Long ago, in a college town far away, a sacred union was created.
Some drunken genius was watching a game of pingpong from the sidelines, perhaps in the basement of a frat house, maybe at a beer-soaked bar. This bold thinker must have looked at the plastic cup of Busch Light in his (or her) hand and made the connection: Beer plus pong equals beer pong.
Cue the singing angels.
Also known as “beirut,” beer pong is now a classic college drinking game. On campuses all over this great nation, young men and women waste hours of precious study time flinging pingpong balls into cups of beer. A real pingpong table isn’t required, just a close-enough approximation.
Suddenly, however, beer pong is no longer confined to sticky college parties. It’s entering the mainstream drinking scene, and long-graduated adults are keeping their pong arm in at bars and house parties around Denver.
These people should know better. Beer pong’s rules vary, depending on where and when the players learned the game, but it almost invariably results in a lot of beer consumption. The easiest version involves, simply, large cups of beer at either end of a table. Players stand behind the beers and try to throw ping pong balls into the other side’s cup.
Each ball that goes in is a point scored, and the scored-upon must drink. The game ends when one team reaches a certain score, chosen in advance.
Many variations on this theme exist: Five beers on a table, each representing a point to be scored. Defensive strategies allowed for certain ball tosses. Full cups of beer are used, or just a couple of sips in each cup.
One thing is certain: Balls that don’t make it into a cup of beer almost always end up on the floor. And sooner or later, they end up in your beer.
At Shwervers (1112 Santa Fe Drive), beer pong is one of the main attractions. A couple of beer pong tables are set up on the back patio for everyday use, and beer pong tournaments go on every Wednesday night.
The game is close to the heart of Dane Danbury, a partner in the Shwervers enterprise.
“I went to Regis (University), and at my house junior and senior year we had, like, four tables in our backyard,” says Danbury. “It’s a good way to be social and meet new people.”
He’s also a fan of the “friendly competition” of beer pong. He says Shwervers’ Wednesday tournaments bring out anywhere from a handful of players to a few dozen. The games are free; players just pay for their own beer.
“It’s pretty much $4 a game if you split (a pitcher) with the person you’re playing with,” he says. “It’s always well worth it.”
Beer pong fits in well with Shwervers’ college-bar atmosphere. Situated in the Santa Fe Arts District, Shwervers is a big, beery departure from the art galleries and Mexican restaurants it neighbors.
Order must be maintained, however. Beer pong is fun, but it has rules. Danbury is creating an official rule board to post at the bar.
“Every college has their own rules, so we’re going to set ours in stone,” he says.
Get your cups ready — game on.
The Wednesday beer pong tourneys at Shwervers start around 10:30 p.m. Arrive early to sign up.
Another suggestion, just for football-crazed beer pong players: City Hall (1144 Broadway) hosts beer pong games as part of its Sunday tailgate parties.
The beats go on . . . and on.
Who ever said trance music was dead? Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren is still going strong, and he’ll deliver a thumping set at Beta (1909 Blake St.) on Tuesday. Advance tickets are $25 at fla tickets.
