We are a part of eBay Affiliate Network, and if you make a purchase through the links on our site we earn affiliate commission.
Until the late 1800s, most beer was sold in kegs since bottled beer had to be consumed quickly or it would spoil. But the advent of pasteurization in 1876 made it safe to bottle fermented products, and along with America’s growing rail system,...
Continue reading
Until the late 1800s, most beer was sold in kegs since bottled beer had to be consumed quickly or it would spoil. But the advent of pasteurization in 1876 made it safe to bottle fermented products, and along with America’s growing rail system, the bottled-beer industry boomed. In the early 1890s, Congress passed taxes on bottled beer, along with legislation allowing companies to bottle their brews onsite and bypass an archaic process of barreling, transporting, and packaging their drinks into bottles elsewhere. Prior to this action, beer bottles often featured a bottling credit on them in addition to the name of the brewer, which is one way to date a beer bottle. While early beer bottles came in a variety of glass colors, including brown, blue, green, and clear, the first American bottles were made from ceramic stoneware. This style was often used for dark beers like porters and stouts or non-alcoholic drinks like root beer or ginger ale. Since bottling was costly, many early containers were embossed with a company's name to help ensure their safe return, although this didn’t deter bootleggers from reusing them. At the time, many would-be brewers made their products out of their homes and used their bottles for multiple beverages, so some of these embossed bottles never even included the word “beer” on them (the brewer's company and city names were all a customer needed to know). As these fledgling enterprises grew into mature companies, though, phrases like “Brewing Co.” were added. Less common embossing features included a company's phone number and graphic icons like animal mascots. William Painter’s invention of the single-use “crown cap” in 1892 sealed the deal for mass-produced beer bottles. The innovative design, with its crimped edge and cork lining, overtook some 1,500 different styles of bottle stoppers used prior to 1892. The crown cap also led to more uniform, machine-made bottles. Previously, the majority of beer bottles were made with a “blob...
Continue reading

Best of the Web

Plopsite.de
Norbert Lamping's collection of 600+ ceramic bottle stoppers, Hutter stoppers, swingtops, swivel...
Bottle Cap Index
Assembled by Gunther Rademacher with the help of several other contributors, this collection of...
Antique Bottle Collector's Haven
There's a ton of information here, but as with bottles, you have to dig to find the best stuff....
Historic Glass Bottle Identification
Bill Lindsey's fantastic bottle identification and information site. Loaded with detailed...
Old Spice Collectibles
Lather up with Creighton Fricek's complete chronology of collectible Old Spice shaving products....
Most Watched

Best of the Web

Plopsite.de
Norbert Lamping's collection of 600+ ceramic bottle stoppers, Hutter stoppers, swingtops, swivel...
Bottle Cap Index
Assembled by Gunther Rademacher with the help of several other contributors, this collection of...
Antique Bottle Collector's Haven
There's a ton of information here, but as with bottles, you have to dig to find the best stuff....
Historic Glass Bottle Identification
Bill Lindsey's fantastic bottle identification and information site. Loaded with detailed...
Old Spice Collectibles
Lather up with Creighton Fricek's complete chronology of collectible Old Spice shaving products....