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Beverages That Use Flip-Top Bottles for Brewing Beer and Kombucha

My father and I enjoy brewing beer. I write about brewing beer from time to time. I also grow hops in my backyard to support this hobby.

beverages-that-use-flip-top-bottles-for-brewing-beer-and-kombucha

New Flip-top bottles Are expensive!

My father and I enjoy brewing homemade beer. We like having an impact in as much of the process of brewing as possible. I also grow hops in my backyard to support this hobby. Previously, we have utilized caps and a hand bottle-capper to finish things off. I thought a nice gift would be a large number of flip-top beer bottles to make things simpler and easier. We compared the time and energy to cap a beer bottle to using a swing-top. The swing-top is much easier and quicker, and requires fewer tools. However, I found that new swing-tops are about as expensive per bottle as a 4-pack of Grolsch, which clearly has the added benefit of containing beer when purchased. But I enjoy a wide variety of beer, and I wanted to branch out to other styles. This is a list of beers (and other beverages) that come in flip-top bottles. I have provided links to the specific breweries, if found.

Altenmunster

Style:

  • Urig Wurzig: Spicy, sounds like a kellerbier EBC Bitterness: 20, EBC is roughly equivalent to IBU, see notes.
  • Hopfig Herb: Fresh and Floral hop notes, 30 EBC
  • Maibock Hell: should be an easy to drink beer, 25 EBC
  • Winterbier Dunkel: Caramel, berry, sweetness, 25 EBC

Pros:

  • Brown Bottle
  • 16 oz size / 500 ml

Cons:

  • Have not found Altenmunster in my area

Notes:

  • EBC Scale of bitterness. EBC Color is a more common scale than EBC bitterness. Assume EBC used for color unless otherwise noted.
  • From Germany

Brasserie BFM

Styles:

  • La Cuivree (Copper): Amber Ale
  • La Brouette (The Wheel Barrow): Unfiltered ale with green tea
  • La Salamandre (The Salamander): Wheat?
  • La Torpille (Torpedo): Brown Ale
  • La Meule (The Wheel): Light Bitter with ginger and sage
  • Highway to Helles IPA: 60 IBU
  • L'Alex le Rouge (Alex the Red): Imperial Stout
  • La Mandragore (The Mandrake): Winter Stout
  • La Blonde des Franches: New, unknown

Pros:

  • Brown Bottles
  • 12.5 oz size

Cons:

  • Have not found BFM in my area

Notes:

Brasserie Lefebvre

Style:

  • Hopus Primeur: In the style of Hopus, but dry hopped for increased hop flavor and aroma. Probably use Cascade or Sorachi Ace based on the description on the website (grapefruit, pineapple).

Pros:

  • Brown Bottle

Cons:

  • 11.2 oz size
  • Not widely available (see notes)

Notes:

  • From Belgium, established in 1876.
  • Other styles available, but only Hopus Primeur is flip-top.
  • Only 1 listed distributor in the United States, in South Carolina, website: Total Beverage Solution
  • Brewery Website: Brasserie Lefebvre

Brasserie Des Légendes (Former Ellezelloise)

Style:

  • Amber
  • Blond
  • Bio-Organic (not sure of style)
  • Stout "Hercule"

Pros:

  • Brown Bottle

Cons:

  • small bottles, 11.2 oz
  • Have not found Brasserie Des Légendes yet in my area.

Notes:

  • From Belgium, 2 locations Ellezelloise and Irchonwelz.
  • Not much information online.
  • Some bottles appear to be crown caps (Goliath, Saison), not flip-tops.

Fischer (Owned by Heineken)

Style:

  • Pale Lager "Tradition"
  • Amber

Pros:

  • 22 oz size
  • Brown Bottle

Cons:

  • Still searching for Fischer bottles in my area.

Notes:

  • From France.
  • Bought by Heineken in 1996 and moved to another facility in the same city, Schiltigheim, north of Strasbourg.
  • Possibly available at Whole Foods

Flensburger Brauerei

Style:

  • Pinsener 38 bitterness units
  • Edles Helles "Noble Bright" 18 bitterness units
  • Gold 18 Bitterness units
  • Dunkel 28 Bitterness Units
  • Radler "cyclist" Pilsener/Lemonade 19 Bitterness units—blue bottle
  • Kellerbier Cellar Beer 19 Bitterness Units. Unfiltered.
  • Weizen "Wheat" 12 Bitterness Units
  • Fruhlingsbock Spring Bock 24 bitterness units.
  • Winter Bock 20 bitterness units
  • BrauArt Blonde Belgian Style Helles
  • BrauArt Dunkles Dark Amber
  • Frei "Free" 38 Bitterness units
  • Wasser "water" Glacier Water
  • Radler NA "Cyclist" Pilsener/Lemonade, but alcohol-free 17 Bitterness Units
  • Malz Malt Alcohol free, 5 bitterness units
  • Fassbrause Citrone "Lemon" Alcohol-free, 15 bitterness units, clear bottle
  • Fassbrause Rhubarb Strawberry Alcohol-free, 12 bitterness units, clear bottle
  • Bolkstoff Not much useful info on this one.

Pros:

  • Mostly Brown Bottles, some blue, some clear
  • Many styles of beer
  • Pilsener has 16 oz size (500 ml)

Cons:

  • Singles are expensive ($4) for size
  • Mostly 11 oz sizes (330 ml)
  • Plastic caps, not ceramic

Notes:

beverages-that-use-flip-top-bottles-for-brewing-beer-and-kombucha

Grolsch Premium Pilsner

Style:

  • Pilsner, 30 IBU
  • Other styles are uncommon, and do not come with flip-tops

Pros:

  • Inexpensive (theoretically you could buy grolsch, drink the beer, sell empty bottles on eBay, drink for next to nothing)
  • Easy to Find: My Target had it, though less expensive at local liquor store.
  • 16 oz, 450 ml size

Cons:

  • Green Bottles
  • Pretty basic beer

Notes:

  • Website: Grolsch.
  • Originally from the Netherlands, now owned by AB Inbev, a Japanese company.
  • Four varieties available. "Premium Pilsner" is the only one with swing-top bottles.
beverages-that-use-flip-top-bottles-for-brewing-beer-and-kombucha

Hacker-Pschorr

Styles:

  • Munchner Gold
  • Weissbier "Wheat Beer"
  • Kellerbier "Cellar Beer"

Pros:

  • Appears to be 12 oz bottle
  • Brown Bottle

Cons:

  • Not widely distributed/Not found in my area yet

Notes:

Hirschbrau

Styles

  • Holzar: Dark, 21 BU
  • Huttenbier: Cottage Beer, bright export, 21 BU
  • Doppelbock: Double Bock 19 BU
  • Doppel-hirsch: Doppelbock dark 22 BU
  • Helles Export: 21 BU
  • Marzen: 20 BU
  • Radler: "cyclist" Probably beer/lemonade, similar to lemon shandy with low ABV

Pros:

  • Brown Bottle
  • 16 oz/500 ml size

Cons:

  • Difficult to find, have not found in my area.

Notes:

  • Website: Hirschbrau.
  • From Sonthofen, Germany.
  • Only flip-top varieties listed. Crown caps of other varieties also available.

Kapuziner

Style:

  • Hefe-Weiss
  • Hefe-Dunkel
  • Winter Weiss
  • Kristal Klar "Crystal Clear"
  • Alkoholfrei
  • Kellerweizen
  • Hefe-Leicht
  • Hefe-Radler
  • Hefe-Bock

Pros:

  • 16.9 oz size
  • Brown Bottle

Cons:

  • Difficult to locate, have not found in my area.

Notes:

  • Website: Kapuziner.
  • German Beer. Part of Kulmbacher brewery.
  • Appears to specialize in wheat beers.

Monchshof

Style:

  • Original: Light and delicate
  • Radler: Naturally cloudy, another lemonade/beer mix
  • Bayerisch Hell: balanced and mild with malt
  • Lager: "slim," finely aromatic with delicate hops notes
  • Bock: strong, complex roast malt aroma
  • Maibock: aromatic, elegant malt flavor, copper-colored
  • Kellerbier: Mild, cloudy, amber
  • Naturtrub Alkoholfrei: less than 0.5% ABV, unfiltered
  • Landbier: mild, full-flavored (??) export beer
  • Schwarzbier: mild(this was not mild, see notes) velvety roast malt, dark beer
  • Weihnachtsbier: fine wort aroma, understated hoppiness

Pros:

  • Brown Bottle
  • 16 oz size

Cons:

  • Uncommon
  • Moderately expensive

Notes:

  • Website: Monschof.
  • Many of these beers have descriptions that start with "mild" on the website, perhaps a translation issue. I was able to find schwarzbier locally, and it was definitely NOT MILD in flavor. I ended up mixing schwarzbier 50/50 with blue moon and it was excellent, really bringing the flavor out. I would consider purchasing schwarzbier again with intent to mix with a wheat beer.

Moosbacher/Scheuerer brewery

Style:

  • Lager
  • Wheat
  • Pilsener
  • Leicht Weiss Light Wheat
  • Schwarzel Weiss Dark Wheat
  • Kellerbier
  • Zeigl Bavarian export beer

Pros:

  • Brown Bottle
  • Lager was good
  • 16 oz size

Cons:

  • Moderately Expensive
  • Uncommon, I have only found lager beer

Notes:

  • Website: Moosbacher.
  • From Bavaria (Germany) near Czech border.
  • Lager was good and would drink again.

Nero's

Style:

  • Apecchio: American Amber/Red Ale IBU unknown

Pros:

  • Available at Trader Joe's
  • Brown Bottle
  • 16 oz size

Cons:

  • Purported to be pretty bad. Very sweet with fruity notes.

Notes:

  • Brewed for TJ's by Steinhaus Brewing / JosephsBrau.
  • From: California, United States

Rogue XS series

Style:

  • Imperial Stout
  • Imperial Pale Ale
  • Old Crustacean Barleywine 105 IBU

Pros:

  • Interesting dark colored bottle
  • Large 25 oz/750 ml bottle

Cons:

  • Pricey!
  • Uncommon

Notes:

  • From United States.
  • Seems limited release XS series.

Schwaben Brau

Styles

  • Das Natürtrübe, unfiltered lager.
  • Original: southern German style 330 ml only
  • Das Echte Märzen.
  • Meister-Pils filtered lager
  • Das Schwarze, dunkel/dark beer
  • Das Helle Helles.
  • Das Weizen unfiltered wheat beer.
  • Das Urtyp Export export beer, usually light
  • Zwickl Cellar beer
  • Volksfestbier: Available around Thanksgiving
  • Weihnachtsbier: Christmas beer
  • Hellesbock: Brewed only in colder months
  • Das Landbier: Spicy beer 330 ml size only

Pros:

  • Mostly 16 oz/500 ml
  • Brown

Cons:

  • Not widely distributed in my area/Have not found in my area

Notes:

Staropolskie

Styles:

  • Dworski
  • Chmielne
  • Kozlak
  • Miodne
  • Porter
  • Pzenne
  • Rezane
  • PRL Light
  • PRL Full
  • PRL Dark
  • Baltic Porter
  • Jasne
  • Pelne
  • Bawarski
  • Triple Honey
  • Chmielowe
  • Miodowe
  • Swiadomie Lekkie
  • Premium Lager

Pros:

  • Chmielne found at nearby Polish deli
  • Easy to drink

Cons:

  • No other varieties found

Notes:

  • About half the styles are swing top, half not. I am unfamiliar with these styles, so I do not have a lot of input as to which would be best for your taste.

Sterkens Brewery

Style:

  • Bokrijks: Belgian Blonde/Golden Ale
  • Hoogstraten Poorter "Dark and Strong"
  • St. Sebastian Dark: Dark Ale
  • St. Sebastrian Grand Cru

Pros:

  • Interesting ceramic bottle, with swing top
  • Large size, either 16 oz or 25 oz (hoogstraten poorter only)

Cons:

  • Not found in my area thus far

Notes:

  • Website: Brouerij Sterkens.
  • From Belgium.
  • Larger sizes of St. Sebastrian and Bokrijks are in 750 ml bottles with corks, not swing tops. Hoogstraten Poorter is only 750 ml swing-top bottle.

Tettnanger Kronenbrauerei

Styles

  • Keller-Pils
  • Hopfenkrone
  • Coronator Dunkel
  • Coronator Hell

Pros:

  • Brown bottles

Cons:

  • Not widely distributed/not found in my area
  • 11.2 oz/330 ml size

Notes:

  • Website: Tettnanger Kronenbrauerei
  • From Germany
  • Uses only Tettnanger Hops, one of the noble hop varieties.
  • Other varieties available with crown caps.

Uerige

Styles

  • Old Alt "The bitterest beer in Germany"
  • Sticke
  • Doppelsticke
  • Wheat
  • Original Fassbrause Non-alcoholic

Pros:

  • Brown bottles
  • Uerige Old Alt available in 330 and 500 ml sizes (11.2 oz and 16 oz)

Cons:

  • Not widely distributed/not found in my area
  • Mostly 11.2 oz/330 ml size

Notes:

  • Website:
  • From Dusseldorf, Germany
  • Distinct long necked bottles

Veldensteiner

Styles

  • Landbier: Spicy with lots of extracts
  • Lager: Mild, dry, refreshing
  • Pils: Mild, fine hop bitterness
  • Zwick'l: Bottom fermented Kellerbier
  • Sapphire Bock: A dark doppelbock
  • Festbier: Described as strong, amber, a specialty for the cold season. Likely spicy.
  • Radler: A mix of lemonade and beer, lower alcohol content. I've noticed a number of European breweries make this, but have never encountered in the United States. The closest thing I have found here would be a shandy.
  • Special Edition Summerweiss: Summer wheat beer using difficult to acquire Mandarina Bavaria hops. Mandarina Bavaria is known for its orange flavor.

Pros:

  • Brown bottles
  • Appear to be 16 oz/500 ml size

Cons:

  • Not widely distributed/not found in my area

Notes:

Wieselburger Bier

Styles

  • Weiselburger Stammbrau: full-bodied, malty, spicy
  • Weiselburger Schwarzbier: dark beer, roasted/malty

Pros:

  • Brown bottles
  • 16 oz/500 ml size

Cons:

  • Not widely distributed/not found in my area

Notes:

360 Vodka

Pros:

  • Alternative to beer

Cons:

  • Clear Bottle, does not protect from sunlight.

Sizes:

750 ml, 1.75 ml

Notes:

  • Included for the reader, I generally don't drink vodka.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2018 Devin Gustus
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