A flip-top, swing-top, lightning toggle, or Quillfeldt stopper (after the inventor, Charles de Quillfeldt) is a type of closure frequently used for bottles containing carbonated beverages, such as beer or mineral water. The mouth of the bottle is sealed by a stopper, usually made of porcelain or plastic, fitted with a rubber

gasket Some seals and gaskets A gasket is a mechanical seal which fills the space between two or more mating surfaces, generally to prevent leakage from or into the joined objects while under compression. It is a deformable material that is used to c ...

and held in place by a set of wires. The bottle can be opened and resealed repeatedly and without the use of a bottle opener, with the wires acting in the same way as a latch clamp. The flip-top was the dominant method of sealing beer and mineral water bottles prior to the invention of the crown cork. This is sometimes called a

bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required. In some countrie ...

closure.

History

Prior to the creation of the flip-top bottle, bottles were often made from blown glass and sealed with a cork, which was difficult to open by hand and often unreliable, particularly for carbonated beverages such as mineral water or beer. Peppers in glas

A precursor to the flip-top, the "bail" or "Kilner" closure was invented in 1859, where a lid with gasket was held by a wire harness and sealed by a separate set of wires. Buegel03BuegelGruen10ltr

The first flip-top closure was created by Charles de Quillfeldt in the United States, who filed for a patent on 30 November 1874. The rights were purchased by

Henry W. Putnam Henry William Putnam (1825–1915) was an American businessman, inventor, manufacturer, and philanthropist born in Essex, New York, and who later lived in Cleveland, Ohio, Bennington, Vermont, Escondido, California, and San Diego, California. ...

who adapted the design for use on fruit jars. He received a patent 25 April 1882, called "Trademark Lightning" and the jars became known as the lightning jars. Several other varieties have been developed. Many

homebrewers Homebrewing is the brewing of beer or other alcoholic beverages on a small scale for personal, non-commercial purposes. Supplies, such as kits and fermentation tanks, can be purchased locally at specialty stores or online. Beer was brewed dom ...

prefer flip-top bottles, since they are easy to close after filling, and negate the need of a separate capping device.

Gallery

File:French kilner.jpg, Preserving jar with bail closure, opened and closed File:BierflaschenVerschliessBügel.jpg, Flip-top seal used for crown cork bottles File:Wuppertaler Brauhaus 0001.jpg, Flip-top beer bottles File:KraeuterBuegelFlascheSophie.JPG, Mini bottle of herbal liqueur File:Red Wing Pottery 967HH 1.jpg, Pottery jug with bail closure File:Metal Eis Weissbier Bügelflaschen.jpg, Aluminum flip-top bottle File:Bernauer-dunkel.jpg, Large beer bottle with flip-top File:Grolsch premium lager bottle unopened.jpg, Unopened Grolsch beer bottle

History

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading