I certainly found the article completely out iof line -- the writer is starting from the assumption that beer is a universal joy and all smart people drink it. MacGyver is smart, therefore he drinks beer. But then, what would you expect from a beer advocates' website?
This line from the article really says it all:
"Some of the things, like putting a cold beer near the thermostat to make the heater come on, using beer as a compass or to loosen rusted bolts, while very MacGyver-esque, are a little far-fetched."
Well, geez. If you think it's too far-fetched, you don't know Mac!
And the trick with the cold beer by the thermostat will work just as well with any cold object.
I suppose Mac might use the recipe for Guinness cake -- cooking removes the alcohol from booze and leaves the flavour behind. But the beer-bottle solar-powered water heater does sound up his alley! He can use Jack's empty bottles, and won't need to drink any of the stuff himself.
One of the challenges I gave myself when I wrote
Up a Long Ladder was to drop Mac into a completely alien environment -- a Belfast pub -- and have him deal quite nicely with the situation without having to break character and drink anything himself. It was fun. I worked in a couple of MacGyverisms using the omnipresent booze, too, although one of them required a higher alcohol content than beer generally has to work properly. (That one I actually tested.)
Wow. Thats a pleasant surprise. 
