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....

coca cola

I'm oddly excited to add another Coca Cola cap to my collection. Last weekend, Michael and the men in his family took their annual baseball trip, this year to Atlanta to see The Braves. It was Michael's first trip to ATL (I went back in the early 2000s to visit a friend) and I told him a must-see was The World of Coke. *

Now I admit that I don't remember getting a bottle of Coca Cola at the end of the tour, but apparently you do. And what do you get along with that bottle of Coke? An only available at the factory World of Coca Cola Bottle Cap. And who got their caps? Yours truly!  Apparently Michael learned all about the history of Coca Cola, how the secret formula is made ONLY in Atlanta, and then shipped out to different places all over the world, where they add their own water and sugar (or high fructose corn syrup, depending on where you are). And there are very few people who actually know the secret formula. Except maybe the folks at This American Life.

Anyway, this just feeds into the Coca Cola collection craze that so many people have. Slap a Coca Cola label on something, or the polar bear or Santa Claus, and people go nuts for it. One of my favorite reality shows is American Pickers, and I don't think an episode goes by without them seeing some sort of Coca Cola sign. (I've since learned that porcelain signs are the best, for reasons that escape me. A side note about American Pickers -- do you think they ever find bottle cap collections?!?  Do they want to sell said collections to me?? I'm so curious!)

So, fellow bottle cap collectors -- how many Coca Cola caps do you have? Do you seek them out?

* Michael will be guest blogging later this week about some of the crowns he got for me! This week is officially Atlanta week. Get pumped.

mystery cap!

Try this one on for size! A fun new cap from Michael's trip south of the Mason Dixon line.

Leave a comment here or send me a message on Twitter!

a quandary

Dear readers, I have an issue that I would like your opinion on.

As I am sure you can tell from my posts, I live in a city.  And a pretty dirty one at that.  There are numerous opportunities to rescue poor, helpless bottle caps that have been tossed aside on the road, the sidewalk, and in the dirt of trees and bushes along the street. I understand this can sound gross. Who wants to pick these things off the road where animals (and possibly homeless people) have done their business? What is the proper protocol?

I ask because there are opportunities to get bottle caps that I would never in my right mind purchase with the intent of drinking the contents of the bottle. Drinks like Bartles & Jaymes. Olde English. India Malta. Freez.  Budweiser. Bizarre, gross or unappetizing beverages that just happen to find their way into my walking path. What is too much? And when is it more useful to just pick them up and forgo drinking something that I know will just be nasty? I don't want to drink any more Malta. And I don't really want to trade for them. So if, in my wandering through the streets of NYC, I find a Malta cap that I don't already have, is it OK or bordering on crazy to pick it up?

Should I get my head out of the gutter?  Should I carry around a Ziploc bag and/or plastic gloves? Should I simply trade for them on the interwebs? How far is TOO far?

horny goat

One of the more unusual crowns I bought this year at Crownvention was from Horny Goat Brewery. A microbrewery hailing from Milwaukee, WI, these guys give a whole new meaning to...well, farm animals, I guess. And double entendres.

Ah, Milwaukee, home of Shotz beer of the legendary Laverne & Shirley show:

I love Laverne's shirts.  I wish I had one... and speaking of Shotz -- did they ever make a bottle cap of that? Gotta love the fictional beers of TV land -- Pawtucket Pat, Shotz and of course, Duff. (do you have a favorite fictional beer?)

Obviously, Milwaukee has an amazing history and tradition of brewing beer. (Milwaukee's Best? Schlitz? Miller? Pabst?)  You can't throw a bottle cap in Milwaukee without hitting a brewery.  I should mention, for the record, that there was an opportunity for me to go to Milwaukee a few years ago and I was denied. Flat. Out. Denied. in my request to accompany those headed to the great Midwestern city of beer, bratwurst, and cheese. It is truly a shame, and something that I hope to fix in the coming years.  If I am ever let loose in Milwaukee, it will be beer and cheese for me -- all day and all night -- and I guarantee  you'll have to roll me back to the airport.

But back to the task at hand:  Horny Goat, you have a pretty fun bottle cap!  It has a goat with horns! It has the name of your brewery! It has more than one meaning! You are coming SO CLOSE to a HOF entry.  But I think I need a little more color and/or background to let you in.  Keep trying, and please do send me any new bottle cap designs you might be entertaining. I would be happy to give some notes.

dogfish head

A few years ago, I read an article about Dogfish Head  and its founder Sam Calagione in the New Yorker Magazine. It really went into the  man behind the brew, and how difficult (and rewarding) it is to brew your own beer and sell it in the U.S.  Microbreweries have to compete against the big guns (Miller, Budweiser, Coors, etc) and also have the added difficulty of being in a country that was "watered down" by Prohibition, which has made it difficult to sell full bodied, rich, exciting beers.

Dogfish Head is an unusual brewery that has NYC in its corner. You can't walk into a deli or grocery store in the city without seeing at least one of Dogfish's signature brews available. Many bars have it on tap. Until I read the New Yorker article, I didn't quite realize how difficult it is to be a brewery in this country. And it reminded me (again) of how lucky I am to live in a place that offers such variety in beverages.

I will admit: until I took a really good look at the bottle cap, for some reason, I thought the fish had an actual dog head on it. Maybe it was my eyes playing tricks on me. Or maybe it was the power of suggestion. But really. Look at the bottle cap! It's a shark!

Dogfish Head's slogan is "Off centered stuff for off centered people" which I think on some level, applies to me and others who have similar interests. I'm glad to know that the weird kids really are taking over the world in some ways. Let's start with the beer. Cheers, Dogfish Head!

lammsbrau

Some of you know that I have an affinity for sheep. And you already know that I have an affinity for bottle caps. I am pleased to report that both of my obsessions have come together in perfect harmony with the German beer Lammsbräu.  

On my pilgrimage to New Beer Distributors (which I am sure will become weekly, monthly, or semi annually -- at least) on the Lower East Side,  I found Lammsbräu among the rows and rows (and rows) of domestic and foreign beer. Luckily, New Beer Distributors encourages mixing and matching, and I took that to heart and made a custom six pack. Being my first trip, I was a bit overwhelmed with the selection. Since I knew I had to carry any loot home without the help of a car trunk, or even a friend to help with the load, I needed to keep my purchases to a minimum, much to my dismay. It won't surprise anyone that all of the beers were purchased based solely on the bottle caps.  The prize of my custom-made haul was definitely Lammsbräu. 


I will admit, amazingly, that I actually like the bottle a bit better than the crown, ONLY because you can really see the sheep on the label. Perhaps blogger The Pour Curator would consider discussing the label! (I know it's not nearly as colorful as the labels he usually covers, but maybe a theme day of animals or Germany might be in order.)

I also noticed on this website that there is another version of their crown that is full-on sheep (go to "animals," and then click on "other").  If anyone can find me this bottle cap: EMAIL ME! laurenwalles (at) gmail (dot) com. Let's make a deal!  


I would also like to note that Lammsbräu also has an umlaut, which is awesome. They also promote sustainability and boast that their beers are organic. Bonus points all around. (Can you tell it doesn't take much to get on my good side?)  


Lammsbräu, based entirely on your mascot (if you want to call it that), you have officially made it into the Hall of Fame. Congratulations! 


As a side note, I will try to mention when I blog about a bottle cap found at New Beer Distributors or at least will make sure to tag the entry as such.