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In Gear: Beer Accessories for Summer Suds

Posted by Amanda Clarke, July 10, 2008 at 1:45 PM

Aaaah, beer. In my opinion, there are few things more satisfying on a hot day. For those of you of like mind, here are a few nifty ideas for getting your beer on:

Tool Bottle Openers

Bearing likeness to pliers and wrenches, these tool bottle openers will impart a greater sense of productivity to the opening of your next brew. $25, from The Curiosity Shoppe

Monogrammed Cups and Coasters

Maybe these monogrammed cups and coasters were meant for use at weddings and such, I’m not really sure, but the way I see it, they’re a good way of staking your claim. Take one to a friend’s barbecue and nobody will mistakenly pick up your brew. Host a party where everybody drinks from cups with your monogram, and any cup that gets set down could be yours. My beer! All Mine! $32.95 and up, from Ballard Designs

Keg Stand

The fancy new Keg Stand from Kaleidoscope Design could be just the thing to save backs and bring a little class to backyard blowouts. The Stand consists of a wheeled platform, less than a foot high, onto which the keg is placed, then a tall collar is slipped on over the keg and locked in place, saving the party host the trouble of lifting the thing up and over the rim of a trash can. Around the rim of the collar are also handles for pushing the Stand around and a wide ledge hosting a cup dispenser and a coaster holster for civilized and efficient keg-ertaining. Though the Keg Stand does not appear to be available to the consumer as of yet, we can always hope for next summer.

About the author: Amanda Clarke is a recovering restaurant pastry chef with a background in architecture. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she writes, tests, and develops recipes and works on freelance food-styling gigs between walkings and feedings of her two dogs and husband.

1 Comment | Tags: beer, In Gear, tableware

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