Return of the plop-top beer bottle

Hacker Pschorr, one of the large Munich breweries, is taking another step in its endeavor to establish a distinctive market identity: Starting April 1, 2007 it will be selling its complete range of beer products in "plop-top" bottles.

These tops consist of a ceramic top with a fitted rubber ring between the top and the bottle-neck that is held in place by a wire fixture and opened and re-closed with a wire lever. Originally patented in 1877 it was a revolutionary step towards industrial production and distribution of beer as corks or rubber stoppers were inadequate methods of resisting the pressure of the carbonic acid in the beer during transport without further stabilization with string or wire.

They were phased out in the mid-1970s due to their tendency to break in the bottle washing machines and the fact that the rubber rings would become porous, the top could flip over the bottle neck and prevent proper cleaning. The rubber rings could also absorb the aroma of any liquid or object inside the bottle and pass it on to the beer.

Hacker Pschorr has reinvented the plop-top, the revolutionary idea being to attach the rubber ring directly to the ceramic top, leaving no room for water to collect and bacteria to enter. Their decision bases mainly on the reaction they received from customers who responded positively to their Kellerbier (unfiltered Helles) and Sternweisse (Weißbier) being supplied with plop-tops. The brewery is beginning production on the new machinery on April 1, the old metal-topped bottles are being discontinued. After a transition period of approximately six weeks Hacker Pschorr expects to be supplying its distributors with the new bottles and their newly-designed crate.

See also: Bavaria Bräu as we know it is closing

Hope people don't start wearing them on the shoes again like they did in the UK in the 80s

Good, then I'll have less tourists who need me to open their beers for'em.

Actually, Flensburger Pilsener always came and still comes in these Bottles. They even advertise with the distinctive sound. *Plopp*.

In other words: this is just (unpaid) Hacker-Pschorr Propaganda.


My Ass, Guerilla Marketing on TT.

Altenmünster has had these type of tops for years as has some tasty but nameless beer from Wasserbürg.

Quite a few beers are sold with the plop top. Bizarre story this.

I'm sure I'm not the only guitarist out there who use to steal these handy little buggers which are excellent for making sure your guitar strap stay firmly attached to your guitar. At some point the people at Flensburger Pils began glueing the rubber ring to the ceramic stopper. Spoilsports!

I was more interested in the socio-cultural aspect, the fact that consumers want to go back to the old technology whose only real advantage is that you can re-close your beer and stick it back into the Isar to stay cool. I do not know how much weight the plop-tops add to a crate of beer, but I would consider that a draw-back myslef.
And so as not to discriminate: Other breweries sell plop-top beer (Löwenbräu Ur-Typ, for example). Hacker Pschorr is the only brewery distributing its complete range solely in plop-tops.
EIDT: @jayhay, for hygienic reasons only, not a protective measure against kleptomanic musicians

The breweries are under preassure and sales falling so they are trying to "re-discover" themselves
and moving in two directions. The trendy one: Becks Green Lemon etc and the traditional one "Ur-München Löwen Piesel" etc.

@Monkstown

So the choice open to a brewery is citric or uric? Or in the case of Becks a combination of both.

Or stick with your man Augustiner and you can't go wrong innit.

No truer word.

The majority of the Bio beers from the region also use plopp-tops and have been doing so for years. They're also organic, and taste heaps better.

Arent some of the pschorr beers already in plop bottles? Thinking of their Anno and Sternwiese?

As mentioned above.

Didn´t know this about the brewery, tks byrdie. "Plop tops" or "swing stoppers" or Bügelverschlüsse as they´re called over here are certainly nothing new. I´ve always liked them, it was one of the main reasons I used to buy Grölsch beer back in the states (many, many years ago and before these bottles were so common.) The plop tops are great for various other uses. I have some 1 liter bottles that I sometimes store wine in from unfinished bottles, or for example one can store vegetable oil or other kitchen staples in them.

The bottles certainly appeal to traditionalists, however, once the novelty wears off, it´s still the taste of the beer itself that will determine its further success. The funny thing is that the more common these bottles are, the less of a marketing novelty they become. I wonder if the Hacker Pschorr ones will use ceramic or plastic tops. A lot of people like the ceramic tops because of it´s clink noise as it hits the glass neck after opening.

The following company specializes in everything "swing stopper": AMS. They have some cool videos if you want to learn how the bottles are filled.

well I just resealed my bottle of Maxl Rainer in case I get called upstairs to Sick Boy in mid beer.

They've been using this on their tasty beers for ages.

I had one of these the other day, and it's a fact the beer (seems to) taste better in a bottle with a plop top. It's the old packaging trick, but it still works.

Yeah, I wonder how much is actual 'better' taste and how much of it is romantically linked with the idea of doing something really neat-o like drinking from a bottle with that plop top attached. Like the screw caps vs. standard corks with wine, or the wooden matches vs. those trigger flame things, people still hold on to the standard cork and the matches because it seems right- not because it works better.

Can't wait to try it out.

Not to be confused with the 'pop-top' of the beer can, btw which, when you open it, doesn't show any novelty at all.

I had some Löwenbräu Ur-Typ last year at Tollwood from a plop-top but it still tasted vile.

Errr. Not wanting to sound strange, but hasnt hacker pschorr been selling Anno 1417 and Sternweisse in plop bottles for a while now...

This type of bottle is also known as a "Buegelflasche" because of the metal clip - the German students I knew called beer bottled this way "Buegelbier".

The title "Return of the plop-top beer bottle" and some of the phrases used are a bit misleading, but it'll be interesting to see if Hacker-Pschorr's profits improve in the long term thanks to this re-packaging.

As Yeti mentioned, the Altenmuenster beers have been available in these bottles for years and they are definitely worth trying. If you prefer a beer full of flavour go for the Urig/Wuerzig brew. There are also milder varieties, but the stronger Maibock is available now too. Although brewed in the Allgaeu (Allgaeuer-Brauhaus), I've sometimes had trouble getting hold of it in Munich, but it can usually be found on sale in off-licenses, i.e. your local "Getraenkemarkt".

Plink! I love that sound. Cheers.

These types of beer bottles never really left the market place. There are breweries here in Aschaffenburg that haven't ceased production at all through the years. They are great when you only want to drink a half of a beer, if that situation ever arises.

If you want really good beer then forget Hacker etc and head North Monschof Plop Beer

Quick edit it's also Beer Week in Kulmbach @ the moment - well worth a look lbeer week link

Beer is great and should be enjoyed Cold cold, 5C when served no Beer is too cold, so drink it fast. Responsively(spelling!) of course. Keep on Chuggin...

Get Innnnnn!

Ahhhhhhh, Burp!

Cold beer sends shivers down my spine in more ways than one. If the beer's not worth tasting, then don't drink it.

Sorry, but Grosch have been offering beer in flop-top bottles for more years than I care to remember (certainly since the 70's).