If you’ve been around beer, you’ve seen a beer keg. They are the heavy, clunky metal dispensers that many of us have come to love. But here at The Perfectly Happy Man, we’re also interested in new technologies, products, and practices that are bettering the beer industry. I recently caught up with Andy Halcarz, who is a Business Development Manager at Scholle Packaging in Northlake, IL. We’d heard about this crazy new beer keg and Andy got one for us to check out … awesome! Be sure to visit www.keykeg.com to learn more about this awesome new recyclable keg. Here’s some of what we chatted about:

PHM: First off … thanks for hooking us up with a KeyKeg. And filled with BrewDog Punk IPA no less! Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?

AH: I’m from Highland, Indiana … southeast of Chicago. Grew up about 2 miles from where the 3 Floyds Brewery is today. I have an MBA from Purdue, and through a convoluted series of events I have wound up working in beer packaging. I am a Business Development Manager for Scholle Packaging, manufacturer of flexible packaging for things like soft drink concentrate (for fountain beverages), wine (wine in a box!), and many other things. Part of my job is figuring out what new products we should make, part of it is project management, and part of it is generating interest for a new product with customers. The glamorous part of my job has got me covered in beer. Currently I’m working to expand the customer base for KeyKegs in North America. I spend a lot of time working with brewers, wineries, beer distributors, beer importers, and even some bars and restaurants.

PHM: Sounds like work a lot of us would enjoy doing. Have you always been into beer?

AH: The KeyKeg keeps me involved with beer on a daily basis, and I just bought a kegerator. My refrigerator generally contains more beer than food, so I would say I enjoy it. The variety of great quality beers available today keeps me interested. The great care needed to brew beer and the creativity of the brewers keeps me trying new and different beers. I really had to think about what my first beer was, but it came back to me: Icehouse. It wasn’t long after I turned 21 that I began to expand my horizons beyond the mainstay brands to crafts and imports. It’s really tough to choose a favorite. Troubadour Blonde is a recent one that’s made it into my all-time favorites. Some mainstays I have are New Belgium Fat Tire, Left Hand Sawtooth Ale, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, and Goose Island 312.

PHM: How would you describe the kegging industry before KeyKeg came along?

AH: I’d call it stable. Steel kegs have been the mainstay of draft beer for over 50 years. Steel kegs go to bars and liquor stores and are returned, sterilized, and filled again. Since steel kegs are expensive and scrap metal can be lucrative, deposits are needed to make sure kegs are returned to their original owners. The Wall Street Journal published an article a couple of years ago that $50 million worth of steel kegs are lost or stolen in the US each year. The number of great draft beers coming into the US from Europe was also limited by this system; conversely, the number of great draft beers going to Europe from the US is still limited.

PHM: Stolen beer kegs? We didn’t do it! But seriously … KeyKeg is here as a legitimate solution to many of the existing problems facing the kegging industry. What’s the process once the keg itself is made?

AH: Once the KeyKeg is manufactured, it is shipped to a brewery. The brewery fills the KeyKeg with beer and sells it. The KeyKeg is sent off to serve great beer to willing drinkers, and never returns. It can be recycled, but I have seen creative people make the plastic globe into something artistic. There is no deposit needed since it does not need to be returned.

PHM: Do you think KeyKeg represents cultural values? Wait … let’s take that one further: how do you think KeyKeg is relevant to a new wave of brewers, pub owners and beer lovers?

AH: Without a doubt, KeyKeg represents beer culture. Beer is in one respect very traditional, based on processes from ages ago. In another sense, beer is always progressing: new beers are always being brewed, more efficient equipment and processes are always being developed, beer drinkers’ tastes are always changing, restaurants based upon a wide selection of beers are springing up and enjoying success. The KeyKeg is a direct result of these values. In the traditional sense, the KeyKeg still uses metal to protect beer, in the form of a foil bag, and keeps beer fresh equal to or better than a steel keg does. In the progressive sense, the KeyKeg is based on years of technological developments and was developed specifically to improve the quality of draft beer and send different beers to places they could not efficiently go to before. The American beer drinker in particular is becoming more educated and demanding high-quality beer. This is precisely why European brewers have found success sending their beer in KeyKegs to the US. The new wave of brewers do a fantastic job of innovating while still respecting the traditions of brewing, and the quality of beer. This makes the KeyKeg an excellent fit for the new wave.

PHM: Okay, so we’re Chicago natives here at The Perfectly Happy Man. Where can you find KeyKegs in use in Chicago? How about the rest of the country and world at large?

AH: Beer in KeyKeg can be found all over Chicago. Some of the bars and restaurants that jump to mind are Brasserie Jo, The Publican, and the Map Room, but there are many more. Another notable location is my kegerator. I just tapped a KeyKeg of La Trappe Witte this weekend. West Lakeview Liquors has a fine keg list, and they will special order just about anything that is available, so those looking for a KeyKeg full of beer can find one there. Beer in KeyKegs can be found around the world. Europe in particular is full of KeyKegs. The US and Canada are getting more and more KeyKegs full of European beers everyday. KeyKegs can be found in Japan, China, and Russia as well.

PHM: What kinds of beers/companies are using KeyKeg?

AH: This is an interesting question. There are more than 100 brewers using KeyKegs today, and they are quite diverse. There is a B2B website we have that allows brewers to make public their use of KeyKeg. You will find a listing for the world’s oldest brewery, Weihenstephan (the state owned brewery of Bavaria). I don’t know what better compliment there is for the KeyKeg than that! You will also find a listing for Uncommon Brewers, a newer brewery in Santa Cruz. They only use KeyKegs for their draft beer. All kinds of different brewers use KeyKegs, but they have been especially popular with craft brewers looking to expand their draft business.

PHM: Okay … we are dying to know. Are there plans to make KeyKegs available to consumers?

AH: This question comes up pretty frequently. Places like West Lakeview Liquors will special order beers that are available in KeyKegs, but the wider availability of them depends on which brewers use them and which beers distributors carry. I guess that’s my job, isn’t it? I know when I first saw the KeyKeg, I immediately thought of the pain it is to pick up a keg from the liquor store for a party, and then bringing it back to get the keg deposit back. Plus, if you use a hand pump, the beer is oxidized in less than a day. One person can pick up a KeyKeg full of beer, and if you don’t finish it, the beer will still be good next week, even with a hand pump! Beyond that, who knows? Maybe we will be selling them to home brewers someday as well?

PHM: Well, we will eagerly be awaiting that day! What can average beer enthusiasts do to help promote KeyKeg?

AH: The biggest thing an average beer drinker can do is to demand great draft beer. Keep trying new and different beers. Keep up the trend of beer enthusiasts becoming more educated. If a beer is not served properly, you should not have to drink it! These things naturally create “pull” for the KeyKeg. Beer enthusiasts demanding great draft beer brought KeyKegs here in the first place. Try some of the beers packed in KeyKeg. Beyond that, special order a beer packaged in a KeyKeg from a liquor store for your kegerator or party. Try it out, and see how easy it is, and give your feedback, good or bad to the liquor store, and to me if you like.

PHM: Well Andy … thanks much for getting us a KeyKeg and answering some questions. Cheers and good luck to you and your biz! We’ll definitely be looking for and asking about KeyKegs at our favorite pubs.

AH: Thanks!