14 Ways to Open a Beer Bottle Without a Bottle Opener

There’s nothing more frustrating than being at a party, enjoying a good time, and not being able to open your beer. Think about it. People are laughing and hanging out, and the party is in full swing; you grab an ice-cold beer out of the cooler only to find out that you need a bottle opener to open it, and there isn’t one in sight.

So what do you do? Look around for someone who you think may have a trick or two up their sleeve to get this beer open for you? Or do you attempt it yourself only to look foolish because you’re unsure? To prevent these predicaments, we have come up with a sure-fire list of ways you can open a beer without a bottle opener.

Whatever you do, just don’t use your pearly whites — choose one of these tricks instead. 

Photo from: flyparade via Canva

1. Another Beer

Unless you have grabbed the last beer from the cooler, you’re in luck with another beer bottle. You can use another unopened bottle of beer to get the top off your beer, and you can keep doing this until you’re down to your last bottle of beer.

Photography by: Holly Grace

How to do it:

• Wrap your hand around the neck of the first bottle
• Hold the bottom of the bottle firmly against a table or flat surface
• Grab the second bottle around the base of its neck with your other hand
  • TIP: use your dominant hand to grab the second bottle
• Place the corner or lip of the second bottle’s cap under the edge of the cap on the first.
• Using the second bottle for leverage, press down with your hand, releasing the cap on the first beer.
• Lastly — enjoy! 

2. Keys

When you’re in a pickle and without a bottle opener, you’re most likely to have a set of keys, and if you don’t, surely someone close by will.

How to do it:

• Place your beer on a flat surface or table
• Using your dominant hand, slide the long side of the key under the cap
• Twist the key upward to loosen the cap
  • you may have to turn the bottle a bit and repeat until the cap comes off

3. Lighter

If you are sans bottle opener, a lighter will do in a pinch. Opening a beer bottle with a lighter is all about leverage. This one always seems complicated, but it’s pretty easy if you place your hands correctly.

How to do it:

• Hold the beer close to the cap with your non-dominant hand
• Curl your index finger slightly under the cap, leaving only a tiny bit of space
  • TIP: the closer you can get your finger under the cap and still fit the lighter edge underneath, the more comfortable and easier this will work.
• Fit the long bottom edge of the lighter underneath the cap (don’t use the rounded corner. Instead, use the long plastic edge of the lighter bottom and place it under the cap)
• Hold the metal end of the lighter firmly. You want to be able to push down on it with smooth, even force.
• Slide your finger up the neck of the bottle so that the lighter is wedged firmly under the cap
• Push down quickly but firmly on the lighter to remove the cap.

Note: Don’t worry if you feel the lighter digging slightly into your finger; the quick downward pressure should pop the top quickly. This is precisely the firm movement and same force that you would use with a standard bottle opener.

4. Countertop

For this method, all you need is a little gravity, a steady hand, and of course, a ledge. You can also do this with a table ledge or some other type of furniture — just make sure that it’s stable.

How to do it:

• Place your beer along the edge of your countertop with the teeth of the cap resting on the edge
• Hold it tight, then smack down on it using your dominant hand.

It may take a few tries for this one, so don’t worry if you don’t get it on the first try.

5. Ring

Using your ring will do the trick if you want to quickly open your beer without making a massive production that you don’t have a bottle opener. Careful with this one, though. I have known people that have destroyed their wedding rings doing this trick, so proceed with caution.

How to do it:

• Position the ring just under the teeth of the bottle cap
• Apply pressure and move your ring hand in an upward motion to open

Note: This method may take a little bit of practice. There’s a sweet spot, and the more you do this one, the sweet spot will come naturally.

Think of the ring as the fulcrum that you are using to open the bottle cap.

6. Belt Buckle

This one may be a little awkward in a room full of people, but it works nonetheless — maybe a warning before you go whipping off your belt is a good idea, though.

How to do it:

• Take off your belt
• Hold your beer bottle firmly in one hand, and using your other hand, secure the edge of the buckle under the cap
• Press your thumb on the other side of the buckle so the buckle acts as a lever and pry the top off.
  • TIP: put your belt back on before consuming too many beers

7. Screwdriver

If you’re hanging out in the garage and you don’t have a bottle opener, there are no shortage of tools you could use to open a beer, but a flat-head screwdriver might be the easiest.

How to do it:

• Hold your beer bottle firmly in your non-dominant hand
• Slip the edge of the flat head screwdriver under the cap
• Pry the cap off with your dominant hand

8. Hammer

Another handy tool you can use to open a beer bottle is a hammer.

How to do it:

• Position the bottle cap between the claws of the hammer
• Catch the bottom edge of the cap on the edge of the bottom-most claw
• Give a slight upward thrust, and the top should come off easily

9. Scissors

As kids, we were taught never to run with scissors, but they never said anything about using them to open beer bottles, so here we go! Proceed with caution on this one.

How to do it:

• Open the scissors and set the blade against one of the ridges in the cap at a slight angle
• Cut through one of the tiny ridges at an angle. (this will loosen it ever so slightly)
• Snip your way around the cap until it is removed

10. Spoon

If you’re in the kitchen but can’t see to find a bottle opener, look no further than your trusted utensil drawer and grab a spoon. Big spoon or little spoon, it doesn’t matter.

How to do it:

• Put your hand around the neck of the bottle
• Secure the small tip of the spoon under the edge of the cap (the bottom of the spoon bowl should be slightly resting on your other hand)
• use a lever-action to bring the back of the spoon down and pop open the bottle

11. Butter Knife

While in the utensil drawer, you can also grab a butter knife to pop off your cap instead of a spoon. It will do the trick as well.

How to do it:

• Use the tip of the butter knife to bend just a small section of the cap away from the bottle
• Position the tip of the knife under the lip, so that it’s between the cap and the glass rim
• Carefully and swiftly, tap the handle of the knife on the counter to pop off the cap

12. Door frame

Almost every door has what’s called a sticker plate — it’s the metal thing on the inside of the door frame where your door knob clicks in, and when you’re stuck without a bottle opener, it can be pretty handy in helping you to open your bottle.

How to do it:

• Carefully place the bottle inside the plate so that the underside of the bottle cap teeth catch on the edge of the plate
• Pry downward from the edge of the cap
  • TIP: Try to maintain as much of a downward angle as possible to not spill 

13. Dollar Bill

Yes, this one may seem a little hard to believe, but it works! Once you have this trick down, you may even use it to impress your friends, even if there’s a bottle opener present.

How to do it:

• Fold the dollar bill in half horizontally
• Roll up the dollar bill very tightly
• Bend the rolled dollar bill in half to maximize the pressure at the bend
• Put the folded bill on top of your bent index finger
• Hold it tightly in place with your thumb, with the bent part sticking out
• Make sure your grip is firm before you bring the dollar to the lip of the bottle
• Position the dollar in between the cap and the lip of the bottle
• Use the dollar as a lever in between your index finger and the cap
• Apply pressure upwards with the hand holding the dollar
• Continue applying pressure until the cap pops off

14. Rubberband

This one requires a little bit of extra elbow grease, but it works when in a pinch and if all of the above are not doable.

How to do it:

• Wrap the rubber band around the cap several times
• Start twisting, and the cap should pop off

How to prevent being stuck without a bottle opener

There are preventive ways to ensure that you are never caught in this particular predicament. If having to open a beer without a bottle opener worries you.

Put a bottle opener on your key chain – there are all kinds of different key chain bottle openers that you can get, and in most cases, you always have your keys on you.

Bottle opener sandals are great for the summertime; there are actually sandals on the market with a bottle opener built right into them.

Bottle opener sunglasses – if sandals aren’t your thing, maybe you prefer a pair of sunglasses with a bottle opener?

A bottle opener that attaches to the wall – in your own home, if you find that your bottle opener is always taking a walk, you can get a bottle opener that attaches directly to the wall, and that way, it will never go missing again.

Buy twist tops – And lastly, if you don’t want to get stuck without a bottle opener twist, top beers are a great solution.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Should I ever use my teeth to open a beer bottle?

This is a hard no — absolutely not. Trust me when I say this can go wrong, and you don’t want that dental bill if you should crack a tooth. I know that beer is excellent and refreshing, but it’s just not worth the risk, and you can seriously damage your teeth doing this.

Does opening a beer bottle on a countertop ruin my countertop?

Yes, this can destroy your countertop or any other furniture that you are using to try and open your beer. Please refrain from doing this, especially on wood surfaces, as it may scratch your wood. Use this method with extreme caution and ensure that you are not doing this method on expensive fixtures or countertops in your home.

What’s the best type of ring to use for the ring method?

The Tungsten Carbide ring is the best kind of ring to have when you need to open a beer. If you have this type of ring, you can remove the cap, and it will not damage your ring. This type of metal can withstand a lot.

Rings made out of other metals may work for this method, but there is a higher chance of you damaging or scratching the ring.

Are there any rings that should not be used to open a beer bottle? Thin rings are a no-no. You may end up warping or bending the metal, wrecking the shape of the ring. Soft metals like gold easily bend.

Out of all these methods, which is the easiest?

Some ways are easier for others than others, but generally, using another beer is the easiest method for most. A close second, in my opinion, would be a flat-head screwdriver.

What if I chip the glass when opening my beer?

Toss the beer and beer bottle and start again. I know it’s sad and seems like a waste, but it will be next to impossible to see if there are glass fragments in the beer, even if you pour it into a glass.

If all this talk of beer has made you thirsty for more, check out these articles:

• Everything You Need to Know to Make Awesome Beer Cocktails
• Beer Talk: What is a Cream Ale, and Is There Actually Cream in It?
• How to Actually Prevent Your Beer from Getting Skunked