Beer... It's KNOT just an apres climb beverage!

Beer... That beverage that most of us can agree puts the final touch to a good day of climbing, well it's not just for apres climb... or should I say "Knot" just for after the climb.

What is it that I'm make referencing to? The Beer knot of course!
The Beer knot is a bend used to tie a loop in tubular webbing to form a sling. It has a similar structure to the Water knot. Compared to the Water knot it boasts a higher strength (up to 80%, compared to 60-70% for the Water knot), a cleaner appearance due to not having loose tails, and a smaller profile. The only downside of the Beer knot over the Water knot is the amount of time/effort required to tie.
With that said the Beer knot is a great addition to the water knot in your book of tricks, and is of great value to those who find themselves on the "hand tied sling budget". For "consumable slings" (ie. hand tied slings you carry for bailing/rap anchors/...) the water knot is still the preferred choice of knot due to ease of use.


Now... about that Beer... knot.

Instructions and illustration:

-Select a length of 1" tubular webbing suitable for the length of sling which you are about to tie.
Tip: This length is approximately equal to twice the length of the sling you wish to create, PLUS about 12"-14".

1-Tie a loose overhand knot in the middle of the length of webbing.
2-Open one end of the webbing, and burn the end so that it doesn't fray.
3-Fold the other end in half and start feeding it into the open end. Take the time to ensure the webbing doesn't have any twists in it before you proceed. To have the required length of tails on the knot make sure the end is inserted 12" to 14".
4-Flatten the Webbing inside as much as possible/practical.
Now, this is where that overhand knot you tied in step one comes into play... you did do step one, right...
5-Slide the overhand knot around so that it is centered with equal length tails on the overlapped webbing. You will be able to see one end/tail and will be able to feel the other. Approximately 3-5" of tail should be used on both ends. Once you have the knot centered, tighten the knot sufficiently. I like to stand with one foot in the loop and pull to set the knot good.

Figure 1 (Shamelessly poached from another website):

Figure 2 (also shamelessly poached from another website):