Michigan triples deposit on beer kegs

Kegs are expensive. Breweries pay lots of money for their cooperage. It has never made sense to me that we can charge only a $10 or $20 deposit on a piece of equipment that costs up to fifteen times that amount to replace. Retailers and consumers might not like it, but I think Michigan's action is a step in the right direction. Besides, paying a larger deposit doesn't make the purchase more expensive, since you get that money back when you return the keg to its rightful owner. Which reminds me, scrapyards that buy kegs from the scumbags mentioned in the article are guilty of receiving stolen goods, and should be prosecuted accordingly.

Buying a keg for your next party is a little more expensive. Large breweries have complained about losing thousands of beer kegs a year in Michigan because retail beer customers have been selling off the stainless steel barrels at scrap yards rather than returning them to stores to get their $10 deposit back.



As a result, state alcohol officials have boosted the deposit from $10 to $30, The Bay City Times reported Sunday.

Read the entire article at IndyStar.com.