Tuesday 7 October 2008

Historical Tidbit: Beer Bottles and Sea Glass, pt 2

In this second installment of beer-related excerpts from Pure Sea Glass, the lineage of beer bottle shapes and enclosures is summarized:
Common beer-bottle shapes from the 19th century are not too different from those of today. A routine design by the 1870s was a traditional round base moving up to slowly sloping shoulders. Most beer bottles before 1875 were sealed with corks secured by wire. In 1875, Charles de Quillfeldt developed a closure called the "Lightning Stopper" enabling the user to open and reseal their bottle. His device remained popular for beer bottles up until 1915 when the Crown Cork closure dominated the bottle industry.
This post is part of a series: part 1, part 2, and part 3.

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