The Koozie

Whether you call it a koozie, cozy, beer hugger, coolie, or beverage sweater, the koozie is an American staple and is probably one of the most recognizable pieces of drinking paraphernalia in the world. And if you're a beer drinker (and a good one at that) you most likely have quite the collection of these little guys. 

You might think that the sole purpose is to protect your hands from being cold. Maybe it's a way to stop the heat from your hands warming up the beer. Or maybe the joke is on us and it's just a chance for your favorite brands to shamelessly advertise to you and all your friends. As much as the theories above may actually fulfill some form of the koozies functionality and are all factors, there really is a sole purpose for these little foam sleeves, and that purpose revolves around combating one thing...condensation. 

We've all seen a cold beer in the summer heat "sweat". And believe it or not, those little drops of water can wreak havoc on the temperature of your beer. How you ask? (bare with us while we nerd out for a few seconds) While the can is not actually "sweating", instead, gaseous water is condensing out of the air surrounding the can and clinging to the beverage in liquid form, undergoing a transition from gas to liquid. This process expends energy in the form of heat, which is then absorbed by the outside of your can, and in consequence, dramatically warms the core temperature of your brew.

So, the koozies most important job? To stop water droplets from forming on the outside of the can, when you’re enjoying a beer on a humid day.

Next time you’re searching through that one kitchen drawer with all the carpet tape and packaging from every iPhone you ever owned, grab that koozie stuffed in the back and dust it off. Because these little guys deserve some credit! And if you don't have a MadeWest Koozie yet, you need to get one! Shop MW Koozies