Twist off/Pry off bottle caps
 

I was wondering, does anyone know why beer companies still use pry off bottle caps?

It just makes sence to me to always use twist off caps, unless there is some advantage to the pry off ones that I don't know about.


Anyone?

-happymaan

EDIT:

ooops I read that all wrong..I thought you were talking about pop bottles & things like that, Where I got pop bottles out of this topic...I'm still trying to figure it out.

:o

But ya..I know what you mean.

it might be that pop caps are cheaper to use.
plus, with a pop cap, the barman can look cooler when he uses his bar blade...

most things end up being about money actually.

-happymaan

There seems to be a bit of a "nostalgia" push on beer bottles in Canada right now. One company went back to the stubby bottle, with pry off caps, and they completely sold out!

I like the feel of pry-off bottles on my mouth better than twist-off.:)
Twist-off beer usually is mass produced crap, while pry-off tends to be a better quality beer IMHO.

Good question. Could it have something to do with the bar bottles being returnable?

Ease of manufacture. For twist off you have to incorporate twist into the mold, while also turning the cap so that it has the right grooves. For pry-off all they have to do is put a blank cap over it and stamp it on.
Oh yeah, it's a lot cooler to have pry-off too! :P

This is just a guess, but I think that the pry off caps probably make a more airtight seal then the twist off caps.

Pry-off caps require initiative to use when you find yourself without a bottle-opener :D. I always find myself prying stuff off and then realise it's a twist-off, so it wouldn't make any difference to me either way.

Not true. For a twist off, you do have to put a twist in the mold, but that's not really too difficult in the grand scheme of things. But as for the cap, you use the same blanks for either top. The twist tops acquire grooves when you press them over the grooves on the bottle.

Also not really true. The seal is formed by that bit of plastic inside the top, not the edges of the top.

My guess: beer feels more authentic in pop tops (which is why I always use pop tops). The twist tops are more convenient. Generally, companies producing cheap beer figure their customers are after convenience more than authenticity, so they use the twist tops. Boutique beers and king browns are for the more discerning clientelle, or in the case of the kingers, for clientelle who are unlikely ever to be far from a bottle opener anyway, so they tend towards the pop tops.

It's easier to keep it the same than to change. I suspect that the only time we'll see a change is if a company needs a new gimmick to amuse customers.

Bang on.

I always say, a good rule of thumb between good beer and cheap beer is the bottle top. Cheap beer always has twist-offs.

After flaying my fingers open on a few stubborn twist-offs, I ALWAYS pry open beer bottles, whether or not they have claim to alledgedly be twist-offable.

Good rule to go by. Seems to be true since the more expensive beer I buy is pry-off.

Plus I get to use my cool keychain pry-off tool :D

I always like that the pop offs double as a drunk-o-meter. They're a hell of a lot more difficult to get off when drunk... I figure, if I'm too gone to figure out where I left the bottle opener... I'm too gone for another.

I think there is a stigma associated with twist off caps.

I can't name a single high quality beer that has them.

Hmm so true. All the great German imported beer is the pop top kind. I have quite a few bottle openers scattered around the house just in case. If I go out, I usually carry my Leatherman just in case I decide to pick up some good imported beer and sample some. Does anyone know of any domestic beer that is not twist off? I even remember back in the day my father drinking beer in the can that you had to use the can opener. Kinda like opening an old oil can. You had to use the can opener to open a hole for drinking on one side. Then another hole on the other end to let air in. Heh, those where cool!

good point! the glass on a "pop top" has a nice smooth rounded edge on it. huh....never would have thought of that on my own.

Some of the beer bottles in Mexico have an opener in the BOTTOM of the bottle....all you have to do is sit one over the other and twist...no cut fingers...still cheap beer though---and it screws things up if you only have one bottle...

It just looks stylier :)

pop tops and missing openers are also not really a problem.
You can open pop tops with a cigarette lighter, a piece of wood or many many other things you find flying around. It just takes a bit of practice. I never have to search long to get that bottle open and I never had to use my teeth.(worst you can do!)
And of course the POP is nicer than anything else.

that's so fucking cool. :)

opening bottles with a bottle opener is MUCH better in my book bc i'm a weak lil girl and after i've already had a few, it hurts my poor little hand