The Michigan Beer Chair: Engineering A Relaxing Experience

The Michigan Beer Chair is a unique creation by woodworker Matt Thompson, who hails from Garden City, Michigan. This chair is shaped like the state of Michigan, with the Upper Peninsula positioned above the Lower Peninsula. The chair features a built-in beer dispenser, with a chute that delivers chilled beer cans directly to the user. Thompson's creation has gone viral, with his Facebook video garnering millions of views and shares from people all over the world. The Michigan Beer Chair is an example of Thompson's creative approach to woodworking, combining traditional craftsmanship with innovative engineering to deliver a functional and entertaining piece of furniture.

The chair's design

The Michigan Beer Chair is an Adirondack chair in the shape of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, with an attached Upper Peninsula-shaped cooler and a chute that delivers drinks between the two. The chair is made of cedar, with an estimated cost of \$400-500 for the wood alone. The holding chamber can fit a full six-pack of 12-ounce cans, and the ice keeps the cans chilled for approximately eight hours. There is also a drainage system in place to prevent ice from spilling down the chute.

The chair was designed by Matt Thompson, a woodworker from Garden City, Michigan. Thompson has been a woodworker for nearly three decades and runs Thompson Woodworks in his spare time. He first began making wooden chairs shaped like the state of Michigan as a way to raise money for charity. The idea for the beer-dispensing chair came later, inspired by a similar Labatt Blue chair. Thompson spent over 100 hours perfecting the design and mechanism of the chair.

The chair has gone viral, with a video of the project posted on Facebook generating millions of views and shares worldwide. While Thompson has no plans to mass-produce or sell the chair due to its labour-intensive nature and high cost, he has used the chair's success to raise money for charities he supports. He also plans to create more unique chairs, such as a wine chair with pulleys and springs.

The Michigan Beer Chair combines traditional craftsmanship and furniture silhouettes with innovative engineering to provide a functional and entertaining piece of furniture. The chair's unique design and functionality have captured the attention of people worldwide, showcasing the creativity and skill of its maker, Matt Thompson.

How the beer is chilled

The Michigan Beer Chair is a unique creation by woodworker Matt Thompson, featuring a custom beer-dispensing system. The chair is designed in the shape of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, with an attached Upper Peninsula-shaped cooler. The cooler is filled with ice, which keeps the beer cans chilled for approximately eight hours.

To chill the beer, the Michigan Beer Chair utilises a simple yet innovative mechanism. The chair features a door on top that needs to be loaded with ice. This ice-filled chamber keeps the beer cans at a cool temperature, ensuring they are refreshingly chilled when dispensed. The ice is carefully contained within the chamber, thanks to a full drainage system that prevents it from spilling down the chute.

The beer dispensing process is straightforward and user-friendly. When a user lifts and lowers a handle, a chilled beer can is dispensed directly into their hand. The handle also serves as a slide for the incoming can, ensuring a smooth and seamless delivery. This mechanism eliminates the need for manual retrieval of beer cans from a cooler, providing a convenient and novel way to enjoy a beverage.

The holding chamber of the Michigan Beer Chair is designed to accommodate a full six-pack of 12-ounce cans. With a capacity to hold a standard six-pack, users can enjoy their favourite beverage without frequent refills. The cedar construction of the chair also contributes to its functionality, as cedar is known for its insulating properties, further aiding in maintaining the temperature of the chilled beer cans.

Overall, the Michigan Beer Chair combines traditional craftsmanship with creative engineering. The chair's ability to chill and dispense beer cans seamlessly showcases Thompson's ingenuity and attention to detail. While the chair gained viral popularity for its unique design, its functionality in keeping beer chilled is a key aspect of its appeal.

How the beer is dispensed

The Michigan Beer Chair is a wooden chair in the shape of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, with a built-in beer dispenser located next to one of the armrests. The chair is made of cedar, with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan serving as a cooler that dispenses beer cans through a chute. The beer dispensing mechanism is activated by lifting and lowering a handle, which also serves as a slide for the incoming can. The user can fill the beverage of their choice through a handy slot, and ice can be loaded through a door on top to keep the cans chilled. The holding chamber can accommodate a full six-pack of 12-ounce cans, and the ice can keep them chilled for approximately eight hours. Additionally, a full drainage system prevents melted ice from spilling down the chute.

The creator of the Michigan Beer Chair, Matt Thompson, a woodworker from Garden City, Michigan, spent over 100 hours crafting this unique piece. He initially started making wooden chairs shaped like the state of Michigan, but later added the beer dispenser to create a functional and entertaining piece of furniture. Thompson has no plans to mass-produce the chair due to the high cost and labour intensity of its creation, but he has expressed interest in using its popularity to raise funds for charitable causes.

The beer-dispensing chair has garnered worldwide attention, with Thompson's video of the chair receiving millions of views and positive feedback from people across the globe. The chair's combination of traditional craftsmanship, furniture design, and innovative engineering has captured the imaginations of many, showcasing the creativity and ingenuity that can be found in the world of woodworking and furniture design.

The chair's creator, Matt Thompson

Matt Thompson, the creator of the Michigan Beer Chair, is a woodworker from Garden City, Michigan, who has been honing his craft for nearly three decades. He works in fire protection maintenance at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor and runs Thompson Woodworks in his spare time. Thompson first began woodworking when he was 20 years old, helping a cabinetmaker in his garage. Although he only stayed with the cabinetmaker for a year, he learned a lot about tools and how to use them.

Thompson's passion for woodworking and gift for the craft have brought him internet fame, with a large following on social media and popular videos that have been shared around the world. His Michigan Beer Chair, an Adirondack chair in the shape of Michigan's Lower Peninsula with an attached Upper Peninsula-shaped cooler and a chute that delivers drinks, has gone viral, with millions of views and shares on Facebook and other platforms.

Thompson's inspiration for the Michigan Beer Chair came from a desire to incorporate the unique shape of Michigan's Upper Peninsula into the design of a chair. He initially made the Upper Peninsula as a table to complement the "mitten" chair, but then had the idea to locate it in its proper position above the Lower Peninsula. The result was a functional and entertaining creation that captured the imagination of people both within and outside Michigan.

In addition to the Michigan Beer Chair, Thompson has created other unique inventions, such as a wine-dispensing chair and a dog-petting hand. He has also used his woodworking skills to raise funds for charity, including Team World Vision, which works to bring clean water to Africa. Thompson's creations have inspired people, including a group of students from a skilled trades school in Denmark who successfully recreated his beer-dispensing chair as their class project.

The chair's viral fame

Matt Thompson, a woodworker from Garden City, Michigan, created the Michigan Beer Chair, an Adirondack chair in the shape of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, with an attached Upper Peninsula-shaped cooler and a chute that delivers drinks. This unique creation sparked viral fame, with a video of the chair posted on Facebook in August 2017 garnering nearly 10 million views and 200,000 shares within four months. The post also attracted worldwide attention, with comments in various languages, and the video collectively receiving an estimated 40 million views across different platforms.

Thompson, a woodworker for nearly three decades, described his creation as "ridiculous," "over the top," yet "practical and goofy." He spent over 100 hours crafting the chair, using pine for experimentation before settling on cedar for the final product. The chair's design includes a beer chute that dispenses chilled cans, with a holding chamber that can accommodate a full six-pack of 12-ounce cans. The ice keeps the drinks cold for up to eight hours, and a drainage system prevents melting ice from spilling into the chute.

The Michigan Beer Chair's viral fame brought Thompson widespread recognition, with people from all over the world expressing their interest in his creation. The video sparked a wave of positive feedback, with many commenting on the chair's entertainment value and uniqueness. Thompson's craftsmanship and creativity resonated with people, and the chair's functional design, combining comfort and beverage dispensing, captured the attention of internet users worldwide.

While Thompson had a feeling his creation would go viral in Michigan, he was surprised by its global reach. The chair's popularity extended beyond his expectations, attracting attention from various countries and cultures. The video's virality seemed to spread in waves, with Thompson observing that it would "explode" in one area before gaining traction in another region a few weeks later. This staggered viral pattern contributed to the chair's enduring fame, keeping it in the spotlight as it reached new audiences.

Although Thompson had no plans to mass-produce or sell the Michigan Beer Chair due to the labour and costs involved, he recognised the potential to leverage its fame for charitable causes. He decided to use the chair's popularity to raise funds for charities he supported, including Team World Vision, a charity working to bring clean water to Africa, and Life Remodeled, a Detroit-based nonprofit investing in neighbourhoods. Thompson's viral creation not only showcased his craftsmanship but also provided a platform to support important causes, demonstrating the positive impact of viral fame.

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