This time our Beer Link Roundup is a little different.  In addition to a few links to interesting stories involving cerveza, we’ve included some of our most recent favorite cartoons, images, and commercials.  Enjoy the madness!

-The Czech are inventing new beer-inspired ways of getting out the vote among the youth.

-In a down economy, one job might be able to not only give you a paycheck, but also a way to pick up your spirits!

Cartoons and Images:

In case you’ve ever wondered what a house party with the U.S. President, the British Prime Minister, and the German Chancellor would look like:

Commercials:

Guy with his priorities straight:

Always have an answer ready:

One of the highlights of the Superbowl game, as everyone knows, is the commercials. Budweiser and Bud Light always dominate when it comes to beer related ads, so I tried to venture out for this list and managed to grab 2 non-Bud commercials that compared.

To gear up for this year’s Superbowl, take a look at some of the funniest beer commercials from previous years:

2009: Miller High Life – 1 Second Commercial

2009: Bud Light – Meeting

2006: Bud Light – Hidden Bud Light

2006: Michelob Ultra – Touch Football

2006: Bud Light – Save Yourself

2004: Budweiser – Clydesdale Donkey

Kegerator Under the Tree

10. Raises Home Value
If you plan to sell your house one day in the future, then explain to your wife that having a built-in kegerator will only enhance the perceived value of your house.

9. For Medical Reasons
As this article shows, beer helps prevent prostate cancer. No need to mention the coffee part unless you like it. The exercise portion is taken care of in #8.

8. Lifting Kegs = Exercise
Your wife will most likely roll her eyes when she hears this one, so it is your duty to make her carry the first keg into the house.

7. Saves Space in the Refrigerator
There will now be more room for whatever it is your wife wants to fill the kitchen refrigerator with, like yogurt.

6. Kegs are Eco-Friendly
A kegerator means no more wasting bottles and cans. Even if you do recycle them, it is still conserving more to not use them at all.
      6a. Conserves Water
      Obviously if there is draft beer in the house you’ll be more likely to drink that
      instead of a glass of water. I wouldn’t go as far as telling her you’ll shower in
      beer though.

5. Quid Pro Quo
Strongly hint she’ll only get the gift at the top of her wish list if you get yours.
Note: Do not hint that she won’t get any gift at all. This will only make her angry and vindictive.

4. You’ll Spend More Time at Home
She won’t be wondering where you are or why you’re still at the bar because you won’t be out.

3. Saves Money
No, really. It does.

2. She’ll be a Legend
Not only will you be forever grateful, your friends will revere her. Their wives will be jealous. She will be known as “The Greatest Wife in the World.”

1. You’ll Share
It might be considered your present, but unless she gets you a mini kegerator, you will gladly let her enjoy the benefits of having draft beer in your home.
Note: This should be obvious, but this reason only works if your wife drinks beer. And she should, because that same article on prostate cancer above also mentions that beer may help prevent breast cancer.

In the video below, a guy learns a very important & funny lesson: If you own a kegerator and have a roommate, you might want to invest in a lock on the tap.

This video was voted “Funniest Video” in our work video contest. The Cruzin Cooler Jousting won “Best Video.” The losing videos (including mine) can be found here.

It was a close race, so if you think a different video should have won, like the one titled “Really scary – Guy gets drained! Freaky halloween monster zombie,” then leave a comment and I’ll petition for it.

When office spats turn into medieval battles… with beer.

And to pick up your own “steed”:

http://www.kegerator.com/Cruzin-Cooler-500-Watt-Electric-Motorized-Cooler/51-500XE-RD,default,pd.html

Although the first Oktoberfest was not held until 1810, that hasn’t stopped the producers of The Texas Renaissance Festival from creating an event mashup of epic proportions.

This Saturday and Sunday (Oct 10 – 11), The Texas Renaissance Festival will be hosting a hybrid Renaissance Fair/Oktoberfest celebration–the first of eight themed weekend celebrations. Polka dancing, bratwurst eating contests and copious amounts of German beer (mmm, Warsteiner) can be yours In addition to the usual shops, rides and games at the Renaissance Festival… As if we previously couldn’t get enough beer, slabs o’ meat and merrymaking!

I’m so intrigued by this mashup, I’ll offer a prize to those who can capture it on film. The first three (3) persons to send me a picture of a Knight, King, Fairy, Centaur or other mythical creature taking part in Oktoberfest festivities (e.g. doing the polka dance) will receive a coupon good for $25 off any purchase at Kegerator.com.

Tweet your pics to @LivingDirect or submit links in the comments below to enter.

There’s nothing new about the party bus idea. Sororities, bachelor parties and high school prom groups notoriously hire the vehicles to escort them around for a night and block traffic everywhere they go.

One of the best uses of the party bus I’ve heard though is hiring one for beer tasting. Beer tasting is a lot like wine tasting, but inherently better because it involves beer and you’re less likely to find your grandmother at a brewery. Unlike wine though, there is not really a designated “beer country,” which makes it easier for people to organize a beer tasting trip because chances are there are a few microbreweries just down the road from where you live.

A group of guys here in Central Texas have made it an annual event. They hire a party bus to drive them to different breweries in the area to taste the local beer and keep a keg on the bus so they can continue drinking while in transit. Now that’s how you should spend your Saturday afternoon.

Another great way to avoid having to choose a designated driver is the beer bike:

Unfortunately, they only seem to exist in Europe at the moment, but hopefully that will change in the future. What better way to get where you want to go than with a mobile bar and all of your friends? Carpooling to work is already looking more exciting. They’re also eco-friendly for those worried about carbon emissions.

There is some labor involved obviously since you are pedaling the bike, but it’s evenly distributed and should be simple, unless you invite a lazy friend who would rather prop his feet up. Make him pay extra. The girls will be up for knocking back a few pints though, knowing the calories will be burned as they drink.

Beer bikes are obviously the future of transportation. Embrace it and share the word.

4 out of 10 Americans prefer to drink beer.

That is among the two-thirds of Americans that are drinking, according to a new poll published by Gallup. The study was conducted to see if Americans are drinking more than usual during the recession (we aren’t), however the results also show the break down of what Americans are drinking.

Out of those who said they do drink: 40% prefer beer, 34% wine, and 21% liquor. I have no idea what the other 5% are drinking, but they probably don’t either. Nor is it important.

What is important is that the poll shows for the past decade the percentage of Americans that consume alcohol has been between 62-66%. This piece of data alone isn’t shocking, but in 2006, Gallup ran another survey that showed Brits and Canucks are both out-drinking Americans. That’s right, America is behind Canada. (Happy Canada Day, btw)

Britons out-drink Americans 2:1! Not this 4th of July. We need to take up our glasses and show those Redcoats what’s what.

And we still have a chance to catch up to and beat Canada, but it’s going to take a collaborative effort. We can no longer hover around 60%. That’s considered failing. It’s time to convince your friends who are among the 36% of Americans missing out on all the fun (i.e. not drinking) that they need to start, for the sake of our country. If we work hard enough we can bring our measly “19% of Americans consuming drinks at least a few times a week” above Canada’s 27%, and maybe even surpass Britain’s 41%.

So stock your kegerators, pour yourself a pint and pop Beerfest into your DVD player for motivation. It’s time to make America #1.

Here’s a new YouTube video review showing the popular EdgeStar KC2000 kegerator from Kegerator.com:

The Drowning Pool soundtrack choice is strangely fitting.

And while the track doesn’t make the cut in the AskMen.com: Top 10 Drinking Songs list, the chorus, “Let the bodies hit the floor!” definitely reminds us of kick ass keg parties.

For what it’s worth the AC/DC jam, “Have a Drink On Me”, nabbed the top spot in AskMen’s top 10:

Know of any other good beer-drinking jams? Let us know!

(“Chumbawumba” need not apply)

Below is a chat transcript from an actual IM session that took place earlier this morning between Kegerator.com sales representative (John) and a potential customer (Tim).

Tim attempts to rattle John with off the wall scenarios and dark humor. Unfazed, John continues to focus on the matter at hand: how to install a kegerator in Tim’s bathroom shower.

But was it enough to convince Tim to buy?

Read on:

[Begin Chat]

[08:28:51] John K.: Good morning, this is John

[08:28:56] John K.: How can I help you?

[08:29:04] tim: I like beer.

[08:29:15] John K.: Me too, tim. Me too.

[08:29:18] tim: how do I keep my favorite beer cold sir?

[08:29:44] tim: do you krink beer at work?

[08:29:47] John K.: Well, there are several ways. Are you wanting cans and bottles or a keg.

[08:29:56] John K.: ?

[08:29:59] tim: *drink

[08:30:28] tim: keg

[08:30:37] John K.: Sometimes it happens. It’s hard to justify at 8:30 in the morning though.

[08:31:02] John K.: Well, we’ve got a good selection of kegerators. Are you going to use this mainly inside or out?

[08:31:16] tim: it’s hard to justify…unless it’s the cure for what you did the night before.

[08:32:47] tim: inside. I want to hook up the spout next to my shower head so I can bathe in beer when I’m hungover.

[08:33:50] tim: is that an odd application?

[08:34:15] John K.: Well, with a kegerator you’d get the added benefit of a cold shower.

[08:35:19] John K.: The problem taking the spout that far is you would most likely have lengths of non-refrigerated beer line, causing excesive foam and warm beer, neither which I personally enjoy.

[08:35:42] tim: that’s what I’m looking for. The cold beer on my body to wake me up in the morning… while drinking it as to provide me a smooth jolt of happiness.

[08:36:04] tim: you don’t like head?

[08:36:35] John K.: Generally with beer, no.

[08:37:02] tim: beer? nevermind.

[08:37:30] tim: So what would you suggest I do for my “beer shower” or “golden shower”?

[08:38:40] John K.: Well, for something like that, you’re going to have to concern yourself with a long amount of beer line running outside the machine.

[08:38:44] tim: are you still there John K.?

[08:39:10] tim: yes, go on….

[08:39:42] John K.: If the line is outside of the machine, you run into the issue of non-refrigerated beer line. The trick is finding an aftermarket method of running a refrigerated line all the way up to the shower.

[08:40:26] John K.: The other issue, of course, would be space in the bathroom. Generally bathrooms aren’t the most spacious in the house, and a kegerator would take up a fair amount of space.

[08:40:51] tim: Well I could use the warm beer to clean my a$$hole first, then begin drinking the chilled beer. Do you think that would work?

[08:41:03] John K.: Not saying it’s impossible, but obviously there are some difficulties in setting up a beer shower.

[08:41:11] John K.: That would be a personal preference.

[08:41:16] tim: True

[08:41:38] tim: I have a basement. Could I run the line through there?

[08:42:27] John K.: From the basement up to the bathroom?

[08:42:52] tim: yes

[08:44:01] John K.: Well, again we run into the issue of non-refrigerated beer line, even more so. Plus you’ll need a fair amount of pressure to run the line that far.

[08:44:40] John K.: You’ll probably need a bigger tank than any of these ship with. Maybe all the way up to a 20 lbs.

[08:45:30] tim: Well I think I solved the problem of the warm beer line… I have a slew of dead h___ers in my basement. Do you think their stench/decay will effect the quality of my beer if it is in the same general area?

[08:46:04] John K.: I think we’ve moved outside the realm of relevant conversation.

[08:46:41] tim: I think the quality of my beer is very relevent

[08:46:52] John K.: You have a good one sir.

[End Chat]

For other “custom” kegerator installation questions, John and the guys at Kegerator.com can be reached at: 866-950-8710.