Right now, the most popular keg sizes in the draft beer market, according to DIN or EURO standards, are 30 l and 50 l, and the half barrel in North America. But, the clear trend towards smaller kegs, and the ability to switch to 10 l and 20 l kegs will be crucial for breweries wishing to succeed in the draft beer market of tomorrow.

Even in the UK, the world's largest market for draft beer, there has been a sharp decrease in the market share for the traditional large keg sizes – 100 l, or 22 or 36 gal – for which there is now very little demand. There is even a trend towards replacing existing aluminum keg stocks with special steel kegs as a quality improvement measure, not only for kegs of 50 l or more, but for 30 l kegs as well. This reflects what has been happening in Western Europe or some time, although buyers there are increasingly rejecting the 30 l keg in favor of 20 l, 15 l or even 10 l kegs. In the North American market, there is a growing demand for the "one-sixth barrel", with a nominal capacity of 19.5 l, even though the overall market for draft beer is stagnating.

The main drivers behind this trend can be summarized as follows:

1. More and more draft beer brands – including traditional beers enjoying a new lease of life and, increasingly, international beers – are competing for the favor of patrons of establishments traditionally serving draft beers. Against a background of a general decline in total beer consumption and limited keg storage space, beer brands packaged in smaller kegs are a better commercial proposition. Beer in smaller kegs also stays fresher, enhancing the flavor and consumer appreciation.