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Beer Koozie
Beer Koozie otherwise known as an insulated container for cans and bottles to keep beer cold first appeared back in 1921, but was called a cozy for insulating portable gas generators. The beer koozie as we know it today was first patented in October 1981 by Bonnie McGough of Caldwell, Idaho and was made for using with 12 oz. cans only. It was called the insulated beverage cozy that had inner and outer fabric walls with a chamber in between for insulating material and at the top was an elastic band to hold the can snug inside the cozy. Another patent issued in 1987 and which improved on the 1981 design was for a fold-up type insulated beverage container holder which included a supporting base that was stable. This particular koozie had a specially designed base that collapsed with the rest of the Koozie, but wouldn't fall over when a can covered with a Koozie was put down on a flat surface. A further patent granted in 2007 for a product called the Krazy Koozie was similar to other Koozies that wrapped around containers. It also provided hand protection for hot drinks and insulation for cold beverages except that it could expand and contract to hold all different shapes and sizes of drink containers.The name koozie itself has also seen its share of changes through the years from also being called koozy, cozie, cozy and cosy.
Currently beer koozies comes in all different types and styles for cans and bottles. There are your standard ones that are the rigid one piece product and then there are the light, collapsible fold down kind that fit neatly into your purse or pocket. The different types include koozies made from materials such as neoprene and a neoprene look alike that consists of a closed cell foam that is lighter in weight and a cheaper material. There are also plain styrofoam, plastic and stainless steel type versions and even handcrafted ones made from fabrics like felt, cowhide, or crocheted. The different style koozies include personalized beer koozies, custom beer koozies, beer can koozies, and beer bottle koozies up to the large 40 oz size. In addition these all come in many different colors and sizes plus some even have zippers on them for easy insert of your can or bottle.
Besides the benefit of keeping one's beer insulated and cold from their warm hands, beer koozies have other uses as well. They are great for identifying one's individual beer from others to prevent beer waste and for keeping beer camouflaged in certain inconspicuous places to avoid problems. They are also used by many businesses for advertising their logos on them and make great promotional giveaways as they are cheap to manufacture and their use by households keeps the company's name always in view.
So the next time you head out to the beach, go to a picnic, tailgate at a sports game or are just enjoying a private or party barbecue in your backyard with a cold one, don't forget to reach for and include a beer koozie on your beer.