Beer can pyramid
{{Short description|Pyramid made from discarded beer cans}}
A beer can pyramid, often called a beeramid as a portmanteau, is a pyramid made of discarded beer cans or cups.{{Cite web |date=2010-09-15 |title=Do You Speak College Slang? - Good |url=https://www.good.is/articles/do-you-speak-college-slang |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=www.good.is |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Partridge |first=Eric |title=The new Partridge dictionary of slang and unconventional English |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |others=Tom Dalzell, Terry Victor |isbn=978-0-415-61949-3 |edition=2nd |location=London New York}} It can also refer to a drinking game that utilizes playing cards in the shape of a pyramid.
Sports
Beeramids are sometimes built in grandstands of Major League Baseball games, with one made of cans being knocked down by Miami Marlins outfielder Austin Dean in a game against the Washington Nationals in 2019 and another constructed of cups being knocked down by Adam Duvall in 2024.{{Cite web |date=2019-09-21 |title=Marlins player hits fans' beer can mountain with baseball |url=https://www.mlb.com/cut4/marlins-player-hits-fans-beer-can-mountain-with-baseball |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Toscano |first=Justin |date=8 June 2024 |title=Duvall throws a strike, knocks down beer pyramid |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1080843154/?terms=%22beeramid%22 |work=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |pages=B1}} Later in 2019, Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves fans cooperated to assemble a pyramid consisting of more than 40 empty beer cans.{{Cite web |date=2019-04-02 |title=Braves and Cubs fans built a beer can pyramid |url=https://www.mlb.com/cut4/braves-and-cubs-fans-built-a-beer-can-pyramid |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=MLB.com |language=en}} Larger still was the 112-can structure built during the two-dollar beer night by Cleveland Indians fans before stadium staff removed it. {{Cite web |last=Deadspin.com |first=Patrick Redford |date=2016-05-28 |title=MLB on colossal beer pyramid: "Wow" |url=https://gazette.com/sports/mlb-on-colossal-beer-pyramid-wow/article_9e264c8e-f05d-5291-9ef3-bd3674fde7dd.html |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=Colorado Springs Gazette |language=en}}
The minor-league hockey team the Cincinnati Cyclones, who play in the ECHL, embrace spectator-made beeramids as a "staple of Cyclones games". Their website instructs fans to build them on the corners of the rink glass to be knocked over in the 2nd period.{{Cite web |title=Venue Info |url=https://cycloneshockey.com/venue-info |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=Cincinnati Cyclones |language=en}} An eight-tiered pyramid was constructed during a matchup between the Cyclones and the Wheeling Nailers before being knocked down by colliding players.{{Cite web |date=2013-10-26 |title=Fan's beeramid takes a tumble at Cyclones game |url=https://www.fox19.com/story/23794082/beeramid-takes-a-tumble-at-cincinnati-cyclones-game/ |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=fox19.com |language=en}}
Following National Hot Rod Association drag races at Brainerd International Raceway, a pyramid of 1,100 cans was constructed by fans.{{Cite news |last=Reusse |first=Patrick |date=18 August 2023 |title=The yearly pilgrimage for drag racing fans |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/996017290/?terms=%22beer%20pyramid%22 |work=Minneapolis Star-Tribune |pages=C4}}
College culture
Due in part to the heavy drinking present in college fraternities and alcohol use among college students, beer pyramids are also common on college campuses.{{Cite web |author=Ryann Acton |date=2005-11-08 |title=With fraternity parties all but a thing of the past, freshmen are resorting to a tried-and-true method of getting their booze on |url=https://dailyorange.com/2005/11/with-fraternity-parties-all-but-a-thing-of-the-past-freshmen-are-resorting-to-a-tried-and-true-method-of-getting-their-booze-on/ |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=The Daily Orange |language=en-US}}{{Cite magazine |date=September 2003 |title=DIVING INTO THE FROSH PIT DEPARTMENT: How Well Will You Do Freshman Year in College? |magazine=MAD Magazine |number=433 |page=44 |url=https://archive.org/details/martha-/The%20Pretty%20Darned%20Complete%20EC/MadMagprt3/MAD%20433%20%2809-2003%29/page/n44/mode/1up?q=%22beeramid%22}} Their frequent appearances in spring break rental properties lead some landlords to ban them.{{Cite news |last=Jesica |first=Medellin |date=2 March 2005 |title=Spring break options abundant for all students |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/561199168/?match=2&terms=%22beeramid%22 |work=The Signpost |location=Weber State University |pages=6}}{{Cite news |last=Bracher |first=Judy |date=7 June 1992 |title=After graduation, it's the beach! |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/964345123/?terms=beach |work=Bristol Herald Courier |location=Bristol, Tennessee |pages=D1}}
In 1979, the Kappa Sigma sorority at North Carolina State University stacked 140 empty beer kegs into a seven-keg-high pyramid and applied to Guinness World Records for inclusion. However, due to a lack of other attempts in the category, it was deemed unlikely to be included in the official records.{{Cite news |last=Spence Moe |first=Susan |date=15 February 1979 |title=Sorority's suds shrine sets record |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/653477702/?terms=%22beer%20pyramid%22 |work=The News and Observer |location=Raleigh, North Carolina |pages=54}}
Largest beeramids
An E Clampus Vitus chapter based in Butte County, California stacked 14,281 beer cans into a 14-foot pyramid in 1985. The cans were sold for scrap for $140 and the proceeds donated to seal conservation.{{Cite news |last=Lake |first=Perry |date=4 May 1988 |title=Clamping down on a drunk image |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/927817805/?match=1&terms=%22beer%20pyramid%22 |work=Chico Enterprise-Record |pages=25}}
Members of the Singapore Polytechnic rock climbing club constructed a beer pyramid out of 6,930 empty beer cans in 1997.{{Cite news |last=Clerkson |first=Andy |date=March 2000 |title=Stuff Scores a World Record! |work=Stuff |url=https://archive.org/details/stuff-magazine-06-2000-02-03-alicia-witt-b/page/n11/mode/1up?q=beeramid |pages=11, 103}}
In November 1999, the American staff of Stuff magazine built a beeramid standing 16 feet high out of 22,140 Miller Lite cans over the course of over 100 hours, with the assistance of University of Wisconsin engineering students.
On 23 September 2000, the Malaysian Can team, consisting of 12 college students from the INTI College Subang Jaya, Malaysia built a free standing can pyramid created from 9,455 empty aluminium drink cans in 24 minutes at the Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It had a square base of {{nowrap|30 × 30}} cans, measuring {{cvt|1.98|×|1.98|m|ftin}}. This feat made a successful entry into the Guinness World Record and {{asof|2008|1|27|lc=y}} this record has yet to be broken.{{cite web |title=Official World Record for Largest Beer Can Pyramid |url=http://www.intisj.edu.my/intisj/InfoAbout/GuinessWorldRecord.asp |accessdate=2008-04-01 |author=Inti College Subang Jaya, Malaysia |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080127121253/http://www.intisj.edu.my/intisj/InfoAbout/GuinessWorldRecord.asp |archivedate=2008-01-27 }}
Another attempt to break the world record Beer Can Pyramid was made with 10,660 beer cans glued into blocks and stood over {{convert|5|m|ft|frac=2}} high.{{cite web |url=http://sobriquet.net/2005/10/07/beeramid/ |title=Worlds Largest Beer Can Pyramid |accessdate=2007-06-12 |author=Richard Rosalion |date=7 October 2005 |website=sobriquet.net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016042237/http://sobriquet.net/2005/10/07/beeramid/ |archive-date=2007-10-16 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |author=hiikeeba |date=8 October 2005 |title=World's Largest Beer Can Pyramid! |website=Wort's Going on Here? |url=https://homebrewer2005.blogspot.com/2005/10/worlds-largest-beer-can-pyramid.html}} It was built by the Melbourne University Student Union in 2005, and was featured on Blokesworld and in mX.{{Cite news |last=Barry |first=Evonne |author-link=Evonne Barry |title=Beer skittles old record |newspaper=mX |pages=7 |date=2005-10-07 }}
In media
A beeramid is featured in the 1978 National Lampoon movie Animal House, constructed by college students who are members of a fraternity.{{Cite news |last=Carter |first=John |date=30 March 2011 |title=Beer drinking considered by some to be art form |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/286863322/?match=1&clipping_id=new |work=The Daily Spectrum |location=Saint George, Utah |pages=6}}
A beer can pyramid was shown on the outside of Duff Gardens in The Simpsons episode 9F11 "Selma's Choice", in 1993, as a parody of Cinderella's Castle at Walt Disney World.{{cite book|editor=Cristina Degli-Esposti |author=David Weinstein |chapter=Of Mice and Bart: The Simpsons and the Postmodern|title=Postmodernism in the Cinema |year=1998|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=1-57181-106-0|pages=68–69}}
Drinking game
The drinking game of the same name involves a pyramid of playing cards laid facedown and each player having a number of cards in their hand. One of the cards in the pyramid is flipped over, and if a player has a card of the same number, they can tell any other player to take a drink. Some variants of the game allow for bluffing, with additional drinks being taken based on the outcome of the bluff.{{Cite book |last=Fries |first=Biggie |url=https://archive.org/details/bestdrinkinggame0000frie/page/16/mode/1up |title=The best drinking games book ever! |date=1998 |publisher=Carlton |pages=16}}{{Cite book |last=Griscom |first=Andy |title=Beer Games 2, Revised: The Exploitative Sequel |publisher=Mustang Publishing |year=1994 |isbn=978-0914457671 |edition=2nd |pages=112}}
{{Portal|Beer}}
References
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External links
{{Commons category-inline|Beer can pyramid}}