Genesee Country Museum has a long relationship with the Genesee Brewing Co.
As such, I solicited their perspective on the topic.

Douglass McDonald
Genesee Country Museum

-----Original Message-----
From: Gary Wergin [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, March 19, 1998 2:45 PM
X-To: [log in to unmask]
Cc: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Beer Bottle Preservation

Good Day,
My name is Gary Wergin and I work for the Genesee Brewing Co. as a QC
technician.  I have been seeking, collecting and displaying Genesee Brewery
related items for many years.  Your post regarding handling and preserving
older beer bottles for others to share, can across my desk today.  I am not
an authority on the subject but will gladly pass along my successes and
experiences.
I always empty full bottles.  I have had full bottles ex- plode sitting
static on a display shelf.  In time, as the sealing liner of the crown
shrinks or dries, the CO2 is lost and air will creep into the package.  This
causes bactiera growth, coupled with beer solids resealing the container,
resulting in pressure build up.  Unpasteurized samples, when sitting at room
temp- erature, will start fermenting again and also pose the same problem.
It is dangerous to agitate older, full bottles for obvious reasons.
Here is what I do when I get a full bottle of Genesee Beer for display.  I
place an American quarter on the top of the cap... using a  church-key  type
bottle opener I carefully pry up the skirt of the crown, a little at a time,
taking care not to scratch the crown, as I turn the bottle...about half way
around the crown I try to push up on the crown with my thumbs to remove
it...I continue prying up the skirt until the crown can be removed...I then
empty the contents, rinse out the beer and solids with tap water, taking
care not to wet the label...if there is mold or proteins adhering to the
sides I use a detergent and warm water mixture and let it soak
overnight...if the deposits are stubborn try a small bottle brush...rinse
and invert on a paper towel to drain and dry...when bone dry I try to gently
bend the skirt of the crown back to a crimped position and snap it back on
the bottle.  I feel having the  period  crown on the labeled or embossed
bottle is very important from a historical standpoint.  I have never had any
luck with filling a bottle, after cleaning, with water to simulate a full
bottle of beer, for stability and accurate display purposes.  The water
always clouded and supported bacteria growth and the process had to be
repeated.  I have experimented spraying older, deteriorating, labels with a
clear, urethane based product with some success, but I advise against it
because it is a permanent, last resort salvage effort.  It can not be
reversed.  As far as long term storage and prevention of any label abrasion
during this period, I suggest a rolled wrap of acid free tissue and
placement in a partitioned case.
Hope I was of service.  Please me know if I can be of further service.  It
was my pleasure.  We are keepers of history, readily sharing it with others,
hoping to evoke  Remember when s  and  Those were the day s  and, of course,
smiles.

Sincerely,

Gary
Wergin

George Bailey wrote in message ...
>Philippa Tinsley <[log in to unmask] wrote:
>>......."Wolverhampton being a brewing town, our glass collection includes
>>a lot of beer bottles.  Going through these in detail, I discovered that
>three
>>are still full of beer.
>
>>Should I empty them, or keep them full?  All three have regular metal caps
>>(not screw caps) which appear to be securely in place.  All are around
>>250ml (is that 9 fl oz?)
>>All are currently in a non-environmentally controlled room at the historic
>>house.  Their journey to the stores will be around a mile, where they
>could
>>be stored in either a controlled or non-controlled (but stable) storeroom.
>>There are no plans to exhibit them in the near future.
>>So, what should I do?  If I should empty them, is there a secret way or do
>>I just flip off the cap in the usual way (bending it in the process of
>>course).  If I don't empty them should I wrap them in any special way?
>And
>>of course, the question all the wrapping team have been asking - can we
>>drink it? (does this count as deaccessioning?).........."
>The first thing you need to decide is what reason do you have for removing
>the
>contents? If the contents aren't doing any harm to the botles then there is
>really
>no reason to empty them. I'd store them in a cool dark place. If you decide
>that
>you do need to empty them, then I'd use a normal bottle opener, and
>carefully
>prize all around the lid, so that the top doesn't get bent & therefore
>there will be
>less evidence of tampering.
>
>As regards to you drinking the contents, well I doubt it will taste very
>good after so
>long, but you never really know until you try. I wouldn't regard this as
>deaccessioning,
>but as basic analysis using traditional testing techniques used by the
>brewing industry.
>Ideally, you'd need some fresh samples to compare with, and perhaps some
>cheese
>and biscuits to complete the scenario. I've found that such testing is most
>effective on
>Friday afternoons.
>
>Cheers (no pun intended)
>
>George Bailey
>Objects Conservator
>Australian War Memorial
>Treloar Centre for Conservation
>4 Callan St, Mitchell, A.C.T. 2911
>Australia
>Phone: +61 6 241 6122
>fax:   +61 6 241 7998
>email: [log in to unmask]