Tuesday, July 29, 2008
what I learned last week
If you place a quarter over the cap of a bottle of beer before you open it, the top of the cap won't bend and you can put it back on the bottle so the beer will keep overnight. In our case a 22 ounce bottle of Elysian Avatar Jasmine IPA was still good when we returned to it after two nights had passed. Thanks to the good people at Full Throttle Bottles for the tip.
Shown above is my lizard bottle cap opener whom I've had since my very first apartment. You can also see him here in all his woefulness.
categories: drink, good to know
Hee hee! We have the same Beer Lizard, but I've never noticed that he has sad eyes. Poor little guy....
Thanks for the tip!
Comment by Lauren — July 29, 2008 @ 5:50 am
That's a great tip!!
Comment by Karen — July 29, 2008 @ 6:34 am
That's a great tip! I wonder if beer behaves in a similar way to champagne, where if you slip the handle of a stainless steel spoon in the bottle, it stays bubbly without a cork/cap?
Of course, I don't think i've met a bottle of beer I couldn't finish. :) With champagne on the other hand, that tip has saved MANY a bottle
Comment by Emily — July 29, 2008 @ 7:33 am
I have that same bottle opener- he rocks and I've had him since my first apartment too!! little lizard never fails
Comment by Sarah O — July 29, 2008 @ 8:57 am
Woah. That's actually pretty sweet. Peter uses old wine corks and I've tasted the results of that process... not so amazing.
Plus. PLUS! Now I can make cute magnets out of interesting bottle caps without having to sort through piles of them for the less dented ones.
Nice tip. :)
Comment by Salty — July 29, 2008 @ 9:10 am
I totally read that last paragraph as "Shawn, above, is my lizard...."
So I think his name should be Shawn.
Comment by Ms. Pants — July 29, 2008 @ 10:17 am
Ms. Pants - I was just thinking how I didn't have a name for the lizard, perfect.
Salty - Oh, I didn't think about the crafting angle, nice one.
I bought my lizard at a grocery store back in the day, it was the equivalent of a Safeway or Albertsons, so I'm not surprised to find a bunch of other people have the same one. It was part of a line of critter themed kitchen ware but anything else I got (cow print ice cream scoop, I think) broke long ago.
Comment by megan — July 29, 2008 @ 10:28 am
Great idea! This is perfect when you just need a bit of beer for a recipe. Not that an opened bottle every goes unconsumed in this house but I know people who will love this! I'm linking to this in today's Daily DIY.
Comment by Rachel — July 29, 2008 @ 10:58 am
At the risk of making myself sound like a real redneck, I don't have a bottle opener. If I'm drinking beer with a pop-off lid, I just put the lid against a hard edge like a counter top, then hit the top of the lid with my hand. Pops right off. It doesn't bend the lid either so you can probably just pop it back on although I've never tried it.
Comment by Andrea — July 29, 2008 @ 1:27 pm
Maybe now that Shawn has a name, his woeful eyes have transformed into wide-eyed adoration? (A quick swipe with a Sharpie could easily perfect his undying love for you and your beer bottles....)
Comment by Ms. Pants — July 29, 2008 @ 2:02 pm
Keep... beer... overnight? I am sorry, but I don't understand this.
(PS: My bottle opener is a lobster. His name is Thermidore.)
Comment by Heather C — July 29, 2008 @ 3:35 pm
This one from IKEA takes off bottle caps with no bending at all. I really like being able to reuse my bottle caps too, so I recommend it. Plus, I never can find the bottle opener in the drawer when I need it, so this one is always handy.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40084521
Comment by Lisa Dudley — July 29, 2008 @ 3:37 pm
I'm a bartender and we all use these: http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Opener-Popper-Bar-Mamba/dp/B000NNQU5I/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1217387727&sr=8-3
they're a lot easier to use, and don't bend the top either.
Comment by Rachel — July 29, 2008 @ 7:15 pm
that is awesome!
Comment by Kristen Rask — July 30, 2008 @ 1:42 pm
I'll have to try that, though I don't think we've ever kept an open beer overnight in this house.
Comment by knitopia — July 30, 2008 @ 3:39 pm
I have a tip I invented myself. I buy Folgers coffee and use the tops for coasters for my coffee cup that I am always walking around with or at my computer. Most of my cups fit in it perfectly and since they have a lttle rim when inverted prevent any drain offs onto the furniture.
Comment by Chris — July 30, 2008 @ 3:59 pm
Yeah, good tip. So, I guess my question is that 22 oz. is less than 2 beers, and the ABV on that beer is below 5%...were you full or something?
Doubtful that this tip is useful, unless someone invents a 1 gallon bottle of beer.
Comment by Jez — July 31, 2008 @ 5:23 am
Neat trick! I also found that those vacusaver things for wine bottles work well in a 22oz beer bottle. For the record, I am the only one who likes dark beer and I can't (always) drink it in one sitting. :)
Comment by leandra — July 31, 2008 @ 5:25 am
Jez - Ok, I'll admit it's unusual to have leftover beer in our house. This beer was preceeded by some Manny's, and honestly, the Jasmine IPA wasn't as I remembered it when I get it on tap. After a few days in the fridge though, it tasted more like I expected it to. Not sure what was going on there.
Comment by megan — July 31, 2008 @ 8:32 am
[...] Here’s a fun tip from Not Martha on how to remove a bottle cap without bending it. [...]
Pingback by shelterrific » Blog Archive » blogwatch: where we’ve been clicking this week — August 1, 2008 @ 6:04 am
Um, what is this leftover beer you describe? Sounds intriguing!
Comment by Hungover Gourmet — August 3, 2008 @ 6:15 am
A champagne stopper generally works well to keep the carbonation in too, if you bend or toss the cap by mistake, and fits most beer bottles.
Comment by em — August 4, 2008 @ 6:19 am