You’re a crafty college student, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be making the most out of your beer drinking experience. Whether you’re reusing bottles, or just fighting a hangover, there’s lots of cool stuff you can do with beer. In this list, you’ll find 100 beer hacks that will serve you well in your college years and beyond.
Kegging & Dispensing
Check out these hacks for the ultimate in beer kegging and dispensing.
- SparkFun kegerator: Make sure your kegerator never runs out with this hack.
- Bender keg cooler: This keg cooler looks like Bender from Futurama.
- Mini keg: Make your own 3 liter beer keg using this hack.
- Kegbot: This Kegbot offers a monitoring system for volume, CO2 and temperature.
- Beer keg on wheels: This beer keg on wheels will take your keg mobile.
- Radio controlled keg: This radio controlled keg carts around the keg and helps the driver control beer flow.
- Eco-friendly kegerator: Use ferroelectric polarpolymers for a green, chilly beer.
- Jack O’Beer: This jack o’ lantern doubles as a beer dispenser.
- Disguise your beer as soda: Make your beer can look like it’s soda using this hack.
- Mr. Asahi: Mr. Asahi will open bottles and pour draft beer.
- Car door opener: Use your car door latch to open a beer.
- Open a beer bottle with anything: Use sharp objects, paper, Mr. Clean and more to open beer.
- Open beer with beer: This video will teach you how to open a beer bottle with another bottle.
Free Beer
With these hacks, you can score some free beer.
- Myopenbar: Myopenbar features open bar and free drink events.
- Be nice to flight attendants: Volunteer to switch seats, be helpful, and be polite to flight attendants to score free beer.
- Beer focus groups: Join focus groups to get paid to drink beer.
- Ask for free samples: In nice bars, you can often get free samples of beer.
- Half empty beer: Fill a half-empty brown beer bottle with water and bring it back to the bar complaining you got a warm beer.
- Become a reviewer: Review beer to get free samples and more from breweries and pubs.
- Free brewery tours: This website features contests and free brewery tours.
- Beer promotion: Become a beer promoter in bars and beyond for free beer.
- Tasting Table: Get email updates on local beer tastings in your area with Tasting Table.
- Work at a brewery: Get regular free beer by working at a brewery.
Health
Take care of yourself with beer using these hacks.
- Highlight your hair: Soak your hair in beer and lay in the sun to pull out your highlights.
- Get your B-complex vitamins: Through these vitamins, you’ll promote a healthy nervous system, digestion, energy, and more.
- Improve brain function: Moderate beer consumption can lower your risk of mental impairment.
- Take a beer bath: Use the invigorating bubbles in beer to cleanse, exfoliate, and soften your skin.
- Speed up your metabolism: Bioactive compounds in beer can help speed your metabolism and even fight cancer.
- Avoid a beer belly: Monitor beer calories, stay active, drink in moderation, and avoid eating while drinking to fight the beer belly.
- Improve bone density: Beer has been found to benefit bone health, especially for men.
- Pass a kidney stone: Use beer as a diuretic and pain reliever for passing a kidney stone.
- Sleep better: Acids and hops in beer can promote good sleep.
- Soak your feet: Soak your feet in a reviving beer foot bath for relaxation.
- Ease stomach aches: The carbonation in beer can help soothe an uneasy stomach.
- Improve good cholesterol and circulation: Beer is cholesterol free and promotes HDL, which reduces blood clotting.
Temperature
Check out these hacks to better control your beer temperature.
- Energy efficient fridge: This hack takes a look at how you can make your refrigerator more efficient.
- Salt your ice: Get your beer cold faster by adding salt to your ice.
- Beer fridge thermostat: This thermostat offers a better way to control your refrigerator’s compressor.
- Beer chilling bike: Check out this exercise bike that chills your beer.
Recycling
Here are a number of really cool ways to recycle beer.
- Case divider organization: Use cardboard dividers from beer cases to store ornaments and more.
- Bottle cap lure: Check out this tutorial to create a beer bottle cap lure for fishing.
- Beer bottle furniture: This tutorial will teach you how to make a beer bottle table.
- Ashtrays: Make cheap and disposable ashtrays with the bottom of beer cans.
- Beer battery: Power a battery with beer using this hack.
- Aluminum flower: Create a metal flower out of beer cans.
- Padlock opener: With a beer can, you can create a padlock shim.
- Flower pot: Use beer can as instant pots for small plants, and even transport them in beverage carriers.
- Beer bottle shelves: Make shelves out of beer bottles using this hack.
- Economy beer goggles: You can learn how to make beer goggles on the cheap using this tutorial.
- Beer cap music: Follow this hack to make a music sequencer out of beer caps on a table.
- Camper’s boiling pot: Use this hack to turn beer cans into a camper’s boiling pot.
- LED bottle wall: Follow this hack to make a beautiful LED wall out of beer bottles.
Food
These hacks make use of beer in food.
- Use beer in chili: Add a bottle of beer instead of chicken stock for flavor in your chili.
- Make beer batter: Batter up fish with a beer batter.
- Beer can chicken: Stuff and cook chicken on the grill with beer cans.
- Create a meat-tenderizing marinade: Soften a steak before putting it on the grill with beer.
- Add beer to your fish boil: Liven up your fish boil by throwing a bottle of beer in.
- Beer bread: Use beer to make a great loaf of beer bread.
- Make beersicles: Use beer instead of fruit juice to make beer popsicles.
- Cook rice in beer: Add flavor to your rice with a beer.
Home
With these hacks, you can use beer around your home.
- Polish gold jewelry: Polish your gold jewelry with beer and a dry cloth.
- Beer can soap dish: Create a cheap and disposable soap dish out of a beer can.
- Wash your pillowcases: The nutty smell of hops can help put you to sleep.
- Customized beer bucket: Make a beer bucket your own by following this hack.
- Kill slugs: Pour a little beer into empty jars to attract slugs and track them.
- Attract bees: Keep bees away from your barbecue by putting out beer for them to gather around.
- Shower beer holder: Shower with a beer using this beer holder for the shower.
- Cure brown spots: Acids in beer can help kill off bugs and promote green growth in your lawn.
- Remove stains: Use a light beer to get stains out of your carpet.
- Revive wooden furniture: Bring the life back into your wood furniture using flat beer.
- Protect beer with RFID: This RFID hack will restrict access to your fridge.
Homebrew
Check out these hacks for homebrewing your own beer.
- BrewTroller: BrewTroller is an open source brewing control system for homebrewers.
- Bender brewer: Make your own Bender brewing set up using this hack.
- Temperature controller: With this temperature controller, you can keep steady fermentation temperatures.
- All in one beer brewing machine: Check out this machine to see an all in one beer brewer.
Games
Take beer pong to the next level using these hacks.
- Interactive beer pong table: Make your beer pong a little less dull by making it interactive.
- Floating beer pong table: Take your beer pong to the pool with this hack.
- Beer pong robot: This robot will sort and shoot objects across the room.
Hangover
With these hacks, you can prevent and fight a hangover.
- Stay with one type: Variety contributes to hangovers.
- Exercise: Clear toxins out of your body once the damage is done for a speedy recovery.
- Know your limits: Don’t push your alcohol drinking limit.
- Drink olive oil: Coat your stomach with olive oil before you drink.
- Drink Gatorade: Drink Gatorade before passing out and have some on hand for the morning.
- Don’t feel guilty: Feeling sad, guilty, neurotic, or angry puts you at a greater risk for hangovers.
- Give yourself recovery time: Think about the time you will need to recover from drinking the next day.
- Eat before drinking: Slow the absorption of alcohol by giving it a food cushion.
- Don’t drink coffee: Although coffee may sound great, it will only make you more dehydrated.
- Drink water: Have a glass of water in between drinks to avoid misery.
- Drink ginger ale: Try a glass of flat ginger ale to soothe your stomach.
- Drink milk first: Coat the lining of your stomach with milk before imbibing.
- Eat honey: Honey can help soothe the dryness in your throat.
- Eat grease and carbs: Ease your stomach with McDonald’s before they stop serving breakfast.
- Eat fruit: Fruit offers a refreshing way to get the vitamins you’ll need.
- Drink light instead of dark: Light liquors have fewer congeners, which contribute to hangovers.
- Don’t take acetaminophen: Stay away from acetaminophen, as it is dangerous when mixed with alcohol.
- Stay away from caffeine: Caffeine combined with alcohol brings a double whammy of dehydration, so stay away from caffeine.
- Avoid carbonated mixers: Carbonated mixers accelerate alcohol absorption.
- Use a wash cloth: Lie in a dark room with a cool compress on your head.
- Take vitamins: Replenish your nutrient stores after a heavy night of drinking.
- Go for less concentration: Drink beer or wine instead of concentrated liquor.