How to Open Beer with Beer

Guide Note: Ever wanted to know how to open a bottle of beer by using another bottle of beer? Who hasn't? Much better than fighting fire with fire, this page will reveal the mysteries of How to Open Beer with Beer.

Introduction

2 beers + no opener = bar magic! (Creative Commons photo by Seth William Page)
2 beers + no opener = bar magic! (Creative Commons photo by Seth William Page)
  • When it comes down to it, there are two basic scenarios that might require you to know a fancy bar trick like opening a bottle of beer using another bottle of beer. One would stem from a desire to stand out in a crowd and create that one special moment that makes everyone in your immediate vicinity think, "there's no way this person couldn't be the life of the party if they know how to do that!" Desperate? Perhaps a little, but a valiant cause nonetheless.
  • Another situation is that you're at home alone with many bottles of beer in front of you just begging to be imbibed, but you just dropped the bottle opener into the garbage disposal. Again. As if you weren't already depressed (which is ostensibly why you were ready to do some serious alone-time drinking in the first place), now how are you supposed to crack open a cold one without losing a finger or two?
  • Life is all about learning to overcome obstacles, even if said obstacle is laziness. (All this cold brew in a cooler in front of you, and the opener is all the way over there on the kitchen counter!) Since you're clearly not ready to tune down the beer snobbery and start buying twist-off lids or—God forbid—aluminum cans, this little How To will equip you with the skill to open a beer using the only thing you love more in this world: another beer. Luckily, for those of you who might already have an empty bottle or two at your side, the process is very simple.

NOTE: This method will successfully open any un-twistable bottle cap, so if you're under 21, simply add the word "root" before every instance of "beer." Simple!

A Quick Science Lesson

  • Since everyone loves to learn a little something before they kick back with a brew or two (memory retention is far better beforehand, anyway), we will now learn that there is a simple concept behind the skill you are about to acquire: leverage. If Archimedes were a beer aficionado, he'd tell you that we'll be using our hand as a fulcrum to create a lever with one bottle that will force the cap off of the other bottle.

Opening a Bottle with a Bottle

  • By now you're clearly thirsty, so it's time to cut to the chase: how do you open one bottle with another? The answer takes three simple steps:

Step 1: Hold the bottle you want to open

  1. In which hand you hold it will depend on your preference, but probably in your weak hand is best. Since most people are right handed, we'll say you're holding it in your left hand.
  2. Hold the top of the bottle underneath the cap. Leave about one inch of room between the bottle cap and the top of your finger.
    • This is where we will place the other bottle in the next step.
  3. Hold it strong and firm! You'll be using your index finger as the fulcrum. (Remember? This is totally scientific and educational!) You might try putting your elbow on something solid for extra support.

Step 2: Place the other bottle under the cap

A technical study of the anatomy of the common bottle cap. (Creative Commons photo by Darren Hester)
A technical study of the anatomy of the common bottle cap. (Creative Commons photo by Darren Hester)
  1. With your free hand, grab the other beer that you're not planning on opening (until you finish this one, of course). We'll call this bottle the "opener" and the other one the "openee."
  2. Turn the "opener" beer bottle on its side and stick its bottle cap in the space between your finger and the cap on the beer you are opening.
  3. You might not want to hook the bottom edges of the caps onto each other; simply place the side of the opener's cap up against the bottom edge of the openee's cap, otherwise you might wind up with a mess on your hands if both bottles open accidentally.
    • If you're having trouble with the anatomy of the bottle cap, see the super-scientific diagram to the right for clarification.
  4. When the caps are in place, push your left hand up on the openee until the top of your index finger is snug against the cap of the opener.

Step 3: Press down on the sideways bottle

  1. With your finger applying upward pressure on the opener's cap, use your other hand to press down on the bottle (this is the lever you just created).
  2. The openee's cap should pop right off.
  3. Enjoy.

Subscribe to Mahalo's Weekly How To Email Newsletter

  • Get our best How To tips and ideas in your inbox each week

Videos and Resources for How to Open Beer with Beer

Advertisements

Related Searches

Beer | How to Brew Your Own Beer In 7 Simple Steps | Wine | Alcoholic Beverages | Drinking Games | Guinness | Budweiser | Heineken | Red Stripe | Home Brewing | Beer Day



Have any great tips on How to Open Beer with Beer? Post your thoughts to the discussion board.