German crown cap artistry

Prize question: How is a bottle with a crown cap opened in Germany? One thing is certain: It’s not using a bottle opener. That would be as cool as tennis socks in velcro-fastened sandals. No, thirsty Germans want more. They want stage, action and applause. The same old trick using a lighter? Child’s play! Opening with a key ring, folding rule or (scratched) smartphone only attracts a weary smile.

You have to release adrenaline if you want to make an impression: The crown cap is casually removed from a bottle neck using teeth, feet, hair or an eye socket. “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” so to speak. 

Then there’s the mystical school of shoelace openers, whose ritual falls somewhere between magic show and camping trip. 

Wild shaking of the bottle, a hypnotic stare or a military command (“get on with it”) tend to be less successful. 

The best outcome is for the crown cap to shoot up into the air like a rocket during opening. Professionals also attach huge importance to the right sound: Hissing is mandatory, popping is optional. 

And what’s the point of all this? Well. It falls into the same category as “whistling with your fingers”, “blowing smoke rings”, “diving from the ten-metre board” or “juggling with beer mats” – you simply want to increase your coolness factor.

And the crown caps? They don’t just end up in the bin. You can paint them with flower motifs, stick them onto canvass, turn them into stylish wind chimes or use them to decorate your denim jacket. 

Others flick them around with precision and tremendous drive – either into beer glasses, onto street signs or to the distraction of bystanders. A true mastery of thumb and index finger. 

Last but not least, crown caps can also be collected. Some even keep a record of each: “That one: Freiburg, 2006, when I met Dad and showed him how I open a bottle with my teeth – legendary!”