Bringing an ice chest to a tailgate party can be a hassle. The size, weight and bulk of a cooler along with the cost of ice can make tailgating a real pain. If only there was a way to keep a case of beer cold without the hassle and expense of lugging a cooler full of ice to the tailgate…
We recently discovered the Case Coolie.
Simply stated, the Case Coolie is an insulating device that slips over your case of beer and keeps it insulated and cold right out of the liquor store fridge. Most beers already come chilled so there is no reason to add ice and try to maintain that temperature artificially. The Case Coolie combines a double layer of top quality insulation to create a barrier to heat and thus keeps your case cold.
As you might expect, we were a little skeptical of their claims that the Case Coolie can keep a case of beer cold for up to 10 hours. This claim may be the case if you place the Case Coolie over a case of beer and do not open and close it repeatedly like is the normal practice at a tailgate. With that in mind we put the Case Coolie to the Tailgating Ideas test.
The test would consist of starting with a cold 30-pack of beer. We placed the cold case of beer in the Case Coolie while at the store and left it in the Case Coolie without opening it up for 45 minutes. This replicated a real tailgating environment when you buy the beer on the way to the game and drive for about 45 minutes before arriving at your destination.
After 45 minutes passed, we opened up the Case Coolie and took out two beers every 15 minutes. The ambient temperature was around 80 degrees so this replicated an early season game of the NFL or NCAA football season. We repeated this pattern of opening up the Case Coolie, removing a few beers and then closing it back up via the velcro. We did not have a system of trying to remove all the beers on the top area before working on the bottom. We just simply took out the beers that were closest to the opening much like anyone would do if they were out tailgating.
The reason we kept on opening and closing the Case Coolie was to let the cold air escape and the warm air in just like it would occur naturally out in the tailgating wild. Putting a case of beer in an insulating sleeve and not opening it and not taking a few out is not realistic. In order to replicate real usage in a real tailgating environment, you need to open and close the Case Coolie and remove a few cans each time.
As you can see in the photo above, the last beer removed after four hours of being in an opened and closed Case Coolie was around 55 degrees. Although the temperature was about 10 degrees warmer than the temperature of the beer when we bought it, 55 degrees is drinkable. If you split a 30-pack of beer with a friend (2 beers removed every 15 minutes over the course of four hours), by the time you hit the 55 degree beer, the temperature will be the last thing on your mind.
After thoroughly testing the Case Coolie in a real tailgating environment, we are going to deem the Case Coolie “Tailgate Approved”.
The Case Coolie comes in three different colors, black, red and blue. The Case Coolie comes with a carrying handle and also a shoulder strap for those distances when you need to get from your house to the parking lot. No matter which color you choose, the Case Coolie will run you $29.99.
For more information or to buy one of your own, visit: CaseCoolie.com