How to Chill a Root Beer Keg

The colder the root beer, the better! Sometimes you can get a cold root beer keg, but sometimes it’ll be warm by the time you get it home. You can safely store most kegs of root beer at room temperature for weeks. The shelf life for most commercial brands is 6 months to a year, but that obviously depends on when the keg was filled, and some craft soda companies use fewer or no artificial preservatives, so that could reduce the keg’s life also).

Be sure to chill the keg well before your event. Put the keg in a fridge (if possible) or get a tub large enough to fit the keg. Put ice in the bottom, insert keg, and pack the remainder of space with more ice and then some water. Water makes a big difference because water conducts heat much faster than air. Note: The more surface area of the keg exposed to the ice water the better!

We recommend planning several hours to chill the keg in advance. If no suitable tub is handy, large trash cans, keg insulator bags, and reportedly even a bathtub will do the trick! Or if it’s the winter, just put it on the porch (Note: DO NOT let your keg freeze!). If you are a college student, campus dining halls will sometimes provide free ice or even chill kegs for you.