It’s coming. Summer is just around the corner and you’re going to want to have fun. With the economy the way it is, my prediction is that having fun will include more friends and family moments than ever.

Every time we have faced hard times as a nation, we have returned to the simpler things in life. When we go through economical struggles, playing basketball with your kids becomes an enjoyable quality moment over the costly trip to the amusement park. Your times with your friends will drastically change as well.

Not too many pro ballgame excursions or group gambling evenings in Las Vegas with your buddies anymore. So, to where will we retreat when summer comes rolling around and we want to have good times but don’t have much money to enjoy them? It’s in the back yard now.

Everyone knows that in tough times, the best investment is the one that keeps on giving. When you spend money on the good things in life that you can use all summer long and many summers to come, you have made the wisest investment. So, we begin with a look at a keg cooler.

Instead of finding someone’s 55 gallon trashcan and packing ice around the keg, why don’t you treat yourself to your own keg cooler and get a tap while you’re at it? Don’t worry about the heat beating down on your summer day. Your beer will stay cool as your keg sits nicely on the patio or the deck and turns your kegger into a classy joint that won’t let you miss the better economic times.

You can dress your beer tap up with a handle advertising your own beer. Plus, this is the perfect way to show people that you’re serious about your beer drinking enthusiasm. Budweiser, Busch or Coors are your more popular brands of handles because they are good looking, but they also show brand loyalty when you’re drinking beer out of a keg you purchased at the liquor store just down the road. 

However, you can have a little fun with handles. Ice handles give the impression that you are serving cold beer and with the right keg cooler you’ll be able to keep your promise. But, you can also dress up your tap with a Sailor on a Stella Artois or a Barrel on a Michelob Amber Bock. There are so many ways to go with it, you’ll never run out of options. Plus, you won’t end up with your favorite beer all over you because you won’t be using a rented tap used by thousands of keggers before you.

Take the keg to the lake and take your beer tap handle with you because the next idea I give you is going to really liven up the party. If you have never played beer pong, you are missing out on a fun game. But, you can set up a table and play that way or you can play in style on an inflatable beer pong table. In three feet of water, this is about the best wet fun you’ll have all summer long.

These are just a few ideas to get the friends and family together for some summer fun. But, you love beer and you’re going to have beer at most of your events all summer long. So, dress it up and have fun with it. You might soon learn that you really don’t miss the life that much when we thought it was so much better than it is now.