How to Do a Case Race (With Tips for Winning)

What is a case race?

A case race is a drinking game where teams compete to finish a full case of beer first. It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like; the goal is for your team to finish a case of beer before any other team does. The teams and cases can be of any size, so the number of beers that each person drinks can vary each game. Because the game can take a while and players usually end up drinking a lot of beers, it works best as the “main event” at a party or Beer Olympics rather than a pregame (which is usually meant to be quick and just get your buzz started). A typical game involves a 24-pack of beer and a team of 4 players, meaning each person is responsible for chugging 6 beers.

How to Do a Case Race

Grab a case of beer for each team and get set up in a large, open area. There’s no limit to the number of teams you can have (as long as you’ve got at least 2), so grab a 24-pack of a cheap, light beer for each team—that’s all you need! Then, gather in an open space where everyone can see each other, like a large living room or a backyard. This lets everyone chat and interact with each other during the game. For a more challenging game, choose a 30-pack of beer instead. Just make sure that each team is drinking a case of the same size. Decide ahead of time whether all players must drink straight from the cans (the standard rule), or if they’re allowed to use cups, beer bongs, or other drinking apparatuses (an alternative rule).

Split up into even teams. In the standard rules, you play in teams of 4 (so each person drinks 6 beers in a 24-pack). However, you can change this number depending on your preference and/or how many people you have who want to play. Try to make sure that every team has about the same drinking capacity; you don’t wanna put all the heavyweights together on one team! If you have someone to spare, consider making them a referee to track who’s finished their beers all the way. Alternative rule: Try playing with uneven teams for a fun and competitive twist. For example, you could put 3 heavyweight drinkers against a team of 5 lightweights, or any other configuration your group agrees to.

Start drinking beers and don’t stop until every can is empty! Have someone count down or yell “Go!” to kick off the game. The goal is simple—finish all your beer cans first! Traditionally, each player has to drink the same number of beers (8 beers each if you’re a team of 3, for example). However, you can also decide as a group to ignore that rule and just make sure that teams as a whole finish all 24 beers (so someone might have 10 while their teammates have 7 and 7, for example). Clarify ahead of time which rule you’d like to play by. A beer can must be empty to be considered finished. If you chose a referee at the beginning of the game, they’ll decide whether the can is fully empty. The CDC defines binge drinking as 4+ drinks for women or 5+ drinks for men on one occasion. Keep this in mind as you divvy up cans, because you’ll definitely be drunk by the time a case race is done. People play at different speeds. Some case races are intense, fast, and focused on chugging while others are more casual and can last several hours or all night.

Be the first team to finish all of your beers to win. If your team completely drains 24 cans of beer first, you’re the winners of the case race! The referee will double check your cans to make sure they’re totally empty; any half-drunk beers don’t count!

Fun & Challenging Case Race Variations

Make it against the rules to throw up. Since drinking a ton of beer as fast as you can is the name of the game (literally), it’s possible some players will start to feel very full or nauseous. Add an extra layer to the challenge and declare that any team with a player who throws up their beer is disqualified! Remember not to push yourself too hard or to the point where you’re feeling sick from drinking. If you feel nauseous, slow down or take a short break until your stomach settles.

Switch up the number of players or the size of the case. The more players on a team, the fewer beers each player has to drink (and vice versa). Or, try playing with a 30-pack, 12-pack, or even just a 6-pack to give each player fewer or more drinks. Large teams and small cases make the game go faster, while smaller teams or larger cases can make it take longer.

Specify how players have to drink their beers. The standard rules have players drink straight from the cans, but why be standard? You can allow cups, shotgunning, beer bongs or beer bats, steins, or truly any vessel you can think of to spice things up.

Have players add a few dollars to a pot for the winning team. Need a financial incentive to fill yourself to the brim with beer as fast as you can? Have each player throw in a few dollars toward a reward for the winning team, who can split the pot evenly among its players. Or, come up with a unique anti-reward for the losing team(s). The winners might get to choose a foul shot for the losers to take (have you tried Malört?), for example.

Add extra challenges or games for players to complete during the race. Feeling extra competitive? Choose points throughout the case race where individual players or teams have to stop drinking and do a bonus challenge before getting back to the race. For example, you could make a rule that each player has to run around the block after every 3 beers, or the whole team has to stop and do the hokey pokey once half of the case is finished. Get creative—the sky’s the limit! It can be super funny to watch players try to complete simple tasks or challenges as they get increasingly drunk throughout the game. Taking challenge breaks also gives players a break from drinking, which can help them avoid getting sick or too drunk too fast.

Tips for Winning a Case Race

Drink lightly in the days leading up to the case race. You’ll probably be more in the mood to slam 6 beers if you aren’t hungover or queasy after a night or two of drinking. If you know the date of the case race ahead of time, take it easy so you can guzzle more enthusiastically.

Eat a meal 3 or 4 hours beforehand. Alcohol gets absorbed through your stomach and small intestine, so having a little bit of food in you will keep you from getting blitzed immediately. You don’t want your stomach to be super full, though, since you’re adding a lot of beer volume. So, eat a few hours before the case race so you have some time to partially digest.

Choose a light beer with a taste you can tolerate. A case race is not the time to enjoy a bunch of heavy stouts or IPAs, no matter how much you love them. If you get to choose your case, go for a cheap, light beer like a pilsner or pale lager. It may not be the tastiest beer you ever have, but you’ll be drinking so fast that you’ll barely taste it. Popular beers for case races include Coors Light, Natural Light, Busch, Bud Light, Miller Lite, PBR, and Keystone Light.

Pour your beers out in advance if you’re allowed to use cups or glasses. Toward the beginning of the race, pour out several (or all) of your beers so they have time to lose a bit of carbonation and warm up to room temperature. Flat, warm beer may not sound appetizing most of the time, but it’s easier to chug over and over than a super bubbly, ice-cold brew. If you can only drink from cans, poke a hole in the top of your can with a key or scissors before you pop it open and chug. The extra hole lets air into the can, meaning you get a smoother flow of beer out of the regular drinking hole.

Relax your throat and try not to stop to breathe while you drink. This technique takes a little practice, but will make you a beer-chugging pro. Take a deep, relaxed breath, then look upward and start drinking. Keep your throat open and relaxed and try to let the beer “fall” down into your stomach instead of stopping to swallow or take a breath (this comes easily for some and might be impossible for others). If this isn’t working for you or think you might choke, stop trying it and drink how you normally would. Few people master this technique, so don’t worry if it doesn’t come naturally!

Take controlled sips and let yourself burp frequently to avoid getting full. Even though you’re drinking quickly, try to always have a good seal around the can or cup you’re using while you’re sipping to avoid swallowing extra air (the carbonation will fill you up enough!). It’s only natural that you’ll start to feel bloated, so feel free to burp and make some room in your stomach so you can keep going.