If you haven’t picked up on our not-so-subtle clues, at Saint Brewis, we’re very focused on promoting the St. Louis beer scene. We review local beers, interview local brewers and have a calendar filled with local beer events. In that same spirit, we try to push along local businesses that are promoting craft beer culture as well. One such business is Snake Bite Co. and it’s selling a product that you don’t even know you need: Bottle Openers.

Yeah, yeah. You already have a bottle opener. It’s that sweet one made out of the Side Project barrels that doesn’t bend the cap when you take it off. I know. I have that one too. The difference is that these bottle openers are going to change the way you enjoy beer that’s sold in CANS and that’s why I’m here talking about them.

Snake Bite Co.’s co-founder, Dan Peskorse sent me a few of the Snake Bite products so I could see for myself what made these different from the 11 openers currently in my kitchen drawer. Let’s take a look, shall we?

The Product

Snake Bite Co. makes two main products and both are designed for use on bottles and cans. The first product is their Original Snake Bite and it’s designed as a keychain bottle opener for use wherever you go. The second product, The Mamba, is bigger and is sold as the ultimate bartending tool (more on that in the review section below).

While both will open your bottle it’s what they do for cans that makes them more than just a bottle opener. You can use the two prongs on the end of each bottle opener to “bite” into your can to create two vent holes. These allow air in as the beer comes out to help for a much smoother flow.

If you’re like most craft beer geeks, you drink most beers from a glass and a smoother flow means you can have a much better controlled pour. A more controlled pour means you can get your desired inch of foam in your IPA instead of 2 or 3 inches and you don’t have to pause your pour to wait for the head to go down.

If you do like to drink from a can whether due to preference or because you’re out and about, then the Snake Bite and Mamba will still treat you right. Venting the can will eliminate that “glug” you get when you tip your can back for a swig. You may not think it’s a big deal but we’ve all tilted our heads back while unhinging our jaws like a snake (pun intended) to pour a decent sized gulp into our mouths. Yeah, you do that because if you left your mouth on the can’s opening, air going in is competing with beer going out which creates a vacuum (sorry for the science). The two holes made by the Snake Bite give the air a place to go so it’s not competing with your beer anymore making the beer flow out quickly and smoothly. No more snake jaw with the Snake Bite.

Location, Location, Location

Aside from being headquartered in St. Louis by folks from St. Louis, it’s also 100% handcrafted and assembled in St. Louis. Each Snake Bite product you buy is supporting a local business. If this product were any more St. Louis, it’d ask you where you went to high school.

If that wasn’t enough, every part that goes into making each product is 100% made in America:

Original Snake Bite

302 stainless steel – Made in the USA

6oz Vegetable Tanned Domestic Leather Made in the USA

Military Grade Kydex Holster Eyelets Made in USA

Nickel Plated Hard Drawn Steel Split Rings Made in USA

100% Handcrafted & Assembled in St. Louis, Missouri

Mamba

304 stainless steel – Made in the USA

If this product were any more American, it’d have Type 2 Diabetes.

The Quality

Those components we mentioned above combine to make one hell of a sturdy product. The Original Snake Bite is sold as a keychain bottle opener but like every red-blooded male, I don’t want something that sharp in my pocket unless it’s guaranteed not to cause pain where pain should never be. Putting protective leather over the sharp “fangs” is a necessity and it’s rigid enough to do its job while still being soft to the touch.

The opener won’t swing out on its own, either. You can feel safe knowing that the wave washers used will keep your Snake Bite in place until you’re ready to use it. As far as the metal is concerned, I know as much about “302” or “304” stainless steel as I know about The Real Housewives franchise. What I can tell you about them is that when the time comes to use either the Snake Bite or the Mamba, both are much lighter than you expect and yet they feel incredibly solid.

Review

Recently, I took a couple cans of local favorites and put each tool to the test. First we busted out a can of Logboat Brewing’s DIPA called Jerk Alert and used the Snake Bite to pour it into a glass. The pressure needed to use the Snake Bite can was a little more than my assistant (sister) was expecting but it still wasn’t hard, just more than she thought. Once the fangs sunk in, it was like a hot knife through butter and easy to finish the holes.

The Mamba was used first to lift the tab on a can of 4 Hands Chocolate Milk Stout (kinda overkill at home but damn useful if you’re a bartender opening dozens of cans a night). Once the can was fully opened, the Mamba was used to poke the vent holes and thanks to the size of the tool, the leverage was a little greater and it was easier to do. The other tool that the Mamba comes with is a pour spout remover. I didn’t have any to test it on but I took it to a local watering hole and gave it to a bartender to ask for their thoughts and got a “Holy shit, that’s awesome!” so I guess it’s pretty nice.

Once both beers were vented, the pouring was incredibly smooth. For “pretty picture” purposes, we poured straight down the middle to show you the steady flow of the beer. In reality, you’d properly pour down the side of your glass for half the beer, finishing the last half of the pour straight down the middle. Regardless, the flow is like from a tap. It’s easy to get the desired amount of head for the style of beer you’re drinking and that’s awesome.

Also for “pretty picture” purposes, I didn’t take a picture of myself drinking from the can. Well, I did do it and it’s like the first time you have a Slinger: You didn’t know you needed it in your life until you tried it. The beer comes out as fast as you want it to which is kind of alarming at first because you don’t realize how limited the flow is with a typical can. I really did prefer the vented can and I can say with all honesty that every can of beer that I’ve consumed since getting the Snake Bite and Mamba has been bitten. Every one.

Giveaway

Thanks for taking the time to read our review of Snake Bite Co.’s bottle openers! We didn’t want to just tease you with the goodness, we wanted to make sure that THREE of you get some Snake Bites of your own. We’ll randomly draw three winners and the first winner receives the Original Snake Bite Opener and $50 in store credit. The two additional winners will receive a Original Snake Bite bottle opener of their choice! Enter our giveway that’s going on NOW by clicking the link below. Contest ends on November 22.

Cheers!

Snake Bite Co. was founded in 2014 by St. Louis natives Dan Peskorse and Kevin Kelly: “Our company produces unique products for those individuals who value a heritage build. The best materials, the best manufacturing, 100% Made in America. That’s how we’ve chosen to run our business. That’s how we choose to make our mark.”