Beer Olympics Game Ideas
Beer Pong Is it really a party if you don’t play Beer Pong? You know how it goes: 2 teams stand at either end of a table with their own set of 10 plastic cups half-filled with beer arranged in a triangle. Teams take turns tossing ping pong balls into each other’s cups. If you land it, the other team drinks and discards the cup. The first team to land the ball in each of their opponent’s cups takes the gold medal. Practice tossing ping pong balls into cups of water to train for this main event. For a new twist, take Beer Pong to the yard and play Beer Bucket Pong, substituting buckets of water for target cups.
Flip Cup To play Flip Cup, line up the teams on either side of a table, and give each player a plastic cup of beer. The players at one end chug their beers, then place their cups right side-up on the rim of the table. They attempt to flip their cup upside down onto the face of the table by flicking it from the bottom edge. Once a player is successful, the teammate next to them chugs their own beer and does the same. The first team to drink and flip all their cups wins. Train for Flip Cup by practicing your cup flipping. Set an empty cup at the edge of the table and flick upward toward its lip.
Slap Cup Also known as Boom Cup or Rage Cage, play Slap Cup by filling 20 cups ⅔ full of beer and placing them in the center of the table. Gather each team around the table (alternating players from each team), and give 2 random players an empty cup. Players then bounce ping pong balls into the empty cup in front of them, passing both the cup and the ping pong ball to their left when they land it. But watch out—if the player immediately to your right lands their ball before you, they slap your cup and you have to drink. To adapt this game to the Beer Olympics, award a medal or points to the team with the player who slapped the most cups. Practice by bouncing a handful of ping pong balls into an empty cup as fast as you can.
Baseball Play Baseball by giving each team 3 chances to toss a ping pong ball into the 4 cups of their opposing team. If they land it, the opposing team drinks, and the next player on the batting team starts their “at-bat.” The “pitch” switches when the batting team misses 3 balls total. Play 9 innings (or however many you like)—the team who sank the most ping pong balls takes the medal. Players may also “steal bases” by running to 1 of 2 flip cup stations at either side of the table, attempting to flip the cup before the opposing team. The slower team has to drink!
Beer Die To play Beer Die, draft 4 players from different teams and sit them each at the corner of a table with a full cup of beer in front of each. One player starts by throwing a die (at least high enough to clear everyone's head) into any other player’s cup. If they make it, every other player drinks. If they miss, the target player tries to catch the die before it hits the floor—if they can’t, they drink. Players who spill cups while throwing dice or catching dice also drink. Move carefully! The game ends when a player sinks a certain number of dice into the cups, usually either 5 or 7. Their team takes the medal.
7-11 Doubles To play 7-11 Doubles, all players gather around a table, grouped into their teams. A random starting team rolls 2 dice. If they roll a 7, an 11, or doubles of any number, they choose a player from another team to drink a full can of beer. As the player drinks, the dice roller then repeatedly rolls the dice as fast as they can—if they roll another 7, 11, or doubles, the drinker must drink another can. If the dice roller doesn’t roll a 7, 11, or doubles, they must drink a can themselves, and the dice are passed to the team on their left. To adapt this game to the Beer Olympics, award the medal to the team who made other players drink the most.
King’s Cup To play King’s Cup, all players gather around a table with a full cup of beer in the center, surrounded by a face-down, shuffled deck of cards. Each player also has their own full cup. Players take turns drawing cards, and each card corresponds to a different action. For example, if someone draws an ace, all players waterfall their drink. Players who draw a 2 can pick any other player to drink, while players who draw a 3 have to drink themselves. Card rules for King’s Cup tend to vary from party to party, so don’t hesitate to make up your own to suit your event, or consult a list of card variations. To adapt the game to the Beer Olympics, award points or medals to the team who drank the least, with each player keeping track of their own drinking.
Bottle Ring Toss Bottle Ring Toss is exactly like the classic carnival game, only with beer bottles. Two players stand on opposite sides of the table, each with a full, open beer bottle in front of them. The first player attempts to toss a plastic ring around the other player’s bottle. If they’re successful, the other player drinks. The first player to empty the other team’s bottle wins. For the Beer Olympics, have players from either team take turns tossing the ring.
Relay Race An equal number of players from each team line up at a starting line. Across the yard, set up a group of full bottles for each team, each group containing a bottle for each member of a team. On the count of 3, players race to the other side of the yard, chug a bottle from their team’s group, and race back, sending the next teammate out to do the same. The first team to down all their bottles gets the gold. Spice things up by introducing blindfolds, or by spinning each player around 10 times before sending them on their way.
Chugging Contest This event requires no introduction. Teams send their most formidable players to the table. Each nominated player is given a bottle with a straw in it (for easier chugging). On the count of 3, each player chugs, and the first to down the full bottle takes the medal for their respective team. Feel free to run multiple rounds, and grant victory to the team who wins the most rounds.
Shotgun Relay This is essentially a chugging contest but with cans and teams instead of bottles and individual players. An equal number of players from each team lines up, each armed with a sealed can and a key. On the count of 3, the first player in line shotguns their beer, then crushes it underfoot. The next player on the team waits for the first to crush it, then shotguns and crushes their own, and so on down the line. The first team to shotgun all their beers takes the W.
Twisted Twister This game brings a boozy twist to playing Twister. When playing Twisted Twister, standard rules apply, but each player holds a can of beer while playing, and must attempt to take a sip after every spin of the almighty Twister spinner. Good luck trying to keep your balance. Oh yeah, and players who fall over have to chug, and the last player standing wins. Hope you’ve been working on your core strength! For the Beer Olympics, teams nominate players to participate, or play multiple rounds to let each member of each team have a go. The team with the most wins takes the medal.
Stein Holding Contest Stein holding is a traditional and time-honored event. Teams each nominate their strongest player to compete. Players are given a full, 1 L (34 fl oz) stein of beer. On the count of 3, players hold their steins out at arm’s length, perpendicular to their bodies, and hold that position for as long as they can. If you falter, you chug. The last player standing earns their team a medal. Appoint a judge, or have a member of an opposing team judge each player’s form. Hit the gym to train for this event. It’s the perfect excuse to sneak in another arm day.
Keg Toss Here’s a time-honored Beer Olympics event! When competing in a keg toss, teams each send their strongest player to compete. Each player has 2 chances to throw an empty keg as far as they can, measured from the starting line. The farthest toss takes home the bacon. Or, host a Keg Roll, in which opposing teams race to roll an empty keg across the lawn. Mix it up by using only your feet—or only your butts.
Beer Balance The rules of Beer Balance are simple: each player rests a full, open beer can on their head, then goes about their business. The player to keep their beer balanced on their noggin the longest scores a medal for their team. It’s deceptively straightforward, at least until you find yourself soaked in a light lager. This event pairs well with other events like relay races, adding a good bit of challenge and an added opportunity to take home a medal.
Never Have I Ever To play the drinking version of this classic slumber party game, players all sit in a circle, each armed with a full beer. The game starts with one player saying, “Never have I ever…” and then stating some silly, devious, or downright dastardly thing they’ve never done themselves. The players who have done the deed, though, must drink, and play goes around the circle, with each player coming up with their own “never have I ever.” The last player with beer left in their can or bottle wins. For example, the starting player might say, “Never have I ever egged a house.” Any rascals at the party who have must take a swig.
Beer Tower In Beer Tower, each team races to scull beers, then stack the empty cans on top of each other to create the tallest tower. Teams have 2 minutes to pound ‘em back and stack ‘em up, but be careful—if your tower topples, you’re disqualified. The team with the highest intact tower after 2 minutes snags the gold. Follow up Beer Tower with Beer Topple, where teams take turns hurling empty beer cans at each other’s towers. The last team standing wins an additional medal.
Can Bowling It’s bowling, but with beer! Set up 10 empty cans in a triangle formation, then give a player from each team a tennis ball (or a similar bowling ball stand-in). Players each get 1 bowl, and each player on each team gets a turn. The team with the highest total number of “pins” knocked over wins. Feel free to get crazy with your bowls. Roll the ball, throw it, even toss another empty can at the “pins.”
Beersbee This is a boozy twist on Frisbee. To play Beersbee, give each team an empty beer bottle on a stool, with the stools positioned an equal distance apart from each other. Teams then take turns throwing a Frisbee to try to knock other teams’ bottles off the stools. The last team with a bottle still standing takes the crown. For added difficulty and hijinks, teams may attempt to catch the frisbee before it hits their bottle. Beersbee also comes in commercial sets under the name Bottle Bash.
Beerio Kart We never endorse drinking and driving, but drinking while playing Mario Kart doesn’t exactly break any laws. In Beerio Kart, players sit around a game console and boot up a multiplayer game of Mario Kart. Each player must finish a full beer before crossing the finish line, but there’s a catch—players must come to a full stop while drinking. Of course, first across the checkered line earns a place on the podium. Play multiple games and award multiple medals to allow each team member to play. Or, race in a circuit to get 4 races in and let the game determine an overall winner.
Chandelier To play Chandelier, gather every participating player around a table. Fill a cup ⅓ full of beer for each player and arrange the cups in a circle in the center of the table, with an additional cup in the center. Players each have a single opportunity to bounce a ping pong ball into the cup in front of them. If they make it, they drink it. If they bounce the ball into the center cup, every player races to drink their cup and place it face-down on the table. The last player to drain their cup is eliminated, then the cups are refilled and the game resumes. The last player standing takes home the medal. Or, for a less boozy game, award each player a point each time they land the ball in the cup, and award the medal to the player with the most points after going around the circle 4-5 times.
Beer Tasting This event takes a break from the action to test players’ palates. Pour some common beer brands into separate cups for each team. Teams then blind taste the beer and try to guess which brand it is. The team with the most positive IDs earns their team a medal. To give this game a wicked twist, fill select cups with other mystery beverages like liquor, wine, or even apple cider vinegar.
All for One Get a large plastic bucket for each team. Each member of the team then pours a full can of beer into the bucket. On the count of 3, team members take turns chugging from the bucket, tapping out and swapping for another team member any time they wish. The first team to drain their bucket wins.
Boat Race In Boat Race, two teams line up on either side of the table, each player facing down a member of the opposing team, and each player has a cup filled with beer in front of them. On the count of 3, the 2 opposing players at the end of the table chug, then turn their cups upside-down on their head when they’re finished. The next player on the team then does the same, and the game continues down the line. The first team to drain all their cups wins. If a player spills, they must pause drinking for 5 seconds before they’re allowed to resume. This is similar to Shotgun Relay, but a bit less messy and with the added benefit of reusable cups.
Case Race To play Case Race, give each team a 24-pack of beer and count down from 3. After that, the rules are simple. On “Go!” each team tears into their 24-pack and downs the beers. The first team to empty the entire pack gets the gold. For a lighter game, convert this into a more passive event. Any time a player drinks a can of beer, they add it to their team’s empty case. Each team is awarded a point for each case they fill during the Beer Olympics, and the team with the most points gets a medal.
Organizing Beer Olympics
Draft or split into teams with about equal numbers of players and abilities. Before the games begin, split players into teams of about 4 people. Teams may be randomly chosen, drafted gym class style, or split up however you like. Then, have each team choose a country to represent them—it’s the Olympics, after all. Also, figure out who your designated drivers are ahead of time. They’ll be your referees and judges. However you choose your teams, try to make them more or less equal in both number of players and how much beer they handle. A team of lightweights isn’t likely to hold their own against a bunch of quarterbacks. Designated drivers might also hand out penalties like added time on the clock or even deduct points for things like spilling beers, breaking bottles, or cheating.
Choose your games and gather your supplies. Browse that list up there for 5-10 games to add to your Beer Olympics. Then, make sure you have the supplies needed for each game. Cases of beer are a must, of course, but also procure some plastic cups, ping pong balls, a deck or 2 of cards, and other bits and bobs needed to pull off each event. Try to snag your supplies a few days in advance so you're not frantic on the morning of the big day. You might also buy some plastic medals to award at the end of each game, or at the very end of the event. We also recommend having plenty of food and bottled water handy to keep people nourished and hydrated.
Keep track of who wins each game to score the Beer Olympics. How you keep track of scoring is up to you, but you’ve got some options. To stay true to the Olympics theme, hand out a gold, silver, and bronze medal at the end of each event. Or, keep a running tally of how many games each team has won, and award medals at the very end based on how many points each team has. The designated driver-referees might keep track of the running medal tally on a big whiteboard for everyone to see throughout the day.
Theme the event with Olympics decor and prizes. This is entirely optional, but is a fun way to get everyone into the Olympic spirit. Encourage players to wear sports jerseys that represent their countries, have teams enter the event to the tune of their respective national anthems, or even have a player carry in an “Olympic torch” (or just a candle) to kick things off. Ask each player and team to brainstorm ways to make your Beer Olympics special. The sky’s the limit, but here are a few more ideas: Award additional prizes for teams that get the most gold medals, or consolation prizes for teams who lack medals. Prizes can be anything from cases of beer to customized koozies. Encourage designated drivers to dress in striped referee shirts and carry whistles. Opt for a multi-day event, just like the real Olympics, if the drinking gets to be a bit much in a single gathering.
Stop drinking once you’ve hit your limit, and keep an eye on your friends. Keep your Beer Olympics lively and high-spirited by staying within your drinking limits. Most doctors advise that women have up to 1 drink, and men have up to 2 on any given day. If you start to feel it, take a seat, sip some water, and enjoy some hors d’oevres out of the sun. Nobody wants to see a prime athlete carried out of the Olympics on a stretcher! Also, watch out for your friends and competitors. Take care of a drunk pal by swapping their beer for water, offering them food, finding them a sober ride home, and getting them to bed to sleep it off. Be on the lookout for signs of dizziness, slurred words, vomiting, or loss of consciousness, which are all indicators that someone's had too much to drink
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