stop you from selling your beer.

At International Keg, we’re all about growth and have ⅙ bbl kegs ready to go, at a discounted rate, while supplies last. Contact us to get your beer across borders with our ⅙ bbl kegs!

We helped a pretty well-known Icelandic brewery confidently bringing their draft brew to new markets throughout the U.S. and Europe to grow their business. Allow us to do the same for you--who knows, we might end up saving the day for your brewery, too.

International Keg delivers what you need, when you need it, every time. We are the only keg rental company in the world who guarantees “Fit-For-Use” quality for our services, and we hold ourselves to this standard because we respect you, your business and your brew.