Beer bottles are one of the premier collectibles in the world of breweriana. Far from being a plain old regular 280 ml bottle, beer has been packaged in a wide variety of bottles over the many years. We have seen the era of the stubby beer bottle apparently come and go. Large beer bottles have always been around and today seems to be the era of the longneck beer bottle.
Antique beer bottles in history
Beer bottles have long history that affects valuations and is fascinating in its own right. Beer bottle history as covered here, looks at the following distinct eras:
- Beer bottle antiques from the 19th century. The era of stoneware bottles, early embossing and the beginning of breweries.
- Mass bottled beer bottles. The rise of the brewery gave rise to new standards and mass produced collectables, pre-prohibition .
- Prohibition to the present. The post-Prohibition era was suitably vigorous. Marketing and packaging reflects a changing culture. But beer is always there!
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Find collectible beer bottles now!
Find collectible beer bottles from domestic or imported brands from throughout brewing history. |
Bottle Caps  Collectible bottle caps from the brewing past. |
We feature a regularly rotating stock of beer decanters and entire collections of glass beer bottles which may hold any number of treasures. Among the many brands of collectible beer bottles, you will find familiar brands like Budweiser and Samuel Adams, etc., as well as antique beer bottles that may include items like country painted beer bottles, oddball items and many vintage collectibles. (We’ve even seen Three Stooges beer bottles, nyuck nyuck!)
Beer bottles from the Netherlands also make themselves unique collectibles, as they are 300 ml. They are known as De Nederlandse Bierfles or perhaps more commonly known as the little pipe (pijpje).
Find collectible beer bottles from our brewing past:
| Beer classifieds on eBay |
 BATEMANS Light Dinner Ale Salem Bridge Wainfleet VINTAGE Beer Bottle Label $1.50 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 48m Bid now |
 Black Plastic Bottle Cap Catcher New In Box Use W Favorite Bottle Opener BR 7 $10.28 Time Remaining: 23d 22h 49m Buy It Now for only: $10.28 |
 BALLINGALLS ANGUS Pale Ale Dundee VINTAGE Beer Bottle Label $1.50 Time Remaining: 53m Bid now |
Beer bottling history as context of antiques
For a full history of beer bottling and a look at how to value some antique beer bottles, we look at this:
Before the nineteenth century beer bottling was in an obvious infancy, so if you find anything from this era, it has obvious value. Learn more about what you might find in antique beer bottles from the 1800's.
During the late nineteenth century the rise of early breweries gave rise to mass bottling. You'll have more luck finding bottles from this era. Look for embossing, blob tops among other things from the rise-of-the-brewery-age vintage beer bottles.
Prohibition punctuated beer brewing history most mercilessly and the eras just before and after gave rise to some premier collectibles. We look at the era post-Prohibition to the present.
We also see vintage beer bottle collections come through our store. Find beer bottle collections.
Antique bottles by beer brand
Among the man brands of beer bottles on our site, you will regularly find Guinness beer bottles, Budweiser beer bottles and many other brands of beer bottles.
Beer bottles and brands you will find in our listings at any time can include any or all of Miller, Busch, Budweiser, Hamms and many other classic brands.