The Book of Beer Awesomeness
Page 11
One pitcher (amateur), or pint glass/plastic cup (pro), or shot glass (expert)
BREW FACT
The first U.S. quarter was minted in 1796 and was used in a drinking game three minutes later.
SETUP
Games are played with as many players as you want.
Fill the glassware with beer and set it on a table or counter.
Make sure you have plenty of backup quarters.
GAME PLAY
All players sit around the table and take turns trying to bounce the quarter off the table and into the glass.
SCORING (DRINKING) METHOD
If the quarter successfully enters the glass, the shooter commands any other player to have a drink and receives another turn.
If the quarter hits the glass but does not go in, the shooter gets to reshoot.
If the shooter completely misses the glass, the next player gets to shoot.
If a shooter makes three quarters in a row land in the glass, he gets to make up a rule. The penalty for breaking this new rule is taking a drink.
Play continues until a player has made up four rules. The fourth rule is always picking someone to drink the contents of the shooting glass.
PROPER SHOOTING TECHNIQUE
Choose a new quarter with no nicks or irregularities along the edges.
Grab the quarter between your thumb and index finger, gripping it along the edge.
Hold the quarter at approximately a 45-degree angle. Your hand should be no more than one foot above the playing surface for a close-range shot.
Bring your hand down onto the playing surface, bouncing the face or back of the quarter off the surface and into the cup or target.
The quarter must bounce only once, and it must go directly into the cup.
Don’t swallow the quarter when consuming your beer unless you’d like to make change the next time you’re on the can.
Want to play Quarters, but you only have three minutes before your trigonometry exam? You’re in luck! You can still sneak in a quick game thanks to Speed Quarters.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED BESIDES BEER
Two quarters
Two shot glasses
One table
SETUP
Games are played with as many players as you want—no less than four and preferably eight.
Fill two shot glasses with beer.
GAME PLAY
All players must sit or stand around a table in a circle.
Play begins with two people opposite each other in the circle (or as opposite as possible). Each of the starting players gets one quarter and one shot glass set in front of them.
Designate a non-shooter to yell “go!” and once yelled, the two shooters try to bounce their quarters into their glasses. Players shoot as fast as they can until their quarter makes it into the glass.
SCORING (DRINKING) METHOD
Once a quarter gets sunk, that person passes the glass with the quarter to the person on his left.
The person receiving the glass must remove the quarter, drink the shot, refill the glass, and immediately start shooting, attempting to sink the quarter and pass the glass as fast as possible.
Play continues until a person gets passed both glasses—don’t worry, it’ll happen sooner than you think. When this occurs, that player is eliminated.
Play continues until there is only one player remaining.
OPTIONAL QUARTER RULES
If you point you must take a drink.
If you swear you must take a drink.
If you drink with your dominant hand you must take a drink.
If you use the word “drink” you must take a drink.
You must swap names with the player to your left. If you mix up the names or respond to your given name you must take a drink.
You must take one gulp for each person playing the game.
You must play the rest of the game standing on one foot.
You must refer to yourself exclusively in the third person.
You must take a gulp for every letter in your first name.
You must talk like a hillbilly for the remainder of the game.
COACH SAYS
It’s always a good idea to wash your quarters with dish soap and water before playing. No one knows where that 1979 quarter has been.
Everyone respects people who go the distance. That applies to marathon runners and mountaineers, and it will also apply to you once you master this “distant” cousin of Quarters.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED BESIDES BEER
One quarter
One pint glass or plastic party cup per player
One table
SETUP
Games are typically a one-on-one challenge between two players.
One cup filled with beer is set on a table.
GAME PLAY
Games are played in seven rounds.
Each player gets two attempts to bounce the quarter on the table, trying to land it in a cup.
If the first player misses, it’s the next player’s turn. If the second player sinks the quarter she wins the round.
After each round, the glass get pushed back six to eight inches and play continues.
SCORING (DRINKING) METHOD
If the first player’s quarter lands in the cup, the second player must also sink the quarter in the cup. If the second player misses, she loses the round and must take a drink.
If both players sink quarters in the cup, it’s considered a push and the next round begins.
If both players miss, they both lose and must take a drink and restart the round.
The winner starts the next round. In the event of a push, the last player in the previous round starts the next round.
The player who wins the most rounds is the winner. In the event of a tie, a tiebreaker round is played from the farthest distance.
COACH SAYS
Striking the quarter at a greater angle—similar to skipping a rock on water—will achieve greater distance. But remember not to sacrifice accuracy for power.
We generally aren’t fans of spin-offs. In fact, Joanie Loves Chachi and Baywatch Nights nearly ruined the concept for us altogether until we discovered Chandeliers. This brilliant spin-off of Quarters is nearly better than the original thanks to its elegant yet rapid game play.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED BESIDES BEER
One quarter
One shot glass
One pint glass or plastic party cup per player
SETUP
Games are played with as many players as you want. The more the merrier.
One shot glass filled with beer is put in the center of the table.
One cup per player is also filled with a set amount of beer (typically two to four ounces) and arranged around the shot glass in a circle, directly in front of each player.
GAME PLAY
Players take turns attempting to bounce the quarter on the table, trying to land it in a player’s cup or the shot glass.
SCORING (DRINKING) METHOD
If the quarter misses all the cups, it’s the next player’s turn.
If the quarter lands in the shooter’s cup, the shooter must take a drink, and refill his cup.
If the quarter lands in another player’s cup, that player must take a drink, and refill his cup.
If the quarter lands in the shot glass, each player has to drink his entire beer, and the last player to set down his empty glass must also drink the beer in the shot glass. The last player must also refill everyone’s beer and is then eliminated from the game.
After each turn, the quarter is passed to the next player.
Players are eliminated when their cups get sunk three times.
Play continues until only one player remains.
COACH SAYS
You can also try playing this game with a ping-pong ball. It’s a good alternative, especially if you lack the skill and finesse required to shoot with a quarter.
What’s more American than baseball? A baseball drinking game, that’s w
hat! We even posit that it’s better than the actual American pastime. Not only can it be played within the comfort of your own living room rain or shine, but it also involves 50 percent less ass-patting.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED BESIDES BEER
One quarter
Four pint glasses or plastic party cups (regular) or four shot glasses (expert) per player
One table
SETUP
This game requires two teams with the same number of players, up to nine for a full lineup.
Four cups are placed touching each other in a straight line. The cup line should be perpendicular to the edge of the table (leaving enough room to bounce).
GAME PLAY
The game consists of nine innings in which the teams take turns “batting” in an effort to score points or “runs.” A pair of turns, one at bat by each team, constitutes an inning.
When batting, each team’s players, in order, take turns “hitting” (bounce the quarter successfully into one of the cups). Each player gets three attempts to get a “hit” per turn.
Each team gets three outs per inning.
If a cup is hit or nicked but a quarter is not sunk, it is a “strike.” Three strikes is one out.
A quarter that is bounced and does not hit the glass or land into the cup, also called a “pop fly,” is an automatic out.
SCORING (DRINKING) METHOD
If a hitter strikes out or performs a pop fly, he must drink.
When a player successfully makes a shot he is said to be “on base.” An on-base “runner” advances to the base corresponding to the cup that was sunk. The closest cup is a single, second is a double, third is a triple, and fourth is a home run.
The runner(s) also advances by the next hitter sinking a glass, which moves the on-base runner(s) the corresponding number of additional bases. For example, if the on-base runner is on first and the hitter sinks a double, the on-base runner advances to third base and the hitter advances to second.
Teams are awarded one run for each on-base runner who successfully crosses home plate. For each run, the entire opposing team must take a drink.
A home run is an automatic run and any on-base runners also score. In the event of a “grand slam” (a home run when the bases are loaded) the opposing team must drink their entire beers.
Play continues for nine innings and the team with the most runs after nine innings is declared the winner. Unlike the shameful 2002 Major League All-Star Game, extra innings are always played in the event of a tie.
What does it take to be an anchorman? In the news biz, it takes graying temples, a full-bodied lip duster, and an ability to engage in senseless banter with the weather reporter. But in the world of drinking games, it takes courage, leadership, and an ability to drink twice your weight.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED BESIDES BEER
Eight quarters
One table
One pitcher
SETUP
Anchorman is played with two teams of four.
One pitcher filled with beer is placed in the center of the table.
Teams stand on opposite sides of the pitcher.
Each player is given a quarter.
GAME PLAY
The game begins with the first two opponents (typically the two players at the end of the table) attempting to bounce their quarters into the pitcher until a bounce successfully lands in the pitcher.
Once the first quarter is successfully sunk, that team’s next player gets to shoot. This process continues sequentially until all team members have successfully sunk their quarters.
In the event that the last two opponents’ quarters were sunk at the exact same time, the game is decided with a rematch.
SCORING (DRINKING) METHOD
The first team to get all four quarters into the pitcher wins.
The losing team must chug the pitcher in the same order in which they shot, with the last person being the “Anchorman.”
The Anchorman must finish whatever is left in the pitcher.
Think ice cube trays are just for making ice? Think again. All it takes is a playful spirit and a whole lot of alcohol to transform those little chunks of molded plastic into the centerpiece of a truly entertaining drinking game for generations of college kids.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED BESIDES BEER
One plastic ice cube tray
One quarter
One table
One pint glass or plastic party cup
SETUP
Games are played with as many players as you want, but no less than three.
One standard ice cube tray is placed on a table perpendicular to the end of the table (facing away from the players) and about two feet in from the end of the table (leaving enough room to bounce).
The far side of the tray is designated the “give” side and the near side is designated the “take” side.
One cup full of beer, called the “moose cup,” is placed at the far end of the tray.
GAME PLAY
Players take turns trying to bounce the quarter into the ice cube tray.
Each cube has a value, the closest being one, the next being two, and so on. Typically there are eight to ten cubes in a tray.
SCORING (DRINKING) METHOD
When the quarter lands in a cube on the “give” side, the shooter earns points based on the cube’s value and also distributes that many sips to any combination of players. For example, if the quarter lands in the third cube, three points are awarded and three drinks are given out to players in any amount—two to Player 1 and one to Player 2, or two to Player 2 and one to Player 1, or three to Player 1, or … you get it.
When the quarter lands in the ice cube tray on the “take” side, the shooter has to drink according to the cube’s value it landed into, and those points are deducted. For example, if the quarter lands in the fourth cube, four points are deducted and four drinks must be taken.
If the quarter lands on the ice cube tray but doesn’t fall into a cube, it’s a social and everyone drinks.
If the quarter lands in the “moose cup,” every player has to put their hands to their heads, mimicking antlers, and yell “moose!” The last person to yell “moose!” has to drink the moose cup. The moose cup gets refilled and replaced after each “moose!”
Play continues until someone scores eleven points.
BREW FACT
Moose with antlers tend to have more sensitive hearing than moose that don’t, so watch what you say if one is the next room.
Oftentimes, the modern world can get too complicated.
THAT’S WHY PEOPLE STILL go camping—because they want to reestablish one of the most important connections of all: the connection between man and nature. In that regard, drinking games of absolutely no skill or strategy are much like the drinking man’s version of getting back to nature.
There’s a beauty and simplicity that comes from removing all the convolution and challenges that may come from a complicated drinking game and getting back to the basics: you and your beer. It’s this Zen-like awareness of one’s connection to the present, the universe, and the delicious bubbly liquid that make these games so enticing.
What follows is a survey of some simple but fun games that require nothing more than some beer, some drinking buddies, and some luck.
Unlike a lot of other card games out there, Acey Deucey is a game that can potentially screw over the dealer just as easily as it can the player, making it a deceptively fun way to force people to drink.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED BESIDES BEER
A deck of playing cards
SETUP
This is a two-player, head-to-head challenge played in a best-of-seven series
Both players are dealt two cards faceup and one card facedown. All cards are ranked by their face value except for aces. Two is the lowest and king is the highest.
GAME PLAY
If an ace is dealt for the first faceup card, it’s considered the “lowest” card. If an ace is dealt for the second faceup card, i
t’s considered the “highest” card.
The object is now to guess whether the facedown card will fall “inside” or “outside” the two cards. For example, if the player is dealt a two and a four, only a three is considered inside and everything else is outside.
After both sets are dealt, both players shout their guesses and flip their cards simultaneously.
SCORING (DRINKING) METHOD
If both players are correct, it’s a tie and no one drinks.
If both players are incorrect, it’s a tie and both players drink.
If one player is correct, the opponent must drink and he loses the round.