hank's

When Michael told me that he was taking a trip to Atlanta, I told him that directive number one was finding me some bottle caps. You wouldn't believe how quickly we've gone through the sodas in our neighborhood. Every once in a while we find a new one, but the bodegas, supermarkets, and health food stores can supply us with only so much!

So, when I got a text message from him that he found a new crown before he even took off, I knew that the trip was going to be fruitful. You'll see the remaining fruits of his labor as we move through the week.

Hank's is a Philadelphia-based soda company that offers beverages like root beer, cream soda, orange cream, black cherry and more. I can't vouch for the taste, since Michael was the one who had it, but the bottle cap is just lovely.  A big, bold name, with the claim of being gourmet (who wouldn't want a gourmet soda?), Hank's offers a better-than-average crown.

The next time I'm in an airport, I'll have to put them head-to-head against Boylan's (currently my favorite soda) -- especially since they offer many of the same flavors.  The one problem I might face is getting the soda through security! Sorry, TSA officer, it's for my blog.  Official bottle caps business....

fentimans, firehouse brewing co

Today's theme is based not on a beverage but on a cap. As Michael (or anyone who knows me well) will tell you, I'm obsessed with dogs. Whenever we walk down the street and there is someone walking his dog, I have to stop myself from staring. If the dog does something adorable, I coo. If the dog barks, I make excuses for it.
Growing up, I asked for a dog all the time, but the only pet I ever got was a gerbil. I made up for the lack of canine companionship by becoming the resident dog-walker of the neighborhood. Now I live in an apartment where dogs aren't allowed, so I have the next best thing: a cat that acts suspiciously like a dog.

Both caps in this post prominently feature dogs. Fentimans is a UK-based soda with a curiously old-fashioned name and unusual flavors. Established in 1905, Fentimans prides itself on its Ginger Beer and other herb-tastic flavors. While I haven't tried all of them, I recently found a storefront in NYC that carries quite a few of the flavors. Now that it's getting warmer out, trips to said storefront will be more common and hopefully more Fentimans will be enjoyed.
The bottle cap, as mentioned, has a lovely dog on it -- AND the name of the company! If it were in color, I'm pretty sure this cap would have made it into the HOF. And if they ever decide to make a series of caps (like Boylans does!) it would be an excellent starting point for a collector.

Florida Firehouse Brewing Co.'s cap was discovered at Crownvention. You would be surprised at the number of "firehouse brewing co's" that come up on Google. This one claims to be from Florida, but I'm not sure. Anyway, this cap has a regal looking Dalmatian surrounded by the name of the brewing company. Again, could be a contender for the HOF. But it's just not quite there.

boylans

One of my favorite things about bottle caps are the variety. Even within one brand there can be multiple bottle caps. I actually started collecting because of Boylans.  I've included my collection of those bottle caps here. 

 Here is another variation:

 

Creamy Red Birch Beer is one of my favorite sodas! It is surprisingly hard to find in my neighborhood, so whenever I see it, I usually purchase a few.  You'll also notice that Creamy Red made it into my "hall of fame," which has some odd criteria.  I either really like the cap (design, image, etc) or it's an amazing beverage. 

And the last kind... your classic Boylan. 

Stay tuned for additional posts of my collection of bottle caps.  Thanks for visiting!