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The Ultimate Reusable Container

When a keg gets damaged and can no longer perform its primary function, many are rerouted to a Green Bay, Wisconsin, facility where they are repaired and made to look just like new.

John Holl Nov 8, 2018 - 8 min read

The Ultimate Reusable Container Primary Image

Photo Courtesy of MicroStar

If you spend time on social media, you might remember a while back when a news-helicopter video of a truck that had spilled empty kegs all over a Pennsylvania highway filled your newsfeed. No one was seriously injured in the crash. Some folks made jokes, others offered sympathy, and sharp-eyed viewers couldn’t help but notice the bold capital M followed by a blue star on what looked to be primarily sixtels.

In his office in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Ryan Gerczak, the plant manager for MicroStar Quality Services, watched the video and remarked to a colleague, “I’m assuming these are headed our way.”

Time Out for TLC

Kegs, no matter the size, are built to take a beating. They are tossed, rolled, pushed, pulled, and jostled around while being shuttled among breweries, distributor warehouses, and bars and restaurants, and then back again. As you’d expect, from time to time, a keg gets so beat up that it needs to be pulled out of rotation and given some TLC.

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John Holl is the author of Drink Beer, Think Beer: Getting to the Bottom of Every Pint, and has worked for both Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine® and All About Beer Magazine.

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