topic Re: How Do I Get Old Beer Valued in Community Chat

How Do I Get Old Beer Valued

sfnative — Tue, 06 May 2014 17:39:16 GMT

I'm sitting here watching BBC's "Antiques Roadshow" and a gentleman walked up with a rather small bottle of cognac, which reminded me that we have stored around here somewhere 4 bottles of vintage WWII Burgermeister Beer. During the war, anything that was bottled, was placed in plain glass - no color tinting. Our "Burgie" beer is extremely pale in color within these plain glass bottles.

Would any of you know how we go about getting this beer valued, if indeed it would be worth doing so? (This beer is 70 plus years old, so is not fit to drink.)

Many thanks in advance for any ideas you might have.

~Rebecca

Re: How Do I Get Old Beer Valued

Marienkaefer2 — Tue, 06 May 2014 17:43:57 GMT

You could start by calling around to auction houses or antique dealers in the PDX area.

You could even call some of the local breweries in town....you never know, there might be someone who has knowledge and interest in these things at one of them.

You go online and do some research. You could check the Antiques Road show website for info as well.

Re: How Do I Get Old Beer Valued

tansy — Tue, 06 May 2014 17:45:31 GMT

There are antique dealers that specialize in WWII memorabilia. I'm assuming you've searched online on sites like ebay.

Re: How Do I Get Old Beer Valued

terrier3 — Tue, 06 May 2014 17:53:35 GMT

Can you try eBay?

I live near antiques dealers. They do the bulk of their business on-line now.

They told me they can bet a LOT more for their items when they are seeking bids from the entire world vs. our local area.

Re: How Do I Get Old Beer Valued

sfnative — Tue, 06 May 2014 19:41:57 GMT

Thank you for the wonderful suggestions. And, no, we haven't done a thing yet, so all of this information is to the point and ready for us to act on. Since DH is an internet guru, I'm going to leave that part of it to him.

My secondary thought was that the bottles are probably worth something. Filled, probably a bit more.

Thanks, again!

Re: How Do I Get Old Beer Valued

Yuban3 — Tue, 06 May 2014 19:55:46 GMT

I'm certainly no expert on old beer, but I have seen cans of Billy Beer from the '70's go for next to nothing. It was almost as if the auctioneer couldn't give the stuff away.

Re: How Do I Get Old Beer Valued

DoneTryin — Tue, 06 May 2014 21:03:07 GMT

Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO has a degree program in Fermentation Science & Technology. Maybe you could look up one of the faculty & ask about it? colostate.edu

Good luck!

Re: How Do I Get Old Beer Valued

Luv2Decorate — Tue, 06 May 2014 21:08:11 GMT

On 5/6/2014 VCamp2748 said:
Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO has a degree program in Fermentation Science & Technology. Maybe you could look up one of the faculty & ask about it? colostate.edu

Good luck!

Exactly! Find a beer expert. Preferably not a dude sitting at a bar... Ha! Although after a few, he probably thinks he's an expert.

Re: How Do I Get Old Beer Valued

straykatz — Tue, 06 May 2014 21:15:35 GMT

Not to be a DEbbie Downer here but vintage beer is not like vintage wine or whiskey.....I think the only thing that makes beer collectible is the can or bottle it is in not the beer itself...but I could be wrong...I'm just guessing because I don't bleeive aged beer is the same as aged wine or whiskey.

Re: How Do I Get Old Beer Valued

DoneTryin — Tue, 06 May 2014 21:28:10 GMT

On 5/6/2014 straykatz said:
Not to be a DEbbie Downer here but vintage beer is not like vintage wine or whiskey.....I think the only thing that makes beer collectible is the can or bottle it is in not the beer itself...but I could be wrong...I'm just guessing because I don't bleeive aged beer is the same as aged wine or whiskey.

Oh, no doubt you're right. But it would still be fun to find out what the bottles are worth. I suppose they'd fit into at least a couple of collectors categories: Beer & WWII memorabilia, maybe even Advertising.

OP, see if Antiques Roadshow is coming to your town & if it is, take the bottles. Maybe we'll see you on tv!

Re: How Do I Get Old Beer Valued

Linders Back — Wed, 07 May 2014 14:48:22 GMT

You can't sell it online unless you have a liquor license so you probably won't find it on ebay unless the bottles are empty. If the bottles are dated or have some indication that they were made during the war (special bottle seals, etc.) then they might have value.

Here's a site that was selling (or trying to sell) Burgermeister bottles in 2010 for $15 each, empty:

http://www.therustybunch.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=15678

Re: How Do I Get Old Beer Valued

sfnative — Thu, 08 May 2014 07:43:08 GMT

I lost a day due to pre-op errands and day care for my granddaughter, so appreciate continued comments and gems.

We have been able to determine that this Burgermeister was bottled during the second war and are aware that the beer is swill (DH has made beer in the past). Agree that the value (if any) probably rests in the bottles themselves and are fortunate, as the labels are all intact and look pretty darn good. When I found them, we had been married about 6 months, so this was 1970, and took a walk down to the local mom and pop corner store for a quart of milk or some such. Decided to get DH a couple of bottles of Heineken. When I opened the refrigerator door, I noticed some bottles in the very back of the shelf I was staring at. Well, I dug my way back and brought the 4 Burgermeister beers forward, took them out and asked the guy behind the counter if I could buy them. I walked away having paid $0.50 for each bottles.

Please know that I'm taking all of your information to heart and will be doing some fast digging, as I'm having a total knee on Monday and would like to have a handle on this for DH, before my head is full of meds.

Thanks so much, again.

Re: How Do I Get Old Beer Valued

ennui1 — Thu, 08 May 2014 08:19:57 GMT

On 5/8/2014 sfnative said:
We have been able to determine that this Burgermeister was bottled during the second war and are aware that the beer is swill (DH has made beer in the past). Agree that the value (if any) probably rests in the bottles themselves and are fortunate, as the labels are all intact and look pretty darn good. When I found them, we had been married about 6 months, so this was 1970, and took a walk down to the local mom and pop corner store for a quart of milk or some such. Decided to get DH a couple of bottles of Heineken. When I opened the refrigerator door, I noticed some bottles in the very back of the shelf I was staring at. Well, I dug my way back and brought the 4 Burgermeister beers forward, took them out and asked the guy behind the counter if I could buy them. I walked away having paid $0.50 for each bottles.

So, the beer was 25 years old when you bought it? That doesn't make any sense.

What makes you think this is WWII beer? Schlitz acquired Burgermeister in 1963. Beer has always been available in clear bottles. Miller GD came in clear bottles. Corona comes in clear bottles.