The Super Bowl. Not simply another day of football, it has turned into a national pastime that is noted for the specific foods that are served and the fact that it is the biggest beer-drinking day of the year. Super Bowl parties are a great way to hang out with friends to watch the game and the much anticipated commercials between breaks, while also enjoying great munchie food like pizza, wings and nachos, and of course, beer.

If you’re headed to a Super Bowl party at someone’s house that has a home kegerator, you can be sure that the gathering place will be around the kegerator while people watch the game. Most people that own a home kegerator also have a home bar, or some type of area in a family room or game room that they enjoy using for entertaining. This area is usually the “hang out spot” when friends gather for social occasions. People love to hang out near the kegerator because they have easy access to refill their cup of beer and it just seems to be the place that everyone gathers around throughout the party.

It doesn’t need to be Super Bowl Sunday to get together a bunch of friends for a party around the kegerator and to order a bunch of pizzas and wings while watching football. Any weekend in the fall or winter is the perfect time to have a group of friends over for a football watch party.

Just gather together some of your buddies that enjoy watching football (or just enjoy hanging out and eating and drinking while others watch football!), make sure your kegerator has enough beer in the keg to get you through the game, and make or order some good food and you’ve got yourself a party. Saturdays are great for college football watch parties, while Sunday is the day you’ll want to plan your football watch party if pro football is more your speed.

If you don’t want to have to supply all the food and drinks for the event, simply organize an informal get together, either at your house or somewhere else, and have everyone agree to bring something to the party. If you’ve got the kegerator, you can be sure that everyone will want the party to be at your house, but if someone has a portable kegerator or a mini kegerator, it’s very easy to take the beer to wherever the party will be. If no one has a kegerator or you want to have the party somewhere else, the alternative is simply to buy some cans or bottles of beer for the party instead. It won’t provide you with the authentic draft beer taste and feel that you’ll get at the local sports bar or pub, like a beer from a keg will, but it should suffice to get you through the party just as well.

Having a home kegerator is the perfect excuse to get family and friends together over a game of football. So, whether your favorite day of the football viewing year is the college championship game, the Super Bowl, or simply any day that your favorite team plays, call your buddies, grab some chips and dip or order a few pizzas, and then tap the kegerator and enjoy the game!

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!

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!

Hopworks is a brewpub based in Portland, Oregon. Oregon is known for good beer and bikes, and Christian Ettinger, Owner & Brewmaster of Hopworks urban brewery, has combined those along with a determined commitment to sustainable brewing in all of his business endeavors with Hopworks. The Hopworks draft beer bike is a prime example of this commitment, a mobile, pedal-powered bar used to promote this business at beer festivals, street fairs, and other special events.

From the state of Oregon comes some of the most highly rated commercially available microbrews in the world. Rogue Brewery is well known as well as scores of smaller operations, such as Deschutes Brewery, Full Sail Brewing, and Captured! by Porches. Perhaps it has something to do with the great amount of fine hops that grow throughout the Cascadia region.

Oregon is also host to quite a few bicycle enthusiasts. Many clubs are operational in Oregon, including mutant bicycle clubs such as a chapter of the Black Label Bike Club, C.H.V.C.K.E.N. 666, and old-school club from Portland, Chunk 666 bike club. These bike clubs build all sorts of mutant bicycles such as tall bikes (made from two bike frames welded together vertically), flame-throwing bikes, and lawn-mower bikes. Here, you can see a mutant tricycle built by Dingo Dizmal, formerly of the Alberta Street Clown House (now gentrified out of existence in Portland, OR):

With such an inspiring beer and bike scene, it is no wonder that Hopworks’ sustainable choice for promoting their beer was a custom bicycle bar. Hopworks Urban Brewery incorporates many aspects of thoughtful, efficient sustainability in their operation, including composting and rain barrels for rain water catchment. According to the Hopworks website, “Hopworks is 100% renewably powered and “cradle to gate” carbon neutral.” Although CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) emissions may contribute to climate change (used to be called global warming, but you must use the current terminology), additional CO2 definitely helps the hops and barley grow. Still, the Hopworks commitment to an ecologically clean operation is admirable as they pump out roughly 6,000 gallons of beer each year.

The Hopworks Beer Bike is a modified cargo bike that holds two kegs, two custom taps, a flat bar, sound system, and a rack that can hold three large pizzas! The bike itself was built by Portland, Oregon based Metrofiets. Mertofiets specializes in the building of custom cargo bikes, based upon Danish and Dutch cargo bikes with aesthetics melded from 1940s through 1960s American Bicycle designs. Their work is artisan quality, and Metrofiets has made more than one brew serving cargo bike – they also made the mobile coffee bike for Trailhead coffee roasters.

The Hopworks Beer Bike has appeared at many festivals and beer events in Portland, and always gets a lot of attention wherever it goes. This can be attested to by this discovery channel link  And from Make Online:

Garage Tool Cabinet Kegerators
If you were out shopping for a new tool cabinet for your garage you would expect to find features like durable chrome plating or rolling casters, but would a kegerator be an upgrade you would be interested in? Garage Fabricators from Central California thinks it should be. They’ve created the Diamond Plate Kegerator Cabinet that comes fully loaded including powdercoated steel plating and welded 6" phenolic casters. The kegerator cabinet is 23.5” deep x 47.5” wide x 64” tall and has the option of a Flatscreen TV mount. For only $1,678.57 you can call one of these kegerator cabinets your own.

Arcade Machine Kegerators
Whether its Pac-Man or Mario Brothers, imagine having access to fresh draft beer while playing your favorite arcade games. Well, two companies we’ve found seem to have the same idea. The Custom Bar Guys in Roanoke, VA have created THE GAMERATOR. The Gamerator offers access to over 1,000 classic and current arcade games and a refrigerated interior capable of holding a pony keg of draft beer. A device this unique is surely worth the $3,995.00 price tag, so order yours today, as they are handmade upon order and take up to 4 weeks to build.

Another company integrating a beer experience for gamers is Dream Arcades out of Folsom, CA. They have created a racing arcade kegerator entitled the Octane 120 Beer Arcade. The Octane 120 is a home arcade gaming system that combines three things every adult gamer wants: classic arcade games, arcade-style racing, and a full sized kegerator with in-dash beer tap to get your favorite beverage without having to get out of the seat. Only $6995 (S+H) and it’s all yours!

Hitch Mount Kegerator
California companies seem to be all over the extreme kegerator setups and Party-A-CarGo out of Concord, CA is no exception. They have put together a hitch mounted kegerator / entertainment system. Tailgaters, campers, or weekend warriors can pour up to 160 ice cold beers, play 12 hours of music and watch the early games on TV without having to recharge their battery, refill their cooler with ice or clean up empty beer cans. Check out Party-A-CarGo to get all the details on this extreme kegerator.

Let’s start with some definitions.  Microbreweries are considered those breweries that produce less than 15,000 barrels a year.  Microbrews also tend to focus on producing the highest quality beer, and in the U.S., this also qualifies most of them as craft breweries.  Unlike bigger breweries, the eye towards quality means that beer is actually made with real barley, hops, and yeast.  The addition of rice and corn found in the cheapest schwill are not found in microbrews.  Although this means an increased cost of up to 60% that of mainstream beers, microbrews manage to do quite well in a consistently shrinking beer market.  Microbrew sales consistently have risen 40% in recent years, with new breweries popping up with regionally-based fans all over the country.  In order to study the methods of the micro breweries success, lets look at one of the biggest success stories.

One beer manufacturer that has risen above the qualifier for microbrews while still maintaining its craft brewery status is New Belgium.  With its very popular flagship beer, Fat Tire, New Belgium has continued in the tradition of craft brewing excellence, even while exponentially increasing its production.  For those interested in the business of beer, New Belgium is a great company to study.  With well-studied brewing expertise they have managed time and time again to upgrade their brewery production without sacrificing quality.

One undeniable aspect of New Belgium’s success is ingenuity and green production techniques.  With a commitment to sustainable production methods, New Belgium has merged ideology with efficiency and some crackin’ good outside the box thinking.  Since 1999, the New Belgium brewery has been powered from 100% renewable energy sources.  30% of the energy that is used to manufacture is harvested from the biodegradation of their own spent grains, and the rest comes from wind power, bought off the grid of the power company with specific earmarking for wind farms.  With other companies scrambling to attain the reputation of being “green”, New Belgium is an example of authentic green thinking and how well green marketing can work if it isn’t just all talk.

Perhaps one reason why New Belgium has been able to achieve such success is that the company is, in a large part, owned by its operators.  After only one year working for New Belgium, employees are given part ownership of the company and a brand new shiny red bicycle.  One aspect of their business which struck me as phenomenal, was their transparent finances policy.  According to their website:

“And, like all responsible business owners, it’s important to know your bottom line, barrels, and books. Meet New Belgium’s practice of open-book management: a policy of fiscal transparency throughout the company that encourages a community of trust and mutual responsibility.”

It seems that finally, there is a precedent for honesty, ingenuity, and integrity in successful business.

In an ever expanding market, it only makes sense that microbreweries are a good investment choice, even in the troubling times of today’s economy.  Even in the toughest of times, people of all economic strata seldom give up the solace of a fine beer.  But more than that, craft brewing is part of a culture that honors fair dealing, hard work, and cultural tradition.  All of this is evident in the policies of one of the most successful craft breweries of the last 20 years – and it can happen again, maybe for you.

Related article: Kegerators.com’s Top 5 Names in Domestic Beer

EdgeStar Kegerator 
Under $400.00
This kegerator from EdgeStar is the most affordable full-sized kegerator on the market today. The kegerator stores up to a full sized half shell Sankey standard keg and is perfect addition to your home for fall entertaining. See Kegerator Details

Haier BrewMaster Kegerator
$529.99
This is the Honda Civic of kegerators. Durable, dependable and you will get a lot of mileage out of this machine. The kegerator will hold a full sized keg or multiple homebrew style kegs when modified with a dual or triple tap tower. The auto defrost, temperature control and cooling plate are nice features too.  See Kegerator Details

Beverage Air Kegerator 
$1,399.00
With this heavy-duty kegerator you can keep your keg cold with precision. Perfect for the serious draft beer aficionado, this kegerator comes with a stainless steel worktop and high quality refrigeration components. This kegerator would probably last a lifetime, so if you need a workhorse this is your kegerator. See Kegerator Details

Mini Keg Dispenser
$159.99
Ever seen the 5 liter mini-kegs at the supermarket? Well here is a 5-liter dispenser/cooler that will keep your favorite beer or soda ready-to-serve cold. Features include an easy flow design, drip tray cover, brushed aluminum door panel and indicator light. HelmanGroup.com

Kenmore Kegerator
$594.99
This kegerator is a nice full sized unit with all the bells and whistles of the Haier BrewMaster kegerator. This unit stores a half-barrel keg, so your favorite beer is always on tap. You can also store quarter-barrel kegs and mini kegs. Store pickup at Sears is a nice option for those looking to save a few bucks on shipping costs.  See Kegerator Details

Sudsbuddy Kegerator 
$1,399.98
A truly stylish kegerator that definitely is thinking outside of the box. Made of polyethylene plastic, this kegerator is dent-resistant and weighs less than 60 lbs making it easy for portability. It even has a cigarette-lighter adapter. How cool is that?. See Kegerator Details

Viking Kegerator 
$2,899.00
If you are an appliance snoot that only lives for the finer things in life, then I would like to introduce you to the Viking kegerator. This is the Lamborghini of kegerators. Stick this beauty next to your outdoor Sub-Zero and Wolf range to wow your guest and serve delicious draft beer. See Kegerator Details

Perlick Kegerator 
$2,889.00 
This ultra-slim kegerator defines luxury. It is designed with fully integrated depth to allow flush fit with surrounding cabinetry. If you are thinking of installing a kegerator into your cabinetry or you are a contractor designing a  home bar, you can’t go wrong with this ultra modern kegerator design. See Kegerator Details

Fridgidaire Kegerator 
$1149.00
This is for all you old school beer lovers that built a kegerator when you were in college out of an old refrigerator. Well, here is a beautiful replica made by Fridgidaire. It features a freezer on the top to store cold mugs and accommodates Up To a 16-Gallon Keg.  See Kegerator Details

Nostalgia Electrics has finally done it. Long has there been a dream for an inexpensive kegerator that can hold a full size keg and today that dream is answered. Teaming up with Wal-Mart, Nostalgia Electrics’ Keg O Rator Beer Dispenser for 1/2, 1/4, and Mini-Barrel Kegs has been manufactured with cost and design in mind.

The unit is currently under $400.00 dollars allowing a larger group of consumers to purchase the units. These at home kegerators are perfect for the home brewer to store multiple corny kegs or for the entertainer that needs to add a little zing to their kitchen. This price may not last long, so if you are in the market for a kegerator you need to check out this deal.

If you haven’t already submitted your entry to win a free kegerator, then you should do it now. There are only 5 days until the contest closes and the entries will be reviewed to see who is the most deserving to win a free kegerator.

The contest started in June and it was an instant whirlwind of entries from all over the country. We have thousands of entries to read through, so make sure your submission stands out from the pack. We suggest you add a funny or touching story why you deserve to have this kegerator in your life.

The contest ends August 1st and the winner will be announced by the end of September. We can’t wait to announce the winner and make someones draft beer dreams come true!

Some of the features of this kegerator are:

•  Complete tapping & cleaning kit included.
•  Designed for home use: quiet and energy efficient.
•  Stainless steel door panel.
•  Easy clean molded worktop with glass guard rails.
•  Removable drip tray for easy cleaning.
•  CO2 cylinder mounts on back of unit (holder included) for maximum interior space

A glass of draft beer served from the Tap & Serve Kegerator is about ½ the cost of cans or bottles of your favorite brew and with that kind of savings, it doesn’t take long to pay for a new Kegerator. Order one today and take advantage of this kegerator sale. Start enjoying; cold, delicious draft beer at home.