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Idaho Brew Review

Northwestcentric Beerventures

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Review – Bullets2Bandages .50 Caliber Opener

November 2, 2015 by Ben Leave a Comment

leadOne thing we all have in common, if you’re reading this post, is an affinity for craft beer. Now, that craft beer that you’re imbibing may have come fresh from the tap, out of a can, or maybe even out of a bottle. If you need to crack open a bottle in style, you have no shortage of options from classic, cheap grocery store bottle openers, bic lighters, or even crowd funded aluminum/titanium constructs. But if you like to show off your bottle opening prowess by breaking out the BIG GUNS, Bullets2Bandages has you covered in spades with a .50 Caliber opener that will kill any beer you throw at it. (Disclaimer, I do not recommend that you throw the .50 caliber opener at your beer to open it… but if you do please record it and send me the link).

Bullets2Bandages makes these from once fired, military grade brass casings and demilitarized projectiles. Each shell is then notched (so that it can free your beer from its glass prison), polished, and painted/engraved depending on the opener ordered. As a veteran owned business, they donate at least 15% of their profits to various veteran charities. I think that’s worth noting, always nice to be able to get great tools & or toys and support worthy causes at the same time!

The model that I received to test out for this review is a matte black with IdahoBrewReview emblazoned on the side. On the off chance that you haven’t gotten up close and personal with a .50 caliber shell lately, these are substantial, measuring 5.5″ long.  Leverage against even the most stubborn cap is never lacking. The size and weight are very good. While opening is handled with ease, the .50 Caliber Opener does make a slight, but noticeable, crease in the cap. If you’re just going to go throw the cap away, this is a non-issue. If you keep/collect your caps and want them to remain as pristine as possible this may be troubling. Personally, I keep one cap from each brewery for my BottleCapMap, who said beer can’t be art?  The folks at B2B do offer a Bourbon Barrel 7.62mm Bullet Bottle Opener which I have heard gets the job done without any creasing on your cap. No personal experience with that yet though. Hopefully I can get my hands on one and do an opener breakdown between 3-5 custom openers… but I digress.

This opener is a strong performer and a definite conversation starter making it a staple for your bar at home and would contribute handsomely if you have a display area where you keep your other beer accessories like growlers, pint glasses and snifters. Due to the size and shape of these rounds, carrying it about town in your pocket is probably going to be a little uncomfortable if not down right impractical. That said, how often are you out on the town opening your own bottles…?

My only complaint is a minor one, but centers on the bullet shape. If stored horizontally, and not contained, this is going to roll about. Storing vertically is preferred to ensure it stays where you put it, but at over 5″ tall it’s not going to fit in a drawer. I would love to see the installation of a magnet inside the casing so that it could be stored horizontally on the side of your favorite beer fridge. This minor issue aside, the .50 Caliber bottle opener is both an excellent opener and an eye catching conversation starter that comes in a wide variety of finishes to suit your individual taste.

Filed Under: Musings Tagged With: .50 Cal Opener, .50 Caliber, .50 Caliber Opener, 2015, Beer, Bottle Opener, Bullets, Bullets2Bandages, drinking, Micro Brew

Kegs for Kerry 2015

July 24, 2015 by Ben Leave a Comment

3:10 and the line is almost to the corner!

3:10 and the line is almost to the corner!

On July 18th 2015 the brewing community in and around the Treasure Valley came together to support Kerry Thomas, head brewer at EDGE Brewing in Boise who was injured in a boil over accident.  It has always been my impression that the competition in craft beer, at least here in the Treasure Valley, is pretty good natured and generally friendly.   The wagons were circled to support one of their own from the get go.

In case you didn’t make it out to Prefunk for ‪#‎kegsforkerry‬ here are just a few of the things you missed. The crowd was of course, great and the turn out was pretty amazing. When I arrived a few minutes after 3pm there was already a line out the building of people waiting to get some beer. There was both a raffle (personally I didn’t win anything, but Rick & his wife Sarah cleaned house at the table we shared) and a silent auction. Auction items ran the gambit from a beach house stay in Oregon to gift certificates, growlers + fills, amazing beer packages, art and more.…

Read More »

Filed Under: Events, Musings Tagged With: 10 Barrel Brewing, 2015, Activities, Barbarian Brewing, Barley Browns, Beer, bier:thirty, Boise, Boise Brewing, Craft Beer, Craft Beer Events, Crooked Fence, EDGE, Highlands Hollow, kegsforkerry, Longdrop Cider, Payette Brewing, Postmodern Brewers, Prefunk, Sockeye, Woodland Empire

The Tool Every Beer Lover Needs!

March 11, 2015 by Ben Leave a Comment

2015-02-26 15.48.40

If you love beer, (and seriously who in their right mind doesn’t), or you know someone who loves beer I can’t recommend strongly enough that you find your way over to tacticalkeychains.com and order a Bottle Grenade 2.0! What is this tool and why would I ever need it to add to my enjoyment of a good brew you are probably asking yourself. Well, I’m happy to enlighten you.

The Bottle Grenade 2.0 is a fantastic piece of equipment that fits easily in your pocket or clips on to your belt loop, if you’re so inclined. It can also be fitted with a neodymium magnet during manufacturing so you can attach it to your metallic beer storage device of choice. With a bottle grenade in hand you should be able to tackle any beverage that comes your way, screw top or pry off. Even cans won’t stand in your way if you don’t have any finger nails to pry up the topper. The head can accommodate 19, 21, and 27 tooth caps for twist, the pry head not only makes short work of getting you into a bottle… but it does so without mangling the bottle cap. This little miracle really doesn’t leave a mark on the cap at all. Not sure if people still collect beer caps to track their beer history, but if you do this will be a life saver. If you don’t… maybe you’ll start now that they look less like a mangled piece of metal and more like a keepsake.

Before I leave you, I would like to share that I’m no shill for this and I won’t see a penny if all of you go buy every Bottle Grenade 2.0 that Brad can ship out. I have been fortunate enough to back a few of his Kickstarter projects and I must say that he puts a lot of care into the quality of his products. The photos attached are of my Titanium, Anodized Bottle Grenade 2.0 with magnet. Typically it lives on my fridge in the kitchen to facilitate easy opening for those after work adult beverages. The pry top also makes short work of cans if you, a loved one, or even kids have problems getting those pesky cans open.

Filed Under: Musings Tagged With: 2015, Beer, drinking, Tools

My bad…

February 26, 2015 by Ben Leave a Comment

My Bad

My Bad


So it’s been a little problematic to get new content posted as things have gotten a little more hectic with the coming of “the new year”. This however is a temporary setback and I have several posts that should be up in the next few days along with a trip to Seattle next week to check out some Washington brew.

If you have suggestions on where I should try to stop and grab an incredible brew, please give me a shout in the comments, or tweet at me @idahobrewreview

Filed Under: Musings

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