WHY REUSABLE STEEL IS BEST

Why we chose reusable stainless steel kegs instead of one-way PET kegs

While we all agree pouring wine on tap reduces the environmental impact compared to pouring the same wines from glass bottles, we often get questions about why we chose reusable steel kegs over the one-way PET kegs. Behind the scenes, we’ve done a lot of research that informed us on making that decision, and this Earth Day, we’d like to share some of those insights with you.

ZERO WASTE

Reusable steel kegs have the lowest carbon footprint for wines served BTG on-premise. PET keg marketing will often make misleading claims they are recyclable, however, most ‘recyclable’ products are not actually recycled due to the limitations at waste management facilities. A quick online search will verify that amber-colored PET is generally not recycled because there is a low economic return, and the costs to recycle them outweigh the benefits. Disposable kegs (including bag in kegs) are constructed with multiple types of plastic that cannot be recycled unless carefully deconstructed. The reality is, most one-way kegs either end up in landfills, are chipped, or are incinerated. Ask any disposable keg supplier and they will likely reiterate the same. With a mission to reduce waste, reusable steel is the only package we can stand by for serving wines on tap.

QUALITY

Only 304-grade steel can perfectly preserve wine quality from keg to tap, with no risk of wine spoilage. Durable steel kegs prevent light and oxygen from impacting the wines and provide consistent reliability in draft systems. PET packages and valves regularly fail due to a lack of material integrity — causing the wine to spoil, or kegs to burst or leak. We are so confident in our package of choice, that we guarantee wine quality in every keg we fill.

WATER CONSERVATION

Reusable steel kegs do require cleaning, however, Free Flow reclaims 95% of the water used to clean our kegs and tanks with a closed-loop water reclamation system at our Sonoma facility.

PET keg construction is water-intensive and relies on petrochemicals.

FREE FLOW WINES

Since day one, we have prioritized offering a better and more sustainable way to service wines by the glass for the wine and hospitality industries. We believe we can only achieve that if our operations and business practices also help improve our environmental impact: Free Flow Wines is a California Green Business, a Napa Green Winery, and the 2018 closed-loop recipient from CRRA. We are also setting goals to become carbon neutral by 2030. We are grateful to all our partners who also feel passionately about reducing waste, lowering our carbon footprint, and improving wine quality. We are saving the world, one keg at a time #ShowYourSteel