Every now and again, everyone needs a vacation from the daily grind. Nothing signaled leisure like a trip to the great outdoors for Beer Blizzard creators Tom Osborne and Mike Robb. And, although they were enjoying their time away from the workplace, they discovered that one thing kept interrupting the festivities: warm beer. Nothing kills a buzz like a sun-warmed can of 80-degree beer.

Tom and Mike pooled their creative and innovative wits to come up with a technique for keeping their beers cool even when they weren’t near a refrigerator. They came up with the Beer Blizzard after months of trial and error, as well as a lot of beer drinking. The hydra-gel cube’s unusual form allowed it to freeze faster and for longer than water. It fits precisely into the circular insert at the bottom of any aluminum can and quickly cools a hot beverage to ice-cold temperature. What’s even better? It remains cool till the very last sip.

They were ecstatic at the prospect of fixing a global crisis. Beer is drunk all around the globe, and the cans are all the same form, whether you’re in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or someplace in Brazil. As a result, a solution for one beer consumer applies to all beer drinkers.

At the 2014 Invention & New Product Exposition (INPEX), the Beer Blizzard was a tremendous hit, garnering a Gold Medal in the Technical Design category. They decided to turn to Kickstarter after noticing the amount of interest their idea was receiving, with the goal of raising $5,000 to finance 10,000 copies. They accomplished their target in only three days. Over 2,000 individuals contributed over $43,000 to their crowdfunding effort. They knew they’d stumbled across something significant.

Shark Tank’s Beer Blizzard

Season 7 Episode 25 Of Shark Tank

Tom and Mike were warmly welcomed on Shark Tank. From the minute they arrived, the Sharks were won over by their laid-back and friendly approach. They wore jeans and Beer Blizzard t-shirts to the Shark Tank stage. They wanted to share their tale of combating warm beer in a truly informal way. Mike introduced himself as the CEO and CRIC (Chief Redneck in Charge), declaring that “warm beer stinks!” as a beer expert.

They showed how the Beer Blizzard fits exactly into the beer can’s little dome-shaped space at the bottom (or any other carbonated beverage). No one would ever have to drink room temperature or warm beer again, thanks to the Beer Blizzard. “America, you’re welcome!” cried Tom and Mike in tandem, and the Sharks burst out laughing.

Each of the Sharks was given a sample of beer to try. Lori didn’t like hers as much as the others, but she did inquire about the Beer Blizzard’s ability to keep a beverage cool. In lab testing, Tom demonstrated that the product kept beverages cool for 21 minutes longer in settings where beer would warm in minutes.

Kevin O’Leary inquired about patents, and Mike verified that design and utility patents were pending. They also verified that the gel they used froze faster than water, but they didn’t want to provide too much information just yet.

Lori also inquired about expanding their business to include all carbonated beverages. However, the Beer Blizzard duo said that they intended to maintain their product in the beer-drinking industry. After all, their experience has shown them that beer lovers are quite picky about the temperature of their beverages.

Robert Herjavec remarked on the Beer Blizzard’s “As Seen on TV” packaging and inquired as to what it meant. Tom stated that he and Mike were drinking when they came up with the concept and that they were exploiting their future appearance on Shark Tank for profit. The Sharks burst out laughing once again. Their pitch was clearly going well.

Tom and Mark were seeking $100,000 in return for a 20% stake in the company. When asked how they planned to spend the money, they said that it would be used to increase inventories and production runs, hence boosting earnings. They also hoped that one of the Sharks would be able to assist them in breaking into retail sales.

Mark Cuban realized their product’s potential. Even though he didn’t believe they’d earn millions, he ended up making a $100,000 offer in return for a quarter of the company. Lori cut him off and gave Tom and Mike precisely what they were looking for: $100,000 for a 20% stake.

With two proposals on the table, Tom and Mike requested some time to think about it. Mark smiled and informed them they didn’t have to worry about anything since Lori was making them a better deal. Tom pulled him off just as he was about to back down, stating they were flattered by her offer. But, in the end, Mike developed a “man-crush” on Mark, so they had no choice but to accept his offer. How can you compete with a “man-crush” after all?

After Shark Tank, Beer Blizzard Has A New Lease On Life

In the immediate aftermath of their debut on Shark Tank, Beer Blizzard was a great hit. Following their appearance on Shark Tank, Tom and Mike watched sales of their Beer Blizzard explode. Walmart, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and a number of other retailers have their disc “ice cubes” on the shelf. The delightful creators of Beer Blizzard worked tirelessly for years following to achieve many of their objectives, including developing additional goods for their website, such as an army man bottle opener.

However, it seems that Beer Blizzard has gone flat years later, as promises of a contract with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and even some military applications fell through.

The company’s Twitter account hasn’t been updated since June 2018, and its website (beerblizzard.com) is no longer active, redirecting to an empty domain placeholder.

All we can say is that Beer Blizzard, it was a lot of fun while it lasted. Best wishes to you.

Royal Pitch is not linked with Beer Blizzard, Shark Tank, or any of its subsidiaries, and the information presented in this article is only for educational purposes.

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