To prevent office keg shortages, set a "par level" you never drop below, track how fast each keg empties, schedule a standing delivery to refill on a fixed cadence, and keep a backup 1/6 barrel on hand. Offices run dry for a simple reason: a keg gets tapped, nobody watches the level, and it kicks mid-party with no replacement ready. A little planning turns that into a non-event.
Why office kegs run out at the worst time
Most shortages come from guessing instead of tracking. A 1/2 barrel pours about 165 twelve-ounce glasses and a 1/6 barrel (sixtel) about 55, so if you do not know roughly how many your team drinks in a week, you cannot know when to reorder. The keg kicks on a Friday and the refill does not arrive until Monday. The fix is not a bigger keg — it is knowing your numbers and timing the refill.
Set a par level and a reorder point
Pick a level you never want to drop below — your par — and reorder the moment you hit it. A practical rule for a single-tap office: reorder when the keg is about a quarter full, which on a 1/2 barrel is roughly 40 pours left. That buffer covers the days between placing the order and delivery. Write the reorder point down so it does not depend on whoever happens to notice the foam.
Track how fast you actually go through it
You do not need fancy gear. Label the tap date on the keg and note the day it kicks; after two or three kegs you will know your weekly rate — say, "a sixtel lasts our team about ten days." That single number tells you how often to reorder and which size fits. For a busier tap, a scale under the keg turns "looks low" into an exact reading: a full 1/2 barrel weighs about 160 lbs and an empty one about 30.
Put deliveries on a schedule
The most reliable fix is a standing order. When Mike's delivers on a set cadence and swaps your empty for a fresh keg, there is no "did someone order?" gap. We run same-day delivery in San Francisco for orders placed by 9 a.m., with scheduled East Bay (Tuesdays) and South Bay (Wednesdays) runs, so the refill lands before the current keg kicks. Set it up through our office beverage program.
Keep a backup on hand
A spare 1/6 barrel in the fridge is cheap insurance for the day your estimate is off or the team drinks more than usual. Swap it in, tap the backup, and reorder — no dry tap, no disappointed Friday. Browse beer kegs and the full keg selection to pick a backup style, and our 100-person keg math if you are sizing for an event.
Want it handled for you? Tell us your team size and how often you are in the office, and we will set a delivery cadence that keeps the tap flowing.
How do I know when to reorder a keg for the office?
Reorder when the keg hits about a quarter full — roughly 40 pours left on a 1/2 barrel. That buffer covers the gap between ordering and delivery so the tap never runs dry.
How long does a keg last in an office?
It depends on team size and how often people are in. Label the tap date and note when it kicks; after two or three kegs you will know your weekly rate. A tapped keg also stays fresh about 45 to 60 days on CO2 (far less on a hand pump).
Can Mike's deliver kegs to my office on a set schedule?
Yes. We run standing office deliveries and swap empties for fresh kegs on a fixed cadence — same-day in SF for orders by 9 a.m., with scheduled East Bay (Tuesdays) and South Bay (Wednesdays) runs. Ask about our office beverage program.