Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Small Treasures

We all have 'em; here's one of mine:




That would be my house beer opener... a weighty, cast aluminum artifact of considerable heft that's been with me at least 30 or 40 years, and mebbe more.  I acquired this beer opener from a bar girl in Wakkanai, Japan sometime in the 1968 - 1970 time frame, if memory serves.  OTOH, memory may NOT serve and it's entirely possible I acquired the opener at a later date, like when I was at Yokota AB in the mid-'70s.  The opener used to have a purple tassel attached to the bottom of it but that wore out and faded away YEARS ago.  That said, you've seen this opener in nearly every beer post I've ever made but I never gave the thang its just desserts until today.

And "Gold Rabbit?"  Who knows?  I don't remember and Google is no help.  I suspect that's the name of a little-known beer, and one which I don't recall ever sampling.  I was more of a Sapporo kinda guy.

10 comments:

  1. Hhhmm, favorite bottle openers...

    By Jove, you may be onto something here Buck!

    A whole new "meme" as it were.

    Heh.

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    Replies
    1. I have a couple more on my key ring, one of which I added recently and which you've seen.

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  2. Unfortunately the pull-tab can and the twist-off bottle-cap have doomed this genre of "industrial tools" to the historical grave-yard.. Hard to be a collector when they don't make 'em any more.. (BTW) Anyone remember those industrial-grade "punch" can-openers that bars used to have in the 50's/early sixties? The kind where one put the can in a device and slammed down on a curved handle on top to punch a hole in the can?

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    Replies
    1. Ya needed one those industrial grade openers because the cans were made of steel.

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    2. @Virgil: You still need a bottle opener for craft beer. I dunno why but the little breweries don't use twist-offs. And what Skip said.

      @Skip: I don't miss those steel cans at ALL.

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    3. Heh, re the steel cans: Remember an old Rockford Files episode where Issac Hays, playing an old "acquaintance" who has just gotten out of a long stretch in stir is having a drink with Rockford (he always called him "Rockfish" remember?) and getting angry about somebody who had done him wrong seeks to demonstrate his anger and strength by crushing a beer can with a single hand between his thumb on bottom and fingers on top. Rockford (Garner) replies: "I'm not impressed. Newsflash: They've switched from steel to aluminum since you've been in prison." LOL!

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  3. Replies
    1. "Cue up Streisand," as I'm fond o' sayin'. ;-)

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  4. Those little treasures are great reminders of days gone by.

    Toby buys beers that have to have a bottle opener, because he needs the bottles for his home brew. We have a capper that caps the bottles. Screw bottles will not work. From one of her many travels, Jesse brought home a bottle opener in the shape of a dolphin. Maybe it will be a treasure one day.

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    Replies
    1. I hope Jes' dolphin opener becomes a treasure. I've lost almost all o' mine over the years.

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