Dinner parties have always notoriously been a more formal way to get together with friends. They often include the invitation of a few select people or couples and a somewhat formal procession to the evening. Dinner parties typically start with a drink or two, so people can get to know one another if they don’t already or catch up with old friends if they do, followed by a sit-down meal in the dining room.

After the main meal has been served, the party can become a bit more relaxed, with guests adjourning to the living room, family room or game room. A few more drinks, or coffee and dessert, can end the evening – or the dinner party can transition into a whole night of more informal fun.

If you want to add a bit of fun and informality to your next dinner party, start or end the evening around your home bar and tap into the kegerator. Nothing sets the tone for a more casual and enjoyable night like a few draft beers shared around the bar. If you don’t have a home bar, complete with an under counter kegerator filled with beer, have no fear. A glamorous stainless steel mini kegerator set up on a counter or table serves the purpose well, too. Mini kegerators fit small 5 liter beer barrels, which should be enough beer to serve to a dinner party crowd, and they dispense the beer through a tap, just like a real bar.

One increasingly popular method of planning a dinner party these days is to plan a progressive dinner party. This works well if all the people at the party live fairly close by and works especially well if you are planning the party with neighbors. In a progressive dinner party, each phase of the dinner is hosted by a different person, in a different house.

So, you can start with appetizers in one person’s house, have drinks in another, the main meal in a third, and dessert at yet another home. If you have more people than that, or want to keep the party going longer, you can then head to another home for more drinks and socializing. Progressive dinner parties are a great way to spend a fun evening and equally spread around the work of entertaining a crowd.

When planning progressive dinners, everyone usually volunteers to host the portion of the dinner that they feel most comfortable with. That means that, if you’re lucky, the person with the best stocked bar or a full kegerator of beer, will be the one to host the pre-dinner or post-dinner drinks. [Use our beer calculator to see how much beer you will need for your dinner party] If you’re the type of crowd that likes to split your time a bit after the formal portion of the dinner is over so that the guys can hang out and shoot the breeze, maybe play some pool and throw back a few beers while the ladies open a couple of bottles of wine and catch up, then it makes sense that the guys head to the house with the kegerator while the women head to the house with the fully stocked wine refrigerator.

Having a kegerator or a mini kegerator is certainly not a necessity when planning a dinner party, but if you or one of your dinner party guests happens to own a kegerator, it can certainly add to the enjoyment of the evening.

Recently, couples baby showers have become the rage – a new type of baby shower celebration that includes both the mom and dad-to-be, along with their friends and family members of both sexes. These celebrations have become more about celebrating the couple and the new life they are bringing into the world, and in some cases, the celebration has turned into a full blown party.

So, with all of the celebrating going on, does the idea of having a kegerator at a baby shower sound enticing? Moms-to-be can’t drink beer, or at least shouldn’t drink beer, so why have a kegerator at the celebration? Well, because it is a celebration! Many baby showers, even those that are ladies-only shindigs, offer alcoholic beverages to guests, even though the soon-to-be mom can’t imbibe.

When the ladies get together, there may be champagne, wine, or other mixed drinks, although there is often also beer for those that enjoy drinking beer. Once men enter the picture, there is a natural tendency to want to include food and beverages that will appeal to the dad-to-be’s guests, so having a kegerator on hand makes sense.

Home kegerators are basically beer fridges that house and cool a keg or half keg of beer. Unless you’re having an all-out, blow-out baby shower, or you’re inviting a ton of people, chances are pretty good that you will not go through that much beer at the party. But, if you are hosting the party at someone’s house that already has a home bar kegerator, then it makes sense to offer beer from the appliance, rather than running out and buying cans or bottles of the malt beverage. {Use our Beer Calculator to see how much beer you will need for your baby shower!}

If, on the other hand, the host or hostess does not own a kegerator, someone that has a mini kegerator might want to bring it along to the celebration so that there is cold, fresh beer available to the men in the room (and ladies who like beer!), without there being a ton of beer on hand (mini kegerators hold just a small 5 liter mini keg of beer).

When you think of a baby shower, surely the first thing that comes to mind is not a keg of beer sitting front and center amidst baby clothes, strollers and car seats. But, since baby showers are about celebrating, and since many people enjoy celebrating with a celebratory drink or two, kegerators can have their place at a baby shower too.

So, as long as the mom-to-be is not hanging around the keg (or at least is not drinking around the keg!), there is almost always a place for an adult beverage or two to celebrate new life and the promise of new opportunities. Of course, as with any type of celebration, it is important to make sure that guests drink responsibly. Baby showers are certainly not the place to overindulge, but rather to enjoy time spent with family and friends while getting excited about the new baby and helping to outfit the new arrival in style.

Fundraising events can be any type of event in which the primary purpose is to raise money for a specific cause, charity, organization or individual. The events can range from anything from a small get together among friends to a large formal gathering, complete with formal attire and a formal sit-down menu. But, whatever type of fundraising event is planned, and whatever the size, you’d be surprised by how much having a beer kegerator on hand can improve the results of the fundraising efforts.

Why would a kegerator filled with beer improve fundraising outcomes? The answer is pretty simple – and pretty obvious. It’s no secret that people are a bit more relaxed and open to parting with their money if they’ve had a few drinks. That’s why almost all fundraising events offer some type of alcoholic beverages during the event, and much the same reason that casinos offer free drinks to those who are gambling. That’s not to say that you should deviously aim to get people drunk at your next fundraising even so they will donate more money. It’s just that when people are out having a good time, have had a drink or two, and know that the money they donate will help a good cause, they are more likely to contribute.

If you’re holding a fundraising event at a bar, restaurant or catering establishment, chances are that there’s already a kegerator on site, dispensing draft beer. Most bars and dining establishments that have a liquor license already own a commercial kegerator that sits behind the bar. Kegerators, which are basically like refrigerators that are made to house a keg of beer and keep it cold, are a necessary appliance for any establishment that serves beer out of a keg. This is because kegs of beer not only need to be kept cold so the beer tastes good, but so the beer keeps fresh. Then a tap or two is placed on top of the kegerator or on top of the bar to dispense the beer.

If you’re organizing a fundraising event at a location that would not already have a kegerator, then you may want to consider renting one for the event. Kegerators can be rented out so you can then purchase a keg of beer and have enough alcohol flowing throughout the whole event, even if you’ve got a big crowd. Of course, beer doesn’t need to be the only type of alcoholic beverage that is served at a fundraising event, but if you’re looking to keep costs down so you can keep the amount of money that goes towards the fundraiser’s bottom line up, then beer is your best option. See how much beer you would need for your fundraiser with our Beer Calculator.

Another way that a kegerator can improve the outcome of your next fundraiser is by using it as a raffle or auction item. In this case, we’re not talking about a full sized kegerator, but rather one of the smaller mini kegerators that can be a great addition to any home. Mini kegerators are unique small appliances that house a small 5 liter mini keg of beer and can sit on top of a home bar or even a table or kitchen counter. The beer keeps cold and is dispensed through a tap, just like a real kegerator.

You can purchase a mini kegerator for around $100 – $300, depending on the model, but can then use the kegerator to get people to part with their money. Have the mini kegerator be an auction item or use it in a raffle drawing if your crowd enjoys beer. The amount of money you get in raffle tickets for the appliance or bidding may far exceed the cost to buy the appliance – and since a mini kegerator is not something that most people would think about going to a store to buy, they will enjoy bidding on such a unique novelty.

So, although it doesn’t seem like an obvious combination, kegerators, whether full sized or mini, can be a great way to add success to your next fundraising event!

Block parties are a great way to get out and have fun with your neighbors. Typically held in the summer, although they can also be held in the spring and fall (even if the winter if you live in a climate where winters aren’t cold and dreary), block parties are often held outside on the street where you live, in a cul-de-sac at the end of the street (if there is one) or in a front or backyard of one (or a few) of the neighbors. If you or someone on the block happens to have an outdoor kegerator, then you will surely be the hit of your next block party.

Outdoor kegerators function in the same way as indoor kegerators do. They consist of a refrigerated compartment that can house a keg of beer. The exterior of the kegerator compartment then has a single or double tap that dispenses the beer. Outdoor kegerators are available in different sizes that can house full kegs, half kegs and quarter-sized kegs. The only real difference between an outdoor kegerator and an indoor kegerator is that the outdoor model is constructed to withstand the elements outside.

If you have an outdoor kegerator built into an outdoor kitchen in your backyard, then the block party will have to come to the kegerator – meaning, the block party will wind up in your backyard because that’s where the good beer is. But if you have an outdoor serving cart with a kegerator, you can most likely bring the kegerator to the party, since most carts have wheels to make them easily transportable. This means that you can simply roll your outdoor cart and kegerator to a more central location in order to let all of your neighbors share in the good fortune of the great tasting draft beer you can offer.

Of course, a block party isn’t simply about the beer and how it is served, so you’ll also want to consider food, games and entertainment for the kids. Food at a block party is usually best handled by having everyone bring a dish to eat, or you can assign different types of food to different families. If you often plan block parties on your street, you may want to consider having a different theme each year or at each party to keep things interesting. So, you can plan a Mexican fiesta one year, an Italian festival the next and a German Octoberfest yet another (that’s clearly a themed event where you’ll want the outdoor kegerator to take center stage!). These are just a few ideas, but there are certainly many others – and one of the best ideas is just to have a good ol’ fashioned American barbecue, complete of course with good ol’ American beer along with the hotdogs and Guinness sliders.

Some block party coordinators find it easier to plan the entire menu, purchase all the food, drinks and beer and then just charge each family or person a fee to join the party. This is one option available to those who are planning a block party. Another is to just let each family contribute something to the party. However it is planned, you can be sure that having an outdoor kegerator on hand to dispense cold, fresh and great-tasting beer, will be a hit at your next block party!

The “big day” is arriving soon and there’s lots to do. Of course, there’s the much coveted wedding dress to pick out by the bride, along with countless other decisions to make such as where to hold the festivities, what the invitations should look like, and who should be a part of the wedding party. Then there’s the food and drink to think about, the entertainment – and by necessity, the budget. So, with all this going on, how do kegerators fit into the picture of this blissful day?

Kegerators can be a great choice for meeting the “adult beverage” requirements for those interested in having a more informal wedding reception. Not quite for the white glove service crowd, kegerators can get the party rolling by providing great tasting, cold draft beer for the wedding guests – on a budget. The kegerator can be placed behind a bar with a paid bartender to dispense the frothy ale, or if you want to keep the party even more informal (and want to cut down on the cost of hiring a bartender!), you can simply leave the kegerator out for guests to help themselves. See how much beer you will need for your wedding using our wedding beer calculator.

Although having a kegerator at a wedding may not seem like the classiest of options, the truth is that everyone who attends a wedding is there to have a great time. Most people enjoy a party where there is some good tasting beer – and many more wedding couples are choosing to limit the alcoholic beverage selection at their weddings to beer and wine only, or even just beer, to keep costs down while still keeping the fun up. So, in fact, a kegerator can be a great way to handle the dispensing of alcoholic beverages in style at your nuptials.

For those hiring a bartender or a catering service that also handles the alcohol, a kegerator may even be something that the bartender or caterer brings or has on site. Many catering establishments already have under counter kegerators set up in their bar areas. If you are having the party at a restaurant or other dining facility that has a liquor license, they very well may have a kegerator as well and can provide you with the option of offering draft beer to your guests.

If, on the other hand, you are planning a party in a different type of venue, such as in your own backyard, in a tent outdoors, or in another non-traditional location, you may be forced to bring your own supplies – including tables, chairs, serving pieces, and even the necessities for setting up the bar area, such as a kegerator. If that is the case, and you are not using a catering company to do the work for you, you can rent a kegerator or two to supply the beer you need for the party. Very often rental companies, the same ones that will bring and set up your tables, chairs and even the tent, can rent and set up the kegerators for you, too. They may not be allowed to supply the keg that fits in the kegerator, due to laws about liquor sales in your state, but if not, you can easily ask a friend to do the honors of picking up and setting up the keg or kegs in the kegerators so they are nice and cold when it’s time to celebrate.

So, if you are looking for a way to plan a wedding to celebrate with friends and family while keeping your budget in check, consider limiting your alcoholic beverage options to only beer and wine, or beer only, rent a kegerator or two (or ask if the caterer can bring them) and get on to the fun. The expense of providing alcoholic beverages at a wedding can be one of the heftiest components of a wedding budget, but there are ways to still throw the party of a lifetime to get your new life together as a couple started without breaking the bank. Simply rely on a kegerator or two to keep the cold beer flowing!

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer and with that rite of passage comes reason to party. Just as many people love to celebrate the start of summer on Memorial Day and mid-summer with the 4th of July, getting together with friends and family as the summer winds to a close is a great way to say goodbye to the relaxation that summer often brings. If celebrating is on the agenda this Labor Day holiday, one way to really get the party started is with a kegerator.

A kegerator is basically just a refrigerator made to house a keg of beer. It keeps the beer chilled at the perfect temperature so that each and every glass dispensed is fresh, as well as refreshing. Kegerators are great to use at parties and on holidays, such as on Labor Day, or for use as an everyday (or occasional day) option for dispensing delicious tasting, cold beer.

So what are the benefits to using a kegerator for your Labor Day celebration? Well, for one, kegerators can hold a lot of beer. A typical half keg of beer contains about the same amount of beer as 165 cans of the frosty brew. If you had to go out and buy those 165 cans to quench the thirst of your friends during your Labor Day celebration, you’d be laying out a pretty penny. In contrast, a half keg of beer is a much more economical way to imbibe with a crowd without having to reach too far into your wallet.

Another benefit to celebrating Labor Day with a kegerator on hand is that the beer just plain tastes better. Ever go to a bar and taste the difference between a draught beer on tap and one in the bottle? That’s because most breweries do not pasteurize keg beer. Almost always you’ll agree that the draught beer just tastes more like what a beer should taste like. It is fresh, it is cold, and it just tastes good, plain and simple.

Need another reason why you should opt for a kegerator, whether you are planning a big Labor Day party or just love to have a few beers after a long day of work? It’s environmentally friendly! Think of all the cans or bottles you can save by simply ditching the six-pack and instead, keeping a keg of beer on hand.

Kegs, when emptied, are typically returned to the beer distributor, cleaned out and refilled, so they are a very eco-friendly way to house the malty brew. In contrast, if you buy enough cans or bottles to equal the amount of beer contained in a keg, you will be using up five pounds or more of aluminum or glass. Those are precious resources that are wasted, and even if you are a big recycler, it takes a lot more resources, as well as effort, to return the bottles or cans, recycle them and get them to a state where they can be reused again.

So if the Labor Day celebration will be at your house this year, pull out your kegerator and let the party begin!

Drinking and driving is always a bad combination. But it can be hard to tell, once you’ve started, when it is time to call a cab. Fortunately, commercially available breathalyzers are helping people to know when that limit has been reached. This is becoming more important as new ‘buzzed driving’ laws are being put forth in many states. Even one beer can land you a ticket now in some areas – all the more reason to drink at home with your kegerator home draft system!

We’ve come a long way in breathalyzer technology – according to wikipedia, the original roadside breath device used for alcohol testing used by the police was born in 1938, and was called the drunk-o-meter. Developed by Professor Harger, the drunk-o-meter took the suspected drunk’s breath into a balloon and pumped the breath through a chemical solution that changed color if there was alcohol in the breath, and a greater alcohol level was reflected by a more extreme color change.

Now, infrared, fuel cell, and semiconductor technologies are all different ways in which different breathalyzers operate. Of these, the semiconductor, also known as a silicon oxide sensor, is the least expensive and also the least accurate of the technologies. Semiconductor breathalyzers are prone to contamination and cross readings from chemicals other than alcohol that may be present in breath, and should be checked every six months to see if they are working properly. The 2010 BACtrack S75 Pro is one of the most accurate commercially available semiconductor breathalyzers. It can measure 0.000 percent to 0.400 percent BAC (Blood Alcohol Content), takes an air sample from over five seconds, and has a sensor accuracy of +/- 0.005 percent at 0.100 percent B.A.C. This unit costs $150 or less.

A more inexpensive version of semiconductor breathalyzer is BreathScan. This unit acts like disposable pocket version of the original Drunk-o-meter, using a colorimetric change. These units only cost a few dollars each, so they are a good choice for an inexpensive glove box item, for those rare situations where one is not sure about one’s B.A.C. Keep in mind that the criminal statutes concerning DUI or the new buzzed driving laws can vary between states and countries. BreathScan offers .04%, .05%, and .08% testers to compensate for these differences.

Platinum fuel cell breathalyzers work a bit better, usually requiring only yearly maintenance. One such breathalyzer is the BACtrack S80 Professional Fuel Cell Technology Breathalyzer. This unit has a test range of 0.00 percent to 0.50 percent BAC. It features a replaceable mouthpiece, so you can test your friends breath in a sanitary fashion, Xtend Fuel Cell Sensor technology for low power consumption, and a proprietary flow check that ensures a deep-lung air sample. Comes with six mouthpieces, 2 AA batteries and hard carrying case for around $150 to $200.

Another fuel cell unit is the BreathKey Breathalyzer, a digital key chain breath alcohol tester. This unit is lightweight – weighs less than an ounce, and is certified by the FDA to be +/- 0.010 percent at 0.080 percent BAC (blood alcohol content). This breathalyzer is not as accurate as the BACtrack Pro breathalyzer, but comes considerably cheaper, right around $$50 to $70, and is made in the USA!

Apart from BreathScan, you can see how your money is probably better spent on beer for your kegerator than a breathalyzer. Drink, don’t drive.

Wired has a kegerator robot that serves beer

Robot building just goes better with beer. There are few hobbies that don’t go better with beer – granted, it may make hobby more dangerous, but with danger comes excitement. With excitement, danger, and beer, usually there is blood as well. It follows naturally that roboticists making robots in there spare time, drinking beer, would make such robots as the ‘killer’ robots pictured here. These robots, the Subjugator, Drunken Master, and Spiderbot, were made by Christian Ristow in association with RoboChrist Industries.

A decline in industrial manufacturing and industry in the United States has not meant a decline in inventiveness in the United States. This is especially true when it comes to beer and robots. Coming out of the home brewing revival in the 1970s was also a revival of the D.I.Y.(Do It Yourself) mindset. It took a while for D.I.Y. beer and D.I.Y. robots to meet up, but finally, we are there. Sadly, most beer LAUNCHING robots can still only fire commercially produced canned beer, and not home brew. However, these two hobbies come very close with robots such as Wired’s Beer Robot – a robot kegerator.

The engineers over @ Yelp.com took a keg and tap, an Arduino, an RFID reader, and an iPad and turned them into an amazing kegerator robot. The device not only tracks who’s been drinking but also tracks information about the beer as it’s poured, including the temperature and ratings of recently poured drinks (so you’ll know when the keg is on a roll). They even put together a bookmarklet to monitor and track the keg remotely.

It should be noted that the recent wave of D.I.Y. robot building has even taken the term “home brew” to describe many garage style hobbies. This term is often used to describe a hobby interest that comes from a technical or industrial field, but is made at home, such as home brew computers, home brew robots, and even engines. This is further proof of the connection between beer and robots.

One great moment of inspiration and promotion of home brew robotics was when the Late Show with David Letterman had a special guest: the Beer Launching Fridge. Also, the beer launching robot’s maker, John W. Cornwell, Duke University graduate. The Beer Launching Fridge that Mr. Cornwell invented launches beer up to 20 feet, and is remote controlled. In a blog post, Mr. Cornwall expressed the possibility that he may make his Beer Launching Fridge commercially available, and with improvements: the new design would allow a user to swivel the robotic armature with the remote, effectively aiming the launcher.

The phenomenon of beer and robots is not only confined to the garage and DIY inventors. Asahi has built a little robotic bartender that stores and pours beer. This invention can be seen at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tXmGYk_A_c This robot seems to be built more for cuteness than efficiency, though. It takes about three and a half minutes for it to pour a beer, and it spills some, too.

One great take on the beer launcher is a mechanical unit which is foot pump operated. The ‘Ultimate Tailgating Machine’ holds 12 cans of beer and was the final group project for three student of a Design Class at U of I. See it in action at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCIGIe2T4j0 Brought to the world by Dan Larson, Justin Tobin, and Steve Walker.

As we can see, beer, kegerators and robotics are a great combination, with potential for great fun.