The humble Bottle Opener

My favourite opener

At beer talks I normally tell people that the start of drinking and enjoying a beer is their choice of an appropriate glass. Before they buy any beer they should first acquire a glass they enjoy drinking from as it will enhance their enjoyment of the beer. However, I now realise there is something that comes before the glass and that is the humble bottle opener. For ones pleasure in enjoying a beer does not start with a favourite glass, it begins with a favourite bottle opener!

Just like a glass, a bottle opener is a personal item and we'll all have our favourite. For me, if I can't use my favourite opener the beer drinking experience gets off to a bad start. Of course, the bottle opener has no impact on the quality of the beer but its about the subliminal relaxation of enjoying a beer, so the very start point of opening the bottle is very important. It is the first impression that counts and that begins with the use of your chosen opener, the kiss as it breaks the seal and releases the CO2 pressure within, which leads to the expectant anticipation of the delicious contents that are about to be enjoyed.

My favourite opener is a Homer Simpson Duff Beer opener, not that I'm a big fan of the Simpsons, it was a Christmas present from my wife's grandsons around eight years ago and I have used it ever since. I know they chose it for me so its something special and even though its now somewhat rusted, I still enjoy using it. A bottle opener is a very personal thing, much like a cherished tie or coffee mug.


Church key style traditional bottle opener

The bottle opener has been around since the invention of the crown cork. As ever with new inventions there is some conjecture as to who was responsible but its generally recognised to be William Painter in Baltimore in 1892. Until the invention of the crown cork soda and beer bottles were round ended and mostly sealed with corks. They were then stored on their sides to avoid the corks drying out. The invention of the crown cork not only changed the seal, it also changed storage methods and bottle shapes as bottles could now be stored upright.

More importantly, the new crown cork required an opener. These were traditionally flat pieces of metal and some resembled ornate church keys, hence they become known as "Church Key" openers. There is no record as to how and when they officially came by their name but there is certainly a similarity between the church key and the bottle opener of yesteryear.

From the 1900's onwards bottle opener designs literally exploded like an over conditioned bottle beer. Brewers and soda producers in the USA were quick to see the marketing potential of such items. Some even included a pin on the reverse so they could be spun like a spin the bottle to see who bought the next round. Other designs included the speed opener, which is now known as the bar blade and of course the wall mounted opener allowed bottled beer to be opened with one hand.

British brewers were more conservative with their bottle openers, but wonderful vintage designs for the likes of Guinness and Carlsberg are readily found via google. What has changed very little for the past century is the design of the crown cork, so all bottle openers have the same opening mechanism. Everyone should have a favourite opener, whether its a traditional design or a promotional item and it should be cherished and loved as the start point of many an enjoyable beer drinking experience.