When I lived in St. Louis, there seemed to be an ongoing epidemic of thieves stealing wrought-iron fences and selling them off for scrap. Now come reports of metal prices rising to the point where beer kegs have become the must-have item for scrap fencers this summer. One potential remedy for this epidemic would be for breweries to convert much of their fleets to plastic kegs, which while not as iconic as the shiny silver barrels, are just as functional.