The nICE Mug

nICE Mug - 1

Inventor Glenn Auerbach and his group of friends have developed a reusable mold that creates a drinking mug made of ice. I can’t think of a better way to keep your beer cold. These glasses are a great idea, however there are some caveats. Air bubbles created during the freezing process can cause weak spots in the final product. Luckily, the makers of nICE mug have tips on making “clear” ice using distilled or reverse osmosis water, lemon oil drops, and/or the “double freeze” method. Glenn is raising funds on Kickstarter for its production, and you can also visit the nICE mug webpage here. A $20 pledge to their kickstarter page (between September 5th and October 8th) gets you an “Early Adopter Kit” including two molds and four nICE holds at half price. Best of luck Glenn!

NoAdhesive Homebrew Labels

No-Adhesive-Beer-LabelI just stumbled across this product late last week. NoAdhesive.com has a great solution for homebrewers who would like to create their own beer labels. Its a super simple solution. You create your own label using whatever means you like (Beerlabelizer.comFreelabelmaker.com, MSPaint, Instagram,  or finger paint :)), then you print off the label, then you take your custom label and slip it under a NoAdhesive Label sleeve and dip it into boiling water to shrink wrap it to your bottle! The result is a professional looking beer label that will survive the scurge of any cooler you store your precious brews in.

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Cleanup is great too. You don’t have to worry about wax or glue scumming up your bottles when you want to re-use them. Just cut off the old label and add a new one. Simple idea, but very useful for those that want to add a personal touch to their beer. No-Adhesive has a list of retailers you can purchase these sleeves through, but they will also send you a free sample if you are interested.

The TapIt Cap

TapIt Cap Image

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Robert Scott of Denver, Colorado has created something great for craft beer lovers. Have you ever wondered what the shelf life of beer in a growler is? Once your growler has been opened, you can pretty much expect your beer to start losing carbonation similar to that of a 2-liter bottle of pop. Using the TapIt Cap you are literally converting your growler into a mini keg system that preserves your beer from oxidation, but also maintains pressure for perfect pours every time. Great idea! These would be great for 1 gallon growlers as well as 1/2 gallon growlers. If you are interested in supporting this idea, stop by Robert’s Kickstarter page and show the TapIt Cap some love. You can also follow the TapIt Cap on Twitter. This will be an interesting product to watch in the months to come. Best of luck to these guys!