A self cooling and self dispensing beverage keg comprising: a beverage chamber including a sidewall and upper and lower walls enclosing said chamber; a heat exchange unit coupled to said upper wall and suspended within said beverage chamber but not in contact with said walls; said heat exchange unit comprising: a metal housing having a top wall and a bottom wall; a plurality of discrete carbon sections each defining an opening therethrough disposed within said housing; means (54, 56, 58) for injecting carbon dioxide gas under pressure into said housing to be adsorbed by said carbon sections; means for releasing said carbon dioxide gas under pressure from said housing for cooling beverage contained within said chamber; and means for dispensing beverage from said chamber, characterized in that: the keg comprises a separate canister containing a carbon slug for adsorbing carbon dioxide gas under pressure, a regulator valve affixed to said canister for releasing carbon dioxide gas into said chamber to maintain a pressure within said chamber sufficient to dispense the beverage from said chamber, and wherein the heat exchange unit further comprises a metal tube (44, 46, 48, 50, 52) received within each of said openings in said carbon sections and sealed to said top and bottom of said housing to allow beverage to move through said tube. a beverage chamber including a sidewall and upper and lower walls enclosing said chamber; a heat exchange unit coupled to said upper wall and suspended within said beverage chamber but not in contact with said walls; said heat exchange unit comprising: a metal housing having a top wall and a bottom wall; a plurality of discrete carbon sections each defining an opening therethrough disposed within said housing; a metal housing having a top wall and a bottom wall; a plurality of discrete carbon sections each defining an opening therethrough disposed within said housing; means (54, 56, 58) for injecting carbon dioxide gas under pressure into said housing to be adsorbed by said carbon sections; means for releasing said carbon dioxide gas under pressure from said housing for cooling beverage contained within said chamber; and means for dispensing beverage from said chamber, characterized in that: the keg comprises a separate canister containing a carbon slug for adsorbing carbon dioxide gas under pressure, a regulator valve affixed to said canister for releasing carbon dioxide gas into said chamber to maintain a pressure within said chamber sufficient to dispense the beverage from said chamber, and wherein the heat exchange unit further comprises a metal tube (44, 46, 48, 50, 52) received within each of said openings in said carbon sections and sealed to said top and bottom of said housing to allow beverage to move through said tube. the keg comprises a separate canister containing a carbon slug for adsorbing carbon dioxide gas under pressure, a regulator valve affixed to said canister for releasing carbon dioxide gas into said chamber to maintain a pressure within said chamber sufficient to dispense the beverage from said chamber, and wherein the heat exchange unit further comprises a metal tube (44, 46, 48, 50, 52) received within each of said openings in said carbon sections and sealed to said top and bottom of said housing to allow beverage to move through said tube.