Imagine this. The time is 1492. The place is onboard the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, sailing across a vast ocean. The person, of course, is Christopher Columbus, one of the most famous explorers of all time, as well as his crew. The journey, a trip from Spain that ultimately resulted in the “official” discovery of the Americas. Imagine the difficult journey it must’ve been – one wrought with disease, doubt, and disbelief.

Now close your eyes and imagine this same journey with a couple of kegerators on board the ships. Rather than there being long grueling days filled with hardship and doubt about where the journey would ultimately land these brave men, there might’ve been relaxation and rejoicing at the end of a hard day’s work. And rather than there being disease and illness, such as scurvy caused by a lack of vitamin C since there were limited fresh fruits and vegetables available, the explorer and his sailors could have been enjoying the benefits of something like Bud Light Lime, spewing from draft beer dispensers and filling their guts. Maybe even supplying enough of the needed vitamin to keep them from developing such a debilitating condition.

Okay, you might say. That’s a bit ridiculous to think of kegerators on board Columbus’s ships. Or Bud Light Lime. But we’re not reinventing history here, we’re just imagining how things might have been different. What if each and every ship had its own kegerator, or even two, onboard? It doesn’t matter what type it was – it could’ve been a single tap kegerator, a double tap kegerator, or even a mini kegerator. The point is that there was a way for the crew to enjoy fresh, cold beer while out on the lonely, dark sea each and every night during a journey that took them far from home.

So, the stage is set. We’ve got three ships filled with weary men that don’t know where they are headed and that are tired, lonely, anxious and bored. Now we turn on the taps of our modern day kegerators transported back to the 1400’s and the whole demeanor of the journey changes. No longer are our men miserable and weary at the end of the day. Instead, they can sit down and relax with a cold, refreshing brew or two. They can have a few laughs, make a few friends, and instead of worrying about where they are headed, they can rejoice in the incredible journey that they have embarked upon. Maybe there will even be a bit of mischief and rowdiness on board the ship. That’s possible, but who cares? It’s not like their ship is going to sail into another one out there. Or that they’re going to miss their intended destination (wait, didn’t that happen even without the kegerators and the beer?).

During Columbus’s actual journey, his crew became apprehensive about the longer than expected route and the fact that a land filled with spices, gold and jewels was nowhere to be found. Despite Columbus trying to ease their fears by forging the ship’s travel logs, things got to a point of near mutiny. Luckily for ol’ Chris, he spotted land just a day before he promised that he would turn the ships around and head home. So, do you think that his crew would’ve gotten to the point of near mutiny if they were enjoying their kegerator-equipped ships filled with delicious, refreshing beer each day? We think not!

….So, this year, when the second Monday in October rolls around and we remember the man and the journey that made Columbus Day a holiday, be sure to grab a glass, pour a cold, frosty one from your in home kegerator, and think about what might have been if kegerators were onboard the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria back in 1492.