Cool How-To Videos
Open a master padlock with a beer can
Check out this video to learn how to open a master padlock using simply a beer can. All you need is a 1" tall piece of aluminum from an empty beer can, and then you will be able open a locked Master padlock with it. Just make sure to follow the instructions in the video and it should work!
Build a beer safe using RFID technology
Systm is the Do It Yourself show designed for the common geek who wants to quickly and easily learn how to dive into the latest and hottest tech projects. We will help you avoid pitfalls and get your project up and running fast. Search Systm on WonderHowTo for more DIY episodes from this Revision3 show.
Dave and Pat break down the basics of RFID technology and show you how to put it to use by building an RFID beer safe!
From Revision3:
RFID, or Radio Frequency ID, is everywhere: key cards in office buildings, electronic tollbooths and even passports. But how do you take that technology and use it for something a little more personal?
Today on Systm we will be looking at how RFID technology works and demonstrate one possible use for around the home by building our very own RFID-enabled beer safe. It's just the thing to keep your brew safe from thirsty and inconsiderate roommates, friends or even in-laws!
Of course you can't walk into any Radio Shack or electronics store and buy RFID gear off the shelf. You'll probably have to get most of the gear online and two of the best places to do that are APSX and Trossen Robotics. Both offer Parallax's BASIC Stamp programming board that David uses in this episode. The kits will run around $100 but provide pretty much everything you need to get started. You'll also find RFID readers, servos, and tags you'll need to complete this project. Jameco is also an excellent source. If you're not sure how to program the board, don't worry - the manuals that ship with the kit are pretty straight forward. Plus Trossen Robotics provides excellent support if you have any issues with the gear.
Turn your backyard into a beer garden
Why have a plain old barbecue when you can host an Oktoberfest? Make it authentic with these tips.
You Will Need
* Picnic tables
* Blue-and-white checked tablecloths
* German beer
* Beer mugs or steins
* German sausages
* German foods
* Polka music
* Apple strudel or black forest cake
* Iced coffee
* Fresh whipped cream
* German wine (optional)
Step 1: Set up picnic tables
Set up wooden picnic tables with tablecloths featuring the blue-and-white checkered design of the Bavarian flag. If possible, put the tables under a shaded area.
It’s better to have one long table rather than a few small ones, because beer gardens are all about mingling.
Step 2: Have plenty of beer
Have plenty of German beer on hand, including light beer, lagers, pilsners, and wheat beer. Serve the beer in half-liter or liter mugs, or covered beer steins.
Have some German wine on hand, like Riesling and Spatburgunder, for non-beer drinkers.
Step 3: Throw wurst on the grill
Grill different kinds of sausages, like bratwurst, weisswurst, and knockwurst. Another beer garden staple is “steckerlfisch,” or “fish on a stick.” Stick whole mackerel on skewers and grill them.
Step 4: Prepare the side dishes
Put out bowls of sauerkraut, warm German potato salad, and red cabbage. Make sure each picnic table has a big basket of soft pretzels and sweet, coarse mustard.
Step 5: Pipe in some polka
Pipe in some oom pah pah polka music.
Step 6: Give a lot of toasts
Ask everyone to raise their glass so you can offer a toast. When you’re finished, say “Prost!” which is the German word for “Cheers!” Do this often.
Step 7: Bring on dessert
Have apple strudel or black forest cake for dessert, and serve it with ice coffees topped with fresh whipped cream.
Fact: One of the most famous beer gardens is Munich is called the Chinesischer Turm, or Chinese Tower, because of its pagoda-style building.
Distinguish different types of beer
Beer has so many traits and flavors that you might have to taste a lot of it to see what you like. Oh darn.
WARNING: Don’t drink unless you’re of legal age. Drink responsibly, and never drink and drive.
Step 1
Consider the many varieties of beer. These include lagers, ales, stouts, porters and wheat beers, each having many sub-categories and variations within variations.
Step 2
Serve lager at cold temperatures – about 40-45 degrees, Ales, porters and stouts should be served at a temperature between 50 and 55 degrees, and wheat beer at around 48 degrees.
Serve beer at the same temperature that it ferments.
Step 3
Note the different colors for different styles of beer. Lagers are typically light in color and have more carbonation. Ales range from red to amber to brown to almost black. Porter and stout are heavy, dark beers, and wheat beer is a light amber-orange in color.
Step 4
Smell your beer. Lager should smell yeasty with slight floral notes. Ales typically have a hoppy, fruity aroma, and stout smells slightly sweet, with notes of malt, coffee, and even toffee and chocolate. Wheat beer smells like citrus with hints of banana and cloves.
Step 5
Take a sip of your beer and note the light crispness of pale lager, the medium body of brown or red ales, the richness of stout or porter, and the dense carbonation of wheat beer. Porter will be more bitter than stout.
When tasting a variety of beers, clean your palate with crackers or bread to clarify each drink and get the full effect.
Step 6
Consider the sweetness of a lager compared to the bitterness of strong ale. Stout has hints of coffee, while porter suggests chocolate. Wheat beers generally taste sweet and fruity.
Step 7
Evaluate the finish by taking in the lingering sensation of the beer, which varies within styles, leaving a bitter or sweet aftertaste or disappearing completely, what’s known as a clean finish.
Create a realistic beer bottle in Photoshop
Pixel Perfect is the "perfect" show to help you with your Photoshop skills. Be amazed and learn as master digital artist Bert Monroy takes a stylus and a digital pad and treats it as Monet and Picasso do with oil and canvas. Learn the tips and tricks you need to whip those digital pictures into shape with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. In this episode, Ben shows you how to create a realistic beer bottle in Photoshop.
Design a custom, ice-cold beer bottle using Adobe Photoshop. Bert demonstrates how to create realistic effects for the bottle, beer, and condensation with simple layer styles.
Create a beer bottle shape in Illustrator: Due to the ease of use in Adobe Illustrator, we start there to create a beer bottle shape using the pen tool. An effective way to create this shape is to draw half of bottle, select all points, and reflect them across the vertical axis. Use Command J to join the end points, creating a single object. Copy and paste your shape into Photoshop as a path.
Apply color and glow in Photoshop: In a new Photoshop layer, fill with a nice yellowish beer color. Apply a large sized Inner Glow with the Layer Style palette. Change the glow color to a deep, darker orange. Separate the layer effects into it's own layer (Layer Style > Create Layer) and apply another dark Inner Glow to the original layer for more tonality.
To add a glare to the bottle, use a large, soft-edged brush and add white strokes to the bottle in a new layer. Bring down the opacity of these glares and change the layer style to "Screen". The same concept is applied to create dark areas on the bottle.
Fill the beer bottle path in a new layer with the color grey. Create a shape to specify where the liquid exists and apply a layer mask. Again, Bert applies an inner glow to make the bottle's neck appear empty.
Search Pixel Perfect on WonderHowTo for more Photoshop episodes from this Revision3 show.
Make a stealth beer can for drinking in public
How to make a hidden cover for your beer can when drinking in public.
For those public situations when an open beer can is "frowned upon". It's camouflage for your beers! An open beer is "frowned upon" in many places. This little trick was taught to me by some of my softball buddies. I'm sure it's an old one but I'll share it with you anyways.
If you want to keep your brew on the down low then make a sleeve out of a soda can to cover up your beer can.
Build a remote controlled beer keg
Learn how to build a remote controlled beer keg. Not only can you deliver beer to friends, but you can control the drinker's access to it. It's sort of like a remote control bartender!
We update the classic beer keg with motorized wheels and a remote control tap to build the ultimate robotic beer keg.
Although the modern beer keg has been with us since the 1960's the technology surrounding it has advanced much. Sure the materials might be different, and the gas mixture more suited to wide variety of ales, brews and beer, but really it's still a big metal cylinder that's heavy and difficult to control access to. So we figured we put a few 21st century bits of technology on the thing and turn it into a mobile and easily controlled beer dispenser.
Systm is the Do It Yourself show designed for the common geek who wants to quickly and easily learn how to dive into the latest and hottest tech projects. We will help you avoid pitfalls and get your project up and running fast.
Search Systm on WonderHowTo for more DIY episodes from this Revision3 show.
Brew your own Homemade beer
The days of moonshine and bathtub gin may be long gone, but you can still brew up a homemade batch of the freshest beer you'll ever taste.
After you’ve made the wort and pitched the yeast, it's time for fermentation and bottling.
Step 1. Prepare
Step 2. Sanitize
Step 3. Boil the wort
Step 4. Add hops and boil
Step 5. Cool the wort
Step 6. Add cold water
Step 7. Transfer wort to the fermenter
Step 8. Prepare to add yeast
Step 9. Pitch the yeast
Step 10. Seal
Then...
Step 1. Ferment
Step 2. Watch
Step 3. Prepare to transfer
Step 4. Take a hydrometer reading
Step 5. Boil the priming sugar
Step 6. Siphon
Step 7. Move your beer into the bottling bucket
Step 8. Transfer the siphon
Step 9. Bottle your beer
Step 10. Cap
Step 11. Condition the beer
Pull a buck out from under five quarters on a beer
Impress your bar buddies or win a few bets with this neat beer bottle trick. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to pull a dollar bill out from under five quarters on a beer bottle. You'll need a fairly flat and firm dollar bill to do this trick, five quarters, and of course... the beer bottle. You only need one finger to pull that buck from atop the beer bottle, under five quarters.
Bust the bottom of a beer bottle out
Try a new approach to breaking the bottom of a beer bottle out. This video tutorial will show you a new way to bust the bottom of a beer bottle out, specifically a Labatt's Blue. Make sure you put on all of the necessary safety gear, like safety glasses (or just regular glasses) and gloves (or hockey gloves). Instead of using your hand to bust the bottom out, try using a rubber mallet. You don't even have to open the beer to do this version of the beer bust trick.
Pour a Black and Tan beer with Bass and Guinness
This video tutorial will show you how to pour a Black and Tan beer with Bass and Guinness. If you don't know what a Black & Tan is, a Black & Tan is a beer made by the coupling of a pale ale (or bitter, or mild) with a dark beer such as a stout or porter. Keep in mind, there is no one, official, Black and Tan.
Pouring a Black and Tan is easy. The basic steps are:
1. Pour half of a bottle of Bass Pale Ale in pint glass.
2. Gently, fill the glass the rest of the way with Guinness by pouring the stout over the back of a spoon.
Start yeast for brewing homemade beer
This is a demonstration of how to make a yeast starter using a flask and stir plate. According to discussions on the forum at northern brewer dot com you can use an air lock without a stir plate but when you DO use a stir plate you should use foil or a dense foam stopper instead.
Crack a beer with a lighter, CD, etc with Lifehouse
Bryce from the band Lifehouse shows us how to open beer bottles with a lighter, water bottle, & cd. This is a necessary trick for any beer afficiando. Need a bottle opened but you don't have a bottle opener? Easy. Look around. There are tons of things that can crack a brew.
Chill a beer in 20 seconds
How To Chill your favorite drink instantly using household items. Need an ice cold beer. Craving a cold glass of water? This is easy to chill your beer using air dusters. Chill your beer by inserting the can into a plastic jug and then filling the plastic container with the compressed air from an upside down can or Dust Off.
Open a beer bottle with a chain saw
Watch as this guy uses his chainsaw to open a beer bottle. This is a classic bartender's trick on how to crack open a beer with a heavy duty power tool- the chain saw! Get the crowd going with the brute force of a chainsaw bottle opener!
Open a beer bottle with a gold wedding ring
Easy way to make some money on betting in the bar. Open a twist off or non-twist beer easily with a gold ring. Put that wedding ring to use and get your cold one cracked at the bar.
DIY an RFID beer safe
Dave and Pat break down the basics of RFID technology and show you how to put it to use by building an RFID beer safe!
RFID, or Radio Frequency ID, is everywhere: key cards in office buildings, electronic tollbooths and even passports. But how do you take that technology and use it for something a little more personal?
Today on Systm we will be looking at how RFID technology works and demonstrate one possible use for around the home by building our very own RFID-enabled beer safe. It's just the thing to keep your brew safe from thirsty and inconsiderate roommates, friends or even in-laws!
Of course you can't walk into any Radio Shack or electronics store and buy RFID gear off the shelf. You'll probably have to get most of the gear online and two of the best places to do that are APSX and Trossen Robotics. Both offer Parallax's BASIC Stamp programming board that David uses in this episode. The kits will run around $100 but provide pretty much everything you need to get started. You'll also find RFID readers, servos, and tags you'll need to complete this project. Jameco is also an excellent source. If you're not sure how to program the board, don't worry - the manuals that ship with the kit are pretty straight forward. Plus Trossen Robotics provides excellent support if you have any issues with the gear.
Build a beer bong
Beer bongs are simple to make, and it's not difficult to make them even more user friendly. You will need a funnel, a valve, a tube, and clamps. Watch this video bartending tutorial and learn how to make a beer bong.
Brew a homemade English mild beer
Learn how to home brew your own English mild beer with expert tips and advice on ales and lagers in this free beer recipe video series on making your own English mild beer. Homemade beer always tastes better, as long as you don't screw up too bad.
Reload a .38 Special cartridge and kill a beer
Learn how to get the maximum performance for the lowest price. The first thing you want to do is not even worry about buying a reloading manual; there's more information in there than anybody could ever learn, and it won't really help you make the most accurate load, so throw it away! Next, you'll need some handgun brass, or expended casings, from the shooting range. Then, you'll need some bullets, which can be iron cast wheel weights. Now you will need some black gunpowder. After all of this, you will need a sophisticated loader, like the Lee Loader. Now you are completely ready to reload a .38 Special (.38 Spl or the .38 Smith & Wesson Special).
Select the case you would like to use, put it in the decapping holder and drive out the primer. Put a new primer into the cartridge case, add powder, and install the bullet. If you do it right, you'll get a load that is economical and easy to shoot in your revolver, pistol, or other handgun.
This video tutorial will show you exactly how to reload a .38 Special cartridge and kill a beer.
Open a master lock with a beer can
In this how-to video you will learn to open a master lock with a soda/beer can or an empty gift card. This can prove to be helpful, so you can prank your friends, or just steal something. Not to endorse stealing, this instructional video is for informational purposes only.
Chill a beer in 5 minutes or less
Just got back from the store with the beer for the party and it starts in two hours? Then learn how to chill a beer quickly in a crunch with minimal equipment. Kelly from HackCollege shows you 3 different methods of getting your beer ice cold in this how-to video.
Hack a soda can beer sleeve
Chris of HackCollege shows off how to get away with some stealthy drinking in public. Whether you're using it for some extra security in your dorm room or to down one at a tailgate, this little hack should come in handy. Watch this how-to video and learn to hack a soda can beer sleeve.
Win free beers with this bottle cap trick
Learn how to win a free beer every time with this great bar trick. Challenge someone to blow a bottle cap into a bottle, setting the prank up like in the how-to video. It is a great trick because it is very hard, impossible even, to do, and is especially effective at a bar when people have been drinking and are ripe for being conned. Check out this video practical joke tutorial and use your new powers of deception at your discretion.
Open a beer bottle with newspaper
Watch this video to learn how to open a beer bottle with a newspaper. This easy to learn bar trick can win you tons of free beers, just bet your friends that you can open a beer bottle with a piece of paper.