Sicilian, I agree with what the others are saying, the beer doesn't really do anything, spatchcocking works great. Yep, all true. But beer can chicken is a fun way to go and it really does make juicy chicken. It's one of those methods that is fun to do when you want to show off a bit. You can do it in the basement like the other linked thread shows. I have a rotisserie ring that I use when doing beer can chicken and turkeys. But then again, rotisserie chicken is awesome and juicy too, so if you get a roti you might be all set anyway. Bottom line: It's fun to have different methods in your repertoire.