Everyone pack up, we're going to europe.

[ice]

Next time you backpack Europe, it may be a good idea to take along your closest Canadian friend. You just might end up with all the free beer you’d ever want.

To bolster national pride, Canadian beer company Molson placed beer fridges across Europe, from the streets of London and Brussels to the pastures of Belgium. Inside those fire engine red fridges? A free stockpile of Canadian suds. (Instead of planning a pub crawl through Europe, might we suggest a fridge crawl?)

A public fridge chock full of free beer may sound like heaven to some, but there’s a problem: It’s locked. And there’s only one way to open it—you have be Canadian. The fridge will open only if you scan a Canadian passport. A webcam inside snaps a photo of the passport, unlocking the swill when it recognizes the document as 100 percent official maple leaf.

It’s an advertising stunt, of course (Molson recently reintroduced the old “I am Canadian” slogan), but the ad company in charge, Rethink, says that more fridges may be on the way—including at the winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Incidentally, if you’re one of those Americans backpacking the continent with a Canadian flag stitched to your bag, it’s time to fess up. Because when a local asks you to open the town’s Molson fridge, your cover will surely be blown.



http://mentalfloss.com/article/53071...only-canadians

[Steve07]

Nothing says "great idea" like a random piece of technological junk on a street in some European backwater snapping a photo of your passport...

[pickrel pat]

Originally Posted by Steve07

Nothing says "great idea" like a random piece of technological junk on a street in some European backwater snapping a photo of your passport...

yup..... the clever criminals would utilize them to steel your identity the first week they were put out..... no thx.

[leeaspell]

Why do I need to all the way to Europe for a free beer. A little customer appreciation for the loyal customers here would be nice, maybe something better than a straw hat or a t-shirt that shrinks 4 sizes when you wash it.

[Mekanik]

Originally Posted by leeaspell

Why do I need to all the way to Europe for a free beer. A little customer appreciation for the loyal customers here would be nice, maybe something better than a straw hat or a t-shirt that shrinks 4 sizes when you wash it.

Maybe some better beer?

Wait, molson's owns rickard's. That's passable.

[coolpete1]

if im in europe the last thing i want to drink is molson canadian ! that stuff is gross here ,forget about drinking it where good beer comes from.

[Grizzly Adams]

Great way for the National Intelligence Agency to keep track of your travels. Check in with us and get a free beer

Grizz

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by coolpete1

if im in europe the last thing i want to drink is molson canadian ! that stuff is gross here ,forget about drinking it where good beer comes from.

X2

I will take a Weiss or Hefeweizen any day of the week over Canadian beer...

LC

[dcutter]

Ridiculous. Cyber-crime, tech junk cluttering the streets of Europe....wait....did that read "free beer"?...

thump thump thump thump......{front door slams}.....car starts.....tires screech

[Okotokian]

Agree with comments above. So your passport (the most valued in the world for terrorists and criminals) is scanned by an unattended machine left out in public all hours... Crooks tamper with all sorts of credit card reading devices all the time.

[Wild&Free]

Anyone who'd drinks a Canadian while in Europe doesn't know beer.

[Okotokian]

You don't drink it. You sell it.

[Wild&Free]

Fair enough Oko, but any European who'd pay for a Canadian probably has either no sense of smell or their taste buds are dead.

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by Wild&Free

Fair enough Oko, but any European who'd pay for a Canadian probably has either no sense of smell or their taste buds are dead.

Not every Euro beer is great you know, just like not every American one is bad.

[CaberTosser]

The machines aren't hooked up to the internet, its just a Gypsy inside a booth with a high-res scanner & a beer fridge. When they can't find gypsies they do have access to Taliban international exchange students as backup.

The machines right next to them give out free hot pretzels when you punch in your SIN #, birth date & mothers maiden name!

[recce43]

hey free beer is free dont care what country im in if its free its mine

[ÜberFly]

Would only work with the newer "Chip" passports... So only 1/3 maybe 1/4 of travellers would be able to access...

But I digress... Molson Canadian is swill in it's own country, let alone within many countries that are famous for many of their local/regional brews!!