Bottle Saving for Nostalgia?

Discussion in 'Breweriana' started by carlso_aw, Jan 17, 2016.

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  1. Rajaholick

    Rajaholick Zealot (678) Jan 9, 2011 Ohio
    Trader

    I had a few bottles that had cool etched artwork (BA Narwhal, some of Surly's bombers). I was going to get a glass cutter and make glasses out of them. The plan never materialized and I ended up tossing them a few weeks ago.
     
  2. Shanex

    Shanex Grand Pooh-Bah (4,960) Dec 10, 2015 France
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I keep the very good and rare ones, can't keep track of all I've drank over the years tho. Would fill my place
     
  3. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Take a picture instead.
     
    HectorB, sharpski and superspak like this.
  4. Rback

    Rback Crusader (489) Feb 26, 2012 New York

    Box them up & when you get your man cave use them as you want.
     
  5. thgreatrandini

    thgreatrandini Initiate (0) Jun 26, 2014 Pennsylvania

    My bottle collection just turned into a 6 canvas collage. Looks good, saves space and memories, and will make my upcoming move a lot easier.
     
  6. Angerhaus

    Angerhaus Pooh-Bah (2,020) Oct 1, 2015 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I keep bottles based on rarity and artwork.
     
  7. flaskman

    flaskman Pundit (985) Aug 3, 2015 New York

    I have an empty Heady Topper, Sip of Sunshine and Focal Banger sitting in a place of honor in my man cave.
     
  8. Wasatch

    Wasatch Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,050) Jun 8, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I used to do this for a couple/few years, then decided to quit. It is cool though to keep those very very special bottles.

    Cheers!
     
  9. stickboy1125

    stickboy1125 Initiate (0) Jan 28, 2012 Virginia

    Empties go in the recycling bin. I take a photo of most beers I drink so no need to save the bottle or even label
     
  10. SovereignGood

    SovereignGood Pundit (824) Jan 11, 2016 California
    Trader

    That's awesome. Did you use anything to get the labels off the bottle without ripping?
     
  11. StoutSnob40

    StoutSnob40 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,611) Jan 4, 2013 California
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    A lot of hot water.. And for really pesky labels, the clear sticker label removers.
     
  12. MostlyNorwegian

    MostlyNorwegian Pooh-Bah (2,236) Feb 5, 2013 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    One of my buddies has an excellent collection of empties. He's also very single.
    I have one that is saved for nostalgia purposes, and it's actually because my partner saved it for me. I appreciate that now even more because that day bottling that beer is why I work where I do now.
     
  13. dbrauneis

    dbrauneis Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,071) Dec 8, 2007 North Carolina
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    After the beer is finished, I recycle the bottles... The only bottle I'm saving (though it still has the beer in it because it got "misplaced" during a move is Flying Fish FU (Forever Unloved) Sandy - the storm hit the day after we got home from the hospital for my daughter's birth so it is sentimental.
     
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  14. Ericness

    Ericness Zealot (646) Nov 21, 2012 Massachusetts

    There was a time I wanted to collect certain bottles, but space limitations and the urge to declutter won out. I'm lucky enough my wife actually likes my growlers as decorations. My fellow BAs here in Mass probably know what I'm talking about.
     
  15. MistaRyte

    MistaRyte Pooh-Bah (2,681) Jan 14, 2008 Virginia
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I collected bottles right out of college and early in my craft beer drinking - 97-98. I probably had between 100-120 bottles balanced on the window ledge of my studio. When I was moving out, a buddy of mine asked if I wanted to save the bottles, I said 'Hell no". Just didn't want to deal with the labor of unpacking and chucked them into recycling. A lot of Pete's Wicked/Weeping Radish/etc went into recycling that night.
     
  16. lester619

    lester619 Initiate (0) Apr 17, 2009 Wisconsin

    I have a cousin who staples empty six packs on his garage wall. It makes a pretty cool collage, but I'm sure his wife also gave him shit for it. I don't personally see the point in doing it, but if it's important to you take a stand, fight for your empties!
     
  17. spaceman24

    spaceman24 Initiate (0) Oct 7, 2008 Texas


    Same. Not all of them are whales, but some stuff that I can't get again or were very limited, some with cool artwork, a couple just randoms (first beer after we bought the house, etc.). They won't go back in the kitchen when we move into a new house, but I'll probably save and find a new place for a few of the better ones.
     
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  18. pagriley

    pagriley Pooh-Bah (2,382) Oct 27, 2014 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Cool artwork is harder to toss - the screen printed bottles for Surly Darkness for example look really cool, but at the end of the day, empty beer bottles don't exactly scream class in a single guy's kitchen :stuck_out_tongue:
     
  19. spaceman24

    spaceman24 Initiate (0) Oct 7, 2008 Texas

    Definitely. The one I'll probably hang onto forever is 2010 BCBVS, but I have three 3 Floyd's bottles from around the same time and the Gumballhead and Robert the Bruce bottles will be hard for me to ditch. For now, the wife is fine with it but I'm sure when we move into a nicer place in the next couple years she'll want to go a different direction with the decorations.

    But if a nice lady comes over and disapproves of your beer bottles, well, beer was in your life first, you know? :wink:
     
  20. Harrison8

    Harrison8 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,285) Dec 6, 2015 Missouri
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I save some rare bottles down at school. The tops of my kitchen cabinets are lined with empty beer bottles and hot sauce bottles I enjoyed. Now that I'm in the process of moving, I'll be cutting down quite a bit. I mostly just keep annual or rare releases, like Boulevard's Imperial Stout X Coffee Ale from last year.

    While at home, I've saved about 4 bottles/cans. One is to upload a picture here. One can just has a hilarious name. One was saved for the art work. The last one is a special release to commemorate our local baseball team, so I kept that one as well.
     
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