It’s hard to beat a draft beer, but we usually have to make do with bottles and cans when away from the bar. Enter the Cooler Keg, a new design for a draft beer dispensing system built right into a cooler.
The Cooler Keg looks a lot like a regular picnic cooler, apart from the pair of taps poking out of the top. These are hooked up to two mini kegs inside, each holding up to 228 oz (6.7 liters) or the equivalent of 36 standard beers. The drinks are kept cold thanks to some custom-shaped ice packs that fit around the kegs – or the cooler itself can just be filled with ice.
The Cooler Keg is designed to be as portable as a regular cooler. The beverage lines, as well as the CO2 regulator and cartridges, are all tucked away inside, and there’s room for the removable draft tower too. It weighs 45 lb (20.4 kg) empty, or up to 72 lb (32.7 kg) when the kegs are full. Once set up, it doesn’t require electricity to run.
And it’s not just for beer, either. The team says the kegs can be filled with whatever drinks you want – champagne, cider, soft drinks, soda or sparkling water, even cocktails. The kegs have been designed with a wide mouth so they can easily be filled from cans, bottles, growlers or the like.
Its creators claim that the Cooler Keg has a few advantages over similar things like kegerators and jockey boxes. The light weight and portability is a major one, as is the ease of setup and cleaning. It also doesn’t need any external kegs or lines like a jockey box.
The Cooler Keg is currently seeking funding on Indiegogo, where it’s already raised over US$175,000 from its $20,000 goal. Pledges start at $629, and if all goes to plan shipping is expected by March 2023.
Cooler Keg dispenses draft beer or any other drink on the go [New Atlas]