From the Back Paddock to the Cape: The Story Behind AusKeg

Five years, plenty of trial and error, and one simple idea. Why should I have to leave a proper cold tap beer behind when I head off on an adventure?

It All Started With My 30th Birthday

I've always enjoyed a good beer. But if there's one thing I've learnt, it's that nothing quite beats a crisp, cold beer poured straight from the tap at the pub.

For my 30th birthday, my wife bought me a beer keg fridge. And I'll tell you what, once I'd experienced having proper tap beer at home, I wasn't too keen on going back to cans.

Then came our next camping trip.

The problem was, I couldn't take my keg fridge with us.

Now, I've never been one to sit around wishing someone would invent something. If I reckon there's a way to make something work, I'll usually have a crack at it myself.

So that's exactly what I did.

I pulled apart an ordinary portable camping fridge, took out the refrigeration components and built myself an insulated polystyrene box to house a keg.

It wasn't pretty. It certainly wasn't perfect. But it worked well enough to prove that the idea had potential. I was out camping enjoying the outdoors, and I had a cold crisp beer on tap. Happy days!

And that's where AusKeg began.

A Bit About Us

Let's start from the beginning and let me introduce us. We're an Australian farming family with two young boys, and if we're not working, there's a fair chance we're somewhere outdoors.

Between farming, raising the boys, motorbike racing, camping, fishing and exploring Australia, there's never much couch time around our place, but plenty of downtime outdoors.

Our boys race dirt bikes, so plenty of our weekends are spent travelling around to races. When we get the chance, we love packing up the caravan and heading somewhere along a river, where the kids can run around and we can enjoy a bit of peace and quiet.

I've also always loved getting away with my mates. Just the ute, a swag and a few days camping. Nothing complicated.

We've travelled some incredible parts of Australia over the years. One trip I'll never forget was Cape York, where I proposed to my wife at the tip of Australia, right in front of the famous sign.

But not every good afternoon involves travelling halfway across the country.

Sometimes it's as simple as finishing a long day fixing fences on the farm.

There's something pretty satisfying about putting in that last fence post, climbing back into the buggy and enjoying a cold beer while looking out over the paddocks.

And I reckon that beer tastes even better when it's poured straight from the tap after a long days hards work.

That's the lifestyle we live, and it's exactly the lifestyle I've designed AusKeg around.

Five Years of Getting It Right

What started as a homemade camping beer fridge quickly turned into something much bigger.

I knew the idea had potential, but making a portable 12V beer keg fridge that could handle the conditions we put our equipment through was another story.

It's taken us five years of designing, testing, changing things and going right back to the drawing board.

And believe me, we've had our fair share of failures along the way.

One of the biggest challenges was getting the beer to pour properly after travelling.

Anyone who's driven along a corrugated dirt road knows how much everything gets shaken around. The last thing I wanted was to arrive at camp, open the taps and pour myself a glass full of froth.

We went through different taps, refrigeration setups and dispensing arrangements trying to get everything working the way I wanted.

Some of the early taps were hopeless. Far too much head and nowhere near enough beer.

I heard horror stories of pulling up with a glycol-cooled draft beer system, and the beer lines were frozen over blocking the pour. So I knew I had to create a different design where this was never an issue. 

I wanted to be confident that whether I'd just driven across the farm or spent hours on rough tracks, I could pull up, pour a beer and know it would be cold, crisp and have just the right amount of head.

No mucking around.

Just a proper, cold, beer.

It's taken plenty of patience, but after five years of refining the design, I'm pretty proud of where we've landed.

More Than Just a Camping Beer Fridge

One thing I was determined about from the beginning was that AusKeg couldn't just be another gadget that only came out a few times a year.

I wanted something I'd genuinely use.

Something that could sit in the back of my ute when I'm camping, come out on the boat when we're fishing, or go into the buggy when I'm working around the farm.

And when I wasn't using it for beer, I wanted it to be useful as an ordinary fridge.

That's why we've designed AusKeg to accommodate a full-sized commercial 50-litre beer keg, while also allowing for a dual-tap setup when using smaller kegs.

Whether you're pouring beer, home brew, cocktails or wine, there's flexibility to make it suit the occasion. Image how happy my Mrs was when I swapped out the beer keg and replaced it with two cocktail kegs, one of margarita and the other an espresso martini for all the moto Mums to enjoy. 

The keg dispensing hardware can also be removed, allowing the unit to double as an upright portable camping fridge.

And one of the best things about it?

It runs on the same 12V power supply as your ordinary portable camping fridge.

No complicated setup. Just a standard 12V vehicle socket, with the option of running it from 240V power using an adapter when you're at home.

We've also incorporated internal air circulation to help maintain consistent cooling, and spent a lot of time refining the refrigeration and dispensing systems.

Keeping power consumption low was particularly important to me.

When you're camping off-grid, the last thing you want is a fridge chewing through your battery.

I wanted AusKeg to be practical, versatile and reliable.

Something that earns its place in the back of your ute.

Australian Owned. Australian Designed. Made for Australian Conditions.

I'm incredibly proud to be Australian.

And when we decided to turn this idea into a business, there was never much question about what we wanted it to represent.

AusKeg is 100% Australian-owned and designed.

We're farmers ourselves, so we know what rough conditions look like.

The tracks around our property are certainly no smooth highway, and we've travelled enough of this country to know that Australian conditions can be pretty unforgiving and diverse.

From the misty mountains of Tasmania to the heat and humidity of Far North Queensland, I wanted to develop something that could handle the places we love exploring.

And I wanted to do it properly.

For me, quality isn't just about how something looks when it's brand new.

It's about whether it works when you need it.

Whether it can handle the rough tracks, the long drives and the everyday knocks that come with using equipment outdoors.

That's what we've been working towards with AusKeg.

Bringing Back a Bit of the Australian Way of Life

I reckon there's something about the old-school Australian way of life that's worth holding onto.

Getting outdoors. Exploring this incredible country. Spending time with family. Having a laugh with your mates.

Not everything needs to be complicated.

Some of my favourite memories have been the simplest ones.

Sitting around a campfire after a big day on the tracks. Pulling up beside a river with the caravan. Heading out fishing with the boys. Or finishing a long day working on the farm.

And there's something pretty special about being able to open up the back of your ute, pour a few beers and offer one to your mates watching their eyes roll back in their head and hearing them say "how good is this!?"

That's the feeling I wanted to create with AusKeg.

Because for me, this has never just been about building a portable beer keg fridge.

It's about making those moments a little bit better.

The Reaction Has Been Unreal

One of the most rewarding parts of developing AusKeg has been seeing how people react when they come across our prototype.

We'll pull up somewhere with the fridge in the back of the ute, and before long someone's wandered over to have a look.

People take photos, ask how it works and want to know where they can buy one.

But the best reaction is always after they've tasted the beer.

They can't quite believe how well it pours, especially after we've just pulled up from travelling.

Cold beer, a consistent pour with just the right amount of head.

That's when I know all those years of trial and error have been worth it.

And it's also what gave us the confidence to take AusKeg beyond being something I'd built for myself.

We're Just Getting Started

After five years of working on this idea, we're finally getting closer to bringing AusKeg to the Australian market.

There's still work to be done before we're ready to start taking orders, but we're excited about what's ahead.

I never imagined that pulling apart an old camping fridge after my 30th birthday would eventually lead us here.

All I wanted was to enjoy a proper tap beer while camping.

Now, we're working towards making that possible for other Australians who love the same lifestyle we do.

So whether you're into 4WD touring, camping, fishing, boating or simply enjoy knocking off after a hard day's work with a cold beer, I hope AusKeg becomes part of your adventures too.

We're not taking orders just yet, but you can join our mailing list to be among the first to know when pre-orders open.

Thanks for following along with us.

Proudly Australian.

Built around the lifestyle we love.

Because tap beer tastes better.