Beer coolers are a pain in the arse. First of all, you have to find a bunch of ice. Then, you have to pour all the ice into the cooler. And that’s just the pregame for a wet night full of melting ice. Thank goodness some zany Danes found a better way.
The eCool is an environmentally friendly and altogether awesome alternative to your humble Igloo. The patented device makes use of the ground’s natural coolness by sending your beers a few inches below the surface to chill out, before serving them up with an ingenuous vertical conveyor system that pulls the cans up to a handy dispenser. There’s no electricity, no ice and no mess involved — unless you consider the initial installation, which requires a shovel or garden drill plus some elbow grease.
The only question is: How cold does it keep those beers? Well, that all depends on the temperature of your soil. It typically hovers around the 13C mark, which is a far cry from the 4C inside your fridge. It’s worth noting that this device surely works better in Denmark, where it was invented, since its so far north.
Regardless, it’s a neat idea. Whether or not it’s $US300 neat, however, depends on where you live. And maybe more importantly how much you like to drink in your backyard. [eCool via Awesomer]