Beer bottle openers are also known as church keys by many Americans. A traditional old school bottle opener made out of cast iron has an uncanny resemblance to old traditional church keys. If you’ve been to older church buildings in the United States, you’d notice that a lot of their doors are tall and made of heavy wood.
Given this type of construction, it goes without saying that the lock has to have a very sturdy key and this is where all those cast-iron large keys come in. At some point in history, somebody noticed that the keys used to turn the lock in a typical traditional heavy wood door church looks very similar to the devices that are used to open beer bottles.
That’s why beer bottle openers have picked up this nickname which continues to this very day. They definitely look like old school church keys.
With that said, bottle openers are used to remove bottle caps from glass bottles like beer, sodas, and other bottled beverages. They also can accommodate a wide range of caps. This is why it’s really important to get beer bottle openers that fit a certain standard size. This way, it can accommodate a wide range of bottle cap sizes.
This makes life much easier for you because whether you are looking to enjoy some beer or soda or anything else that’s packed in a bottle, you wouldn’t have much of a problem if you have a traditional church-key beer bottle opener.
The best bottle openers
Just like anything else in the greater beer product market, there’s always a lot of specialization. So just as you can find specially crafted, regional, or hyper-local microbrewery-produced beer, there are also many different beer bottle openers produced by different manufacturers with their own distinctive design.
While there’s really not much distinction in terms of categories of beer bottles because they can pretty much fall under one category, don’t let this fool you because when it comes to specific designs, beer bottle openers, surprisingly, express quite a bit of diversity. Here’s just a shortlist of the best bottle openers you would be able to find.
Thirsty Rhino Badak bottle opener and pour spout remover
This bottle opener has 2 ends, a bottle opener, and a spout remover at the other end. This opener is a bartender’s favorite tool. Generally speaking, this is an industrial-strength bottle opener that is usually purchased by venues or facilities like bars that cater to a lot of people.
OXO stainless steel bottle and can opener
This is the best bottle opener for home use. If you love to entertain and serve a lot of drinks to guests at home, this should be right up your alley. The other end of this opener has a church-key style opener and the other end has a pop-top bottle.
It also has a cushion grip and soft curves so you can keep using it over an extended period of time and not get tired.
Wooden Bottle opener
This bottle opener has a unique design that can preserve the bottle caps so you can still use the caps as souvenirs. This feature is very helpful because there are a lot of craft beers out there with distinctive bottle cap designs. If you find yourself ordering craft beers from the Pacific to the Atlantic in the United States, you probably would want to hang on to their caps as souvenirs.
This bottle opener is specifically designed to help you do just that.
Vacu Vin Winged opener
If you’re looking for a versatile, eye-opening bottle opener that could also double as a conversation starter, this product is for you. This is the most versatile bottle opener because it can open wine, beer, and other beverages.
It has a bottle opener and a winged corkscrew opener.
Kaiser Heavy-duty Stainless Steel Flat bottle opener
This is the best value for money bottle opener. No joke. If you’re looking to open a bottle quickly and easily and you want to accommodate a wide range of bottles, this is it. It features a very slim design and easily fits inside your pocket. That’s how compact it is.
But don’t let its size fool you. It’s also very functional because it has 2 ends and a set of 6 of this durable steel opener costs you only $11. That’s less than 2 bucks per unit.
Westmark Germany Hermetus Beer bottle opener
This is a 3 in 1 re-sealer beer bottle opener. It has a fairly unique design. Not only does it open bottles, but it could also reseal them. It has a twist-off top opener as well.
Corksicle Decapitator bottle opener
This one of a kind gadget easily opens a bottle with just one pump. Just fit the device over the cap and push. Quick, easy, and painless. This device fits most of the bottles out there and doesn’t require batteries. This device also preserves the bottle caps after opening.