What Would You Do for a Lifetime of Free Beers?

Among the many things to love about the Germantown watering hole Mother’s Ruin is the fact that they never take themselves too seriously. From irreverent drink names like “Demonbreun Fucks” and “America’s Next Top Bottom” to a food menu that emphasizes intentionally unhealthy decadent and delicious plates, the vibe at Mother’s Ruin is indulgent and always entertaining. So of course when the holiday named after them rolls around, they have to issue an over-the-top challenge to their legion of fans.

Mother’s Ruin has teamed up with Jack Daniel's for the third annual Mother’s Day Challenge on May 11. The goal is simple, and the prize is epic. In past years, all you had to do was visit every location of Mother’s Ruin in one day, specifically on Mother’s Day.



That meant traveling between the original location in New York City and their outposts in Nashville and Chicago. Last month Mother’s Ruin opened their fourth bar in Austin, on the Texas capital’s legendary Sixth Street, so now you have to visit only three out of the four options to earn the prize. (One caveat: In honor of the Austin opening, you must make that bar one of the three you drop into.

) What’s the prize? If you make it to three locations during their business hours on May 11 and get your passport stamped at the bar and pick up commemorative coins, you’ll receive a gold card entitling you to a free beer a day for life at any location of Mother’s Ruin. Even if it’s just a $5 Tecate (the house wine at Mother’s Ruin), it wouldn’t take too long to earn back the cost a few Southwest tickets — especially since one leg of the journey is no worse than an Uber stop on the way home from the airport. I found this itinerary that you could pay back in about two months of visits.

And a plane would definitely have to be involved, because I have run the numbers and the Austin stipulation makes it impossible to achieve via automobile. Not that I wouldn’t have tried if it were possible. Of course, in college, four friends and I once rented a Ford Taurus with unlimited miles and drove 25 hours each way from Stanford to Calgary to spend 18 hours at the Winter Olympics.

We did get to see Eddie “the Eagle” ski jumping and the Jamaican bobsled team practicing, so yeah, we were crazy like that. Mother's Ruin Austin Not enough motivation for you? What about if I told you that if you’re willing to get a tattoo of the Mother’s Ruin logo somewhere on your body, they’ll upgrade you to the black card that is good for one free cocktail a day forever. And keep in mind that Mother’s Ruin doesn’t close for any holidays.

Like the sign says over their new Austin bar, “Every. Damn. Day.

” To help you plan the odyssey, here are the official rules: Participants must complete all visits during regular operating hours on May 11 only (late-night May 10 visits don't qualify). Be sure to check online for hours of operation. Locations can be visited in any order.

Challengers must collect a stamp in their passport from a bartender in all three cities. Completed passports must be presented to the manager at the final stop to claim a gold or black Mother's Legend card. Participants must register through Eventbrite to be eligible to participate.

Mother's Ruin also encourages participants to share their journey on Instagram by tagging the respective locations ( @mothersruinnyc , @mothersruinchicago , @mothersruinnashville , @mothersruinaustin ) and using the hashtag #MRMDChallenge. I’ll take it one step further. If any Bitester accomplishes the feat this year, I will personally buy you lunch at Mother’s Ruin (in Nashville, for Pete’s sake!) and share your story with the rest of our readers in this column.

So start your engines! OK, in reality, start your southwest.com browser search. May the wind be at your back!.