The shape of this beer bottle is called the "export beer bottle" shape, a super generic beer bottle shape that is still obsessively being used today. Unfortunately, because of the fact that it is such a common color (amber) and shape (boring) for beer bottles, it's difficult to pinpoint the exact beer this bottle once housed.
Even worse, as Brockway Machine Bottle Company did business with multiple beer companies, all utilizing this ubiquitous bottle design, it's virtually impossible to identify the exact beer. However, please allow me to inform you about the wonders of this type of bottle as well as how to date it!
Amber glass is most often used in beer bottles because it provides the greatest protection for the product against lighter wavelengths, which may spoil beer.
The base embossments are as follows:
- In the center, the glass maker's mark - a 'B' in a circle
- Directly to the left is the numeral '8'
- Directly above is the number '1720'
- Directly to the right is the number '56'
- Directly under the mark is the logo "Temperglas" embossed in script, and the number '22' below
According to the following Brockway plant codes...
This bottle's mold number is 1720. It was manufactured at the Rosemount, MN plant in the year 1956. Its cavity number is 22.
A bottle's mold number had many purposes: according to the Society for Historical Archaeology, the mold number mainly served as identification of the bottle (in customer catalogs), but could also be used as mould and inventory control of the factory; quality control for bottle production; production liability, in combination with trademarks and date codes, can tell how old the bottle was and what company produced it.
The closure type on this beer bottle is called a crown cap, most commonly found on soda, mineral water, and beer bottles--its practical design was for products that didn't necessarily need to be resealed and could be consumed quickly.
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