Homebrewer Invents Hugely Helpful Brew Hauler

Tom Raich, a 53-year-old pharmacist from Michigan, who is a longtime homebrewer has created a gadget called the Brew Hauler, which — thanks in no small part to the increasing popularity of homebrewing in general — seems to really be taking off. According to the Kalamazoo Gazette,

Raich had struggled hauling his five-gallon carboy, a large glass container used to ferment beer, around his home. The contents of the cumbersome carboy would get jostled — a bad idea for a batch of brew — when he’d try to transfer it from one location to another. In his dream, he saw a device that would ease the move. He woke up the next morning, went to a sporting goods store and bought webbing and buckles — items he used with his other hobby, rock climbing.

Tom apparently never expected the idea to take off when he first thought of it in the late ’90s but he has  happily been proven wrong lately. He sold almost 2,000 Brew Haulers in October, putting the grand total for the year close to 10,000 sold.

According to Raich, Brew Haulers have sold for between $10 and $12. In addition to being stocked at the Eccentric Café and General Store in Kalamazoo, He’s had orders as far away as Texas, Alaska, Massachusetts, Hawaii and one in Nova Scotia.

It doesn’t appear that Raich has set up any sort of a website for the Brew Hauler (he should!) but if you’d like to get your hands on a hauler for yourself (and at only $10 why wouldn’t you? I know I HATE carrying full carboys by the bottom around the house!), you can email brewhaulerinc@aol.com.