Keg checker review: what KegCheck actually does

Last updated: 29 June 2026

Most pub managers think a keg checker is a device that measures what’s left in a barrel—but that’s not really what it does. A keg checker like KegCheck is a digital logging system that records partial keg depth readings over time, helping you spot usage patterns and spot when something’s gone wrong. The real value isn’t in the gadget itself. It’s in having a number you can trust, week on week, and a record to compare against what your till says sold.

I spent years running stock on a tangle of spreadsheets and still losing track of partial kegs and spirit measures. When I built a simple count routine around a dipstick and a set of scales, and started logging the readings properly, the weekly variance went from guesswork to a number I could actually defend within a fortnight. If you’re considering a keg checker, you need to know what problem it solves—and which problems you’re still solving yourself.

This review covers what keg checkers actually do, whether they’re faster than manual counts, and how they fit into a proper weekly stocktake routine.

What KegCheck and similar keg checkers actually are

A keg checker is a digital logging system for recording barrel and partial keg depths—not a device that measures them for you. KegCheck, and products like it, give you a structured way to record what you find when you dipstick a cask, rather than writing it on a notepad or a spreadsheet cell.

The device itself is usually a wireless sensor, a mobile app, or a tablet interface where you log the depth reading. You still physically dip the keg. The app just stores the number and tracks it over time. Some versions (like certain pressure-based sensors) can measure electronically, but most pub-scale versions rely on you doing the manual measurement and then recording it digitally.

The marketing around keg checkers often makes them sound like they do the work for you. They don’t. What they do is remove the friction of finding a pen, finding last week’s piece of paper, squinting at whether it says 18cm or 180cm, and then keying it into a spreadsheet three days later. They standardise the process and create an audit trail.

That’s actually useful—but it’s not a time-saver in the way people hope.

How a keg checker works in practice

You’ll typically walk into the cellar with a dipstick (or, if using a sensor, you’ll check a pressure gauge or digital reading). You measure the depth of the liquid in the cask. You then either:

• Tap the reading into a mobile app on your phone
• Log it on a tablet in the cellar
• Scan a QR code on the barrel that pulls up the keg’s history
• Use a wireless sensor that logs automatically (rarer in small pubs)

The app timestamps the entry, stores it in a database, and shows you a graph of depth over time. Some versions sync with your EPOS or tell you what should have been consumed based on till data, so you can spot discrepancies immediately.

The real value emerges when you do this every week and compare the readings. If a cask dropped 15cm last week and only 8cm this week, something’s changed—either usage is down, the line’s blocked, or there’s a fault. Without a consistent record, you’ll never spot these patterns. Most pubs don’t spot them anyway, which is why SmartPubTools exists.

Do keg checkers actually save time?

This is where most reviews bend the truth. No. Not really. Not unless you’re comparing against not counting at all, or against a manager who currently hand-writes readings and then spends 20 minutes per week manually entering them into a spreadsheet.

A manual dipstick count of a typical pub’s cellar (8–12 casks, maybe 4–6 partial kegs) takes about 15–20 minutes. You walk down, you dip each barrel, you write the depth on a sticky label attached to the cask, and you’re done. You can reconcile against till data while you’re having your coffee afterwards.

A keg checker version of the same task takes 15–20 minutes of physical work, plus the time to tap numbers into a phone (maybe an extra 5–10 minutes if you’re doing it cask-by-cask as you go, or another 10 minutes if you batch-enter them afterwards). You save the time of manually typing into a spreadsheet later, but you spend it on the cellar floor instead.

Where keg checkers do save time is in setup and comparison. If the app automatically pulls your till data and flags kegs where consumption doesn’t match, that’s genuinely useful. If it generates a PDF report instead of you copy-pasting numbers from a spreadsheet into an email, that’s a real saving. But the core task—dipping barrels—doesn’t get faster.

The time saving is not in the counting. It’s in the record-keeping and the trend analysis. And for that to matter, you have to actually use it weekly, not monthly or when the pubco’s inventory manager shows up.

Manual dipstick vs digital keg checker

Manual method (old school)

You walk the cellar with a dipstick or ruler, measure each cask by hand, and write the depth on a sticky label stuck to the barrel. At the end of the week, you either photograph the labels or manually type the numbers into a spreadsheet. You compare this week’s numbers to last week’s by eye. You jot down notes if something’s odd.

Time cost: 20–25 minutes per week.

Accuracy: Depends entirely on whether you can read your own handwriting and remember which barrel is which.

Audit trail: Sticky labels fall off. Spreadsheets get overwritten. No record of what you actually measured unless you take photos.

Digital keg checker (KegCheck model)

You walk the cellar with a dipstick, measure each cask, and tap the depth into an app on your phone (or a tablet) as you go. The app timestamps and stores each reading. At the end of the week, the app shows you a graph of each cask’s consumption and flags any that are out of line with previous weeks.

Time cost: 20–25 minutes per week, plus 5 minutes to review the app’s summary report.

Accuracy: Limited by your ability to read the dipstick accurately. The app doesn’t make you more precise; it just removes handwriting errors.

Audit trail: Complete. Every reading is dated, timestamped, and stored. You can pull reports months later.

The honest comparison

If you’re disciplined with a manual system—dipping weekly, recording carefully, comparing against till—a keg checker doesn’t save you much time. It does give you a cleaner record and removes the risk of losing your data or misreading your own notes.

If you’re currently not counting at all, or counting once a month when the pubco’s stocktaker visits, a keg checker won’t help you. You need to adopt the discipline first. The tool comes second.

Where a keg checker fits into your weekly routine

A keg checker is one part of a proper line-check system. On its own, it’s incomplete. Here’s how it sits in the full picture:

• Dip every cask and partial keg using a dipstick or ruler. Record the depth in your keg checker app.
• Check line temperatures. A keg checker doesn’t do this. You need a thermometer. Most draught losses are temperature-related; a warm line pours too fast and foams excessively.
• Weigh open spirit bottles if you have them. A keg checker is designed for draught, not spirits. You’ll miss theft and over-pouring without weighing.
• Reconcile against till data the same day. Your keg checker app should flag this, but you need to actually look at it. If the till says you sold 40 pints of bitter but the cask only dropped 8cm, something’s wrong.
• Check for line faults and waste. A clean line should waste maybe 0.5–1 pint per pull. If you’re losing 3–4 pints per service on new lines, you have a fault. A keg checker doesn’t detect this; you do, by listening and watching.

A StockTap pub stock app designed for pubs will typically handle the dip logging and till reconciliation, but you still need to do the physical work and the sensory checks (temperature, faults, wastage). No app does those for you.

The real verdict: is it worth the money?

This is where I’m going to be blunt, because I’ve wasted money on pub kit before.

A keg checker is worth the money if and only if you’re already counting weekly and currently using a manual system (spreadsheet, sticky labels, notepad). In that case, it will save you 10–15 minutes per week and give you a cleaner record. Over a year, that’s maybe 8–10 hours of admin time. If it costs £500–£1,500 (typical price for a keg checker with sensors and a full app), it’s not worth it unless you’re managing multiple pubs or your time is severely constrained.

A keg checker is not worth the money if:

• You’re not currently counting weekly. The app won’t motivate you to start. You’ll count twice, lose interest, and resent the subscription fee.
• You’re already fast and accurate with a manual system. Your stickies work. Your spreadsheet is tidy. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
• Your pub’s cellar system is a mess and you don’t have accurate till data. A keg checker will show you the problem, but not fix it. You need to fix your cellar management first.
• The software requires a monthly subscription. You should own your data. If the company goes bust, your records go with it.

The real value in keg checkers sits in the discipline and the record. Most pub losses in draught lines are not theft. They’re measurement error, forgotten wastage from line flushing, temperature creep, and over-pouring. A 1% stock loss on wet sales quietly costs a typical pub £3,000–£5,000 a year. Most pubs that move from a messy spreadsheet to a disciplined count claw back 1–2 GP points within a couple of months. That’s where the money is—not in the keg checker itself, but in the routine it enforces.

If you’re serious about managing your cellar, start with a manual system: a dipstick, a set of scales, a simple notebook, and a rule to count every Tuesday morning. Do that for a month. If you find you’re spending 30 minutes on admin, then look at a keg checker. If 20 minutes is fine, save your money.