First, the best beer bottle opener is any bottle cap remover. With that being said, we broke down the two most common bottle openers you will come across. As home bars are becoming more popular and the man cave is becoming a must have bar accessory, consumers are in a golden age of customization and DIY tutorials for constructing and stocking your own watering hole. Never before has it been easier to turn your bar idea into a reality, thanks of course, to the internet.
Much like any other market place, those who are scouting out the wares to design their own bar can experience sensory overload. There’s just too much stuff out there! This “paradox of choice” can leave you further away from your goal then when you started.
Today, this article is aimed at helping alleviate some of analysis paralysis in the age-old battle between wall-mounted bottle openers and portable bottle openers. Measuring the pros and cons of each tool will (hopefully) put you on the right track of knowing more emphatically what you want your bar to have in it.
Wall Mount Bottle Opener
Pros:
One of the benefits of having a wall-mounted opener is pretty obvious—you can’t lose it. You know exactly where it is every time you reach for a cold one. Unlike its moveable brethren, the mounted bottle opener won’t be under a stack of newspaper or stuck between the cushions of your couch, it’ll be on the wall. Right where you left it. This advantage definitely comes in handy as you continue to drink and your memory undoubtedly becomes blurred.
Another pro to the bar tool is that’s design can play into the theme you’re going for with your bar. Does your bar pay tribute to your favorite sports team? Slap a logo on your wall-mounted accessory, and it becomes part of the esthetic. Recently travel to Japan and now home bar has become steeped in Japanese culture. Your wall-mounted bottle cap opener can be a dragon. Following the wise words of The Dude, your wet bar accessory can really tie the room together. If you are looking for some unique openers or just cool mountable bottle openers, pretty much anything out there that you are looking for is available.
We also suggest having an outdoor bottle opener close to your favorite place to drink or attach one for a cooler bottle opener. If you attach the tool to your cooler, then you never have to worry about bringing the beer opener with you. Since most of them are metal cap openers or stainless steel openers, you don’t have to worry about the elements.
A unique bottle opener is having a wooden wall mounted bottle opener with
a magnetic cap catcher or without. The top opener is mounted to the wood plank and can be either on the fridge or be mounted to the wall. Some people even take the opener off the fridge and put it on the tail gate of the truck so that they have a bottle opener for the pre-game party. For the adventurous type, sling shot with cap remover is fun and entertaining.
Cons:
Nothing is perfect and the wall-mounted cap remover is no different. While its greatest advantage is its dependability on knowing where it is at all times, this characteristic is also its Achilles’ heel. Having to always get up and go to where the mounted opener is can turn tedious quickly, especially if you are having company over or watching the final minutes of a game.
A similar disadvantage to wall-mounted opener is that it can create a choke point at your bar if you are having people over. Rather than being able to pass around a bottle opener, your guests will have to pile into a certain area to open their beer. This situation causes a congestion zone which can increase the probability of spills, accidental pumps, or an inadvertent elbow. If you are a bartender or server, having a wall mounted opener makes it tough if you want to open the bottle in front of the customer before serving it to them. It’s fine if you are working the bar and your beer tub is always in the same place, but it could cause issues if you are constantly on the move.
Portable Bottle Opener
Pros:
The benefit of having one of these can be seen its name: portability. No matter where you are or where you are going, you can open your brew. You can even find yourself proclaimed a hero by being the only one with a bottle opener in a crowd. Pop the top and toss the bottle opener back in your pocket. This includes wine bottle corkscrew openers that have the extra feature of removing bottle caps.
Another advantage to the portable variety is that it can be a good conservation starter. “Oh, I see you have a Barware Gear bottle opener. What great quality! I love that brand!”. You can use your portable bottle opener to make a statement. From which teams you support to what breweries you back. If you are always on the go, the key chain bottle opener makes it convenient for you. If you are into jewelry, you could sport the ring bottle opener.
Cons:
Similar to the wall-mounted bottle opener, the portable bottle opener’s greatest strength can also be its greatest handicap. With the portable bottle opener, you are more likely to lose the damn thing. We have all been in the situation where you have a beer, want to drink the beer, but can’t find a bottle opener. You try to use your keys, side of the counter, your buddy’s teeth, lighters, etc. It can be a real bummer being out on the boat with no beer opener. While you can bring it anywhere you want, you are also equally as likely to leave it anywhere you’ve been. Short of putting a leash on your bottle opener, this is just one of the downsides you have to live with.
A shortcoming of the portable bottle opener usually lies with its quality. These items just tend to break easier than the wall-mounted variety. Making it portable, you are sacrificing its sturdiness.
So, after thinking of beer and the possible struggles, the best wall mounted bottle opener is having one close to the beer fridge or beer cooler and another opener that you can put in your pocket, pass around, or leave on the counter. Both are reasonable and cost less than a six pack of beer.
