Keg Stands - Popular Drinking Ritual

Keg stand is a popular drinking ritual performed using a beer keg. Its most common form involves the drinking participant grabbing onto the keg's handles as he or she is hoisted into the air by others, to the effect of doing a handstand while chugging directly from the keg. A keg stand can be performed competitively (in a case of multiple kegs), or simply for noncompetitive enjoyment. Keg stands are popular among college students. An American college student interviewed by Time Magazine defined a keg stand by stating, "Two friends suspend you by your ankles over a keg, and you guzzle as much cheap beer as quickly as you can."

Canonically, onlookers will shout out the number of seconds the drinking participant drinks for before having to stop. If in a competitive setting, an agreement is commonly made beforehand about the pressure of beer coming out. The general pressure setting is for a high-pressure stream, as low pressure pours from the keg may lead to more of a variance in the amount of beer consumed in a given count.

Other forms of keg stands may be done, such as holding onto an object rather than being held aloft by people.