A boat race is a drinking game between (usually) two teams of equal numbers. There are numerous variations but the basic principles are always the same. Below are the basic rules as used at Monash University.

Each team consists of five drinkers, with at least one male and at least one female member. They sit in a line with a full ten ounce pot of beer in front of each. The exception to this is the person who drinks last, known as the anchor - four beers are placed in front of the anchor. The person in charge starts proceedings with the four-part call "Thumbs on tables... chins on tables... face the water... consume!" Then, the first drinker in each team is allowed to take his or her thumbs and chin off the table and begin to scull their beer - all other drinkers must remain in the same position. When the drinker finishes his or her pot, they place it upside-down over their head; this gives the signal for the next drinker to consume in a similar fashion. When it gets to the anchor, the anchor must scull two of the three pots in front of him or her.

If any player spills any significant amount of beer by trying to drink too quickly, they are called for spillage. For each of the first two calls of spillage, the anchor is required to scull an extra beer. If a third spillage call is made, the team is automatically disqualified. The first team whose anchor finishes two beers plus any extras for spillage penalties is the winner.

Variations include each player having two glasses of beer and the race going down the line and back up again, the end player having to consume two beers consecutively.

The boat race is the prestige team event in Beer Olympics .

References

• Bar-None Drink Recipes
• World Beer Games