WATERLOO - Ted and Beverly Wood's basement is a museum to domestic beer.

The soft red glow and gold and chrome reflections that emanate from their lower level proclaim "Budweiser" in every conceivable medium.

The couple easily has 1,000 pieces of Bud merchandising hanging from the walls and exhibited on shelves and display cases.

At last count there were 140 lights of different sizes, said Ted Wood, although he admits the census was a while ago. All of the lights are hooked into a master electrical scheme that Beverly Wood flicks on and off with a series of numbered remote controls.

Apart from displaying the collection, the Woods' joy comes from hunting out new acquisitions.

"It's fun for us, because we're retired," said Beverly Wood, who used to work at Bertch Cabinet. "On the weekends, we get in the car and go to the antique shops." Clues on where to search often come from antiques newsletters.

There are sneakers and ski boots with the Budweiser name and a brass opener shaped like a bottle that dates from the 1800s. Also an inflatable boat, a bean bag chair, lapel pins. The list goes on.

Ted Wood said their prize piece is a lighted 4 to 5-foot long bubble glass encapsulating a miniature Clydesdale team pulling a beer wagon.

They bought it at an antique shop in Council Bluffs and then had to squeeze it into their car. It stretched from the dashboard to the back window on the passenger side, and Beverly had to ride home in the back.

For all the Budweiser decor, the two aren't beer drinkers.

"I drink six cans a year, maybe," said Ted Wood, who retired from a salvage company. And then it usually isn't Budweiser, he whispers.

The collection actually started with their son, Jim, who returned to live at home for a few years.

Jim Wood, 45, set up his Bud lights when he moved in but left most of it behind when he got married and relocated to a small apartment in July.

His parents picked up where he left off and kept going.

The collection foams out of the basement and flows into a breezeway before trickling into their two-car garage.

Beverly Wood draws the line at the living room, which is devoid of any mention of beer.

The Woods have no idea what the collection is worth. They have a book on Budweiser items, but a lot of the items they have aren't listed.

Part of the fun, Beverly Wood said, is just seeing what they can find with the Budweiser logo.

"There's all kinds of different, oddball things," Ted Wood said.

Contact Jeff Reinitz at (319) 291-1578 or jeff.reinitz@wcfcourier.com.