Funneling: Difference between revisions

Funneling at a heavy metal festival in Sweden

Funneling is the act of using a funnel, or beer bong, to rapidly consume a large amount of liquid, most commonly beer or a similar alcoholic beverage, as a drinking game or as a means to consume a large amount of alcohol in a short space of time. The inherent challenge is to swallow the rapid flow of beer without spilling. It is popular at college and university campuses and the local pub. The word funneling is also used in the context of hybrid modelling.

Construction

File:Funneling CMU.jpg

A student demonstrates a beer bong at Carnegie Mellon University.

A funnel (also known as a beer bong) is a device used to consume large quantities of liquid, usually some kind of fermented beverage, very rapidly. A piece of tubing, generally at least a meter in length, must be firmly secured to the end of a large funnel. The volume of the funnel and the tubing should be enough to accommodate the amount of liquid intended to be funneled.

There are many variations of the size of the funnel and length of the tubing. Generally, a meter of tubing is acceptable for most funnels, although extremely long funnels can be used in situations where the funnel can be held much higher than the drinker's head hight, such as at the top of a staircase or balcony.

The most advanced funnels have a valves of some sort inline at the drinking end of the tube. This can be used cut down on spillage. However, this is only necessary for beginners, as an experienced user can manipulate the flow of the liquid without the use of a valve.

For optimum results, a funnel should be defoamed before use. This makes it easier to drink the beer, as there is little or no foam to choke on. To do this, the drinker puts their finger inside of the tube opening and raises the funnel up in the air. All of the air bubbles will travel up and the drinker will be left with a clean bong with no foam to deal with. Another common method used to reduce foam is running the index finger along the outside of one's nose, then inserting it into the tube and/or funnel. This quickly dissolves the foam back into fluid.

Traditionally, the funnel device is designed for one user. However, other designs featuring sectioned funnels linked to many tubes can serve up to eight users at once. Another well known design of funnel is the "uterus" where two funnels are joined to a single central pipe via a "T" piece. The uterus is so named because of its resemblance to that part of the female anatomy, and allows twice the amount of liquid to be consumed in one session.

Procedure

File:N12453669 32095728 9451.jpg

Two college students funneling beers.

The drinker begins by stopping the end of the tube with either his or her thumb or by using a valve if present. The funnel is held above the drinker's head height, and the liquid is poured into the funnel. The drinker then quickly unstops the tube and inserts the end of the tube into their mouth, and falls to their knees. The other participants must then hold the funnel as high as possible so that the tube is as vertical as possible. The effects of gravity will cause liquid to be ingested extremely quickly. A person may drink 24 ounces of beer (2 cans worth) in only a few seconds with the aid of this device. The liquid is ingested continuously, as opposed to sipping which stops the flow of liquid. If there is too much foam it may enter the trachea and the person may choke, sometimes resulting in excessive vomiting.

Advanced technique circumvents stopping the tube at all, which is ideal because the unstopping of the tube is typically where the amateur drinker wastes the most liquid. The drinker holds the tube in the usual position, and　usually down on one knee. The funnel is kept below the level of the end of the tube. The holder pours the liquid into the funnel and allows the fluid level to rise as far up the tube as possible without it overflowing. When the drinker is ready, they put their mouth over the end of the tube and give the signal to raise the funnel. The holder then raises the funnel as high as possible so that the tube is as vertical as possible. Because there is no air present at the start of the funneling process, this method often results in the process being completed in a shorter time.

Funneling in Pop Culture

A 2006 New York Times article caused a stir when 2004 presidential candidate Senator John F. Kerry was pictured being offered a funnel while attending a tailgate party fundraiser outside of a college football game. [1] Currently, Santo is King of the Beer Bong

See also

• Drinking culture
• Drinking games
• Shotgunning
• Bottle Bong