WEST ALLIS, Wis. — Sirens wail! Lights flash! A bartender proclaims the name of an excited and happy beer drinker!
That’s the scene at The Micro, a beer tent at the Wisconsin State Fair that has been serving local microbrews for twenty-five years. Why? Because one of the kegs has just run empty.
“We took this terrible experience and turned it into the most incredible experience of one’s life,” says Benno’s Concessions Vice President, Tim Gill, who has worked at The Micro for twenty three years.
The Micro’s tradition is called The Keg Killer.
The title is awarded to the lucky individual who gets the last beer out of a keg. Twenty five years ago, that meant a spluttering, messy interruption to the beer drinking experience that included several minutes to replace the keg. To flip the disappointment of the temporarily slow of the flow and pass the time during the switching of the kegs, The Micro turned that moment into a celebration. The Keg Killer gets their name announced to the crowd and also earns a special t-shirt to commemorate their achievement. These t-shirts are not for sale. The only way to get one is to drain a keg.
There are over 60 microbrews from 20 Wisconsin microbreweries featured at The Micro this year. Even though that’s a lot of beer, being a Keg Killer is not as frequent as you might think.
This year, you may have an edge on killing a keg, thanks to the new addition of The Keg Kill Tracker. These screens remind me of the display you see next to a roulette wheel showing what numbers have recently been winners. The Keg Kill Tracker shows the name, date, time and microbrew killed to see what kegs have most recently been emptied. Also shown on the screen are the Low Keg Alerts of the brews that are close to being finished, thus giving you an advantage of knowing which ones could get you closer to the Keg Killer title.
West Allis Mayor Dan Devine is a Keg Killer and it was a memorable experience. He was surprised when it happened to him, saying “I was lucky enough one time, knocked off a barrel of Door County Cherry Wheat.”
Pam Jesse, affectionately known as the ‘beer wizard’ of Benno’s Concessions, starts working in February to line up the microbreweries featured at The Micro. She ensures there are at least three kegs of each microbrew on-site, which means daily morning deliveries. Jesse explains that the demand can be high, saying “On the weekends, sometimes I’m calling in the middle of the day saying, ‘We need more.’”
Over the past two decades, what has been one of the most memorable Keg Killer moments? Gill remembers the one lucky ‘Keg Killer’ last year who turned his moment of glory into a memorable engagement, adding a touch of romance to the beer-filled festivities.
Check back for a full “What’s On Tap” podcast chat with Benno, Tim and Pam.
