HomebrewandBeer.com forum

Hi,

Not being an Australian native - so not growing up here during my formative years and perhaps in the heady hey-days of the piss-sinking 70s & 80s... could someone tell me about Pickaxe bottles?

I have got given about 48 of them recently - and I read on them dates like 1976... old skool. But - what I dont understand is - was Pickaxe a bottle brand, or a beer? Coopers used them (I did use the search function on them) - so the bottles I use might have been sold directly, or as Coopers and the label fell off? Why are some marked as property of NSW and others property of SA?

Off topic (and not to detract from my question.....) why is it that SA is the only state to ratify their little part of the kyoto treaty by giving us 5c for bottles.... do people in SA really do this? Do your homeless make a living from this? Does this make finding longnecks harder in Adelaide as people cash them in as opposed to leaving them lying around? Has there been any discussion of raising this to 10c? It was 5c when I was 10 and went to Adelaide for the first time some 16 years ago...

Pic axes are the way to go. I have over 100 of them and they are the bomb. They are stronger etc. Dont worry bout the property thing. They are yours and never throw them out! If i can remember when my dad use to buy long necks he used to get West End draught and Southwark bitter in them.

I cash in my cans and bottles. I dont throw em out and have bags full of crushed cans and bottles. The last time i took mine back i got like $120. If you have to room at home collest them. I usually crush the cans and put beer bottles in empty ctns but i usually drain them out. When you have mates come over and drink why throw away money?? I think all states should do it

Yeah pickaxe bottles are tough as. They just made the bottles as far as i'm aware. Having said that the current crop of coopers longnecks are pretty tough too.

I bought some "retro bottles" last year and got one from 1956 and one from 1957!!

MOFO wrote:Hi,
Off topic (and not to detract from my question.....) why is it that SA is the only state to ratify their little part of the kyoto treaty by giving us 5c for bottles.... do people in SA really do this? Do your homeless make a living from this? Does this make finding longnecks harder in Adelaide as people cash them in as opposed to leaving them lying around? Has there been any discussion of raising this to 10c? It was 5c when I was 10 and went to Adelaide for the first time some 16 years ago...

Yes, we really do it! Often homeless people will search bins for these 5c goldmines and many collect their cans in a ute, trailer, or crates to take down to the recycling depot. You just hand over the bottles and you get the cash then and there.

So you work out how much your average carton of beer is, then you work out how many bottles you need to gain to get a free carton!

OK then - thanks for that all!

I think Timmsy means that Pickaxe arent the bomb if they are tough

No intention of throwing them out -and didnt think anyone would be knocking on my door trying to arrest me for 30 year old beer bottles I took that statement on the bottle like I take the same statement (but even more harshly worded) on the Dairy Farmers milk crates which I use to hold all my bottles. I regularly go out and do black-ops missions around 1am and get me some milk crates from convenience stores.... great stuff for holding bottles - better than the cardboard boxed they come in.

Pale_Ale: Wow - that 5c rebate must do wonders in Adelaide if your homeless drive utes!!

MOFO wrote:Pale_Ale: Wow - that 5c rebate must do wonders in Adelaide if your homeless drive utes!!

LOL - they improvise with trolleys

Pick axes rock. I have 100s of them, some still with the orginal labels like West End export, bitter and Southwark etc. They will outlast us.

Pale_Ale wrote:LOL - they improvise with trolleys

Huh.....?

pixelboy wrote:Yeah pickaxe bottles are tough as. They just made the bottles as far as i'm aware. Having said that the current crop of coopers longnecks are pretty tough too.

I bought some "retro bottles" last year and got one from 1956 and one from 1957!!

Are they actually made in 1956 & 1957?

I have a bunch with the same numbers on them, but wonder if that is the year made.

Trough Lolly wrote:

Pale_Ale wrote:LOL - they improvise with trolleys

Huh.....?

Sorry, should have been more clear, there was a post above about the homeless having utes to collect cans, however in the absence of said utes they use trolleys to gather cans. Whilst we joke about it is quite sad. But not as sad as the other states where a can is worth 0c !

scblack wrote:Are they actually made in 1956 & 1957?

I have a bunch with the same numbers on them, but wonder if that is the year made.

The two ive got from the 50's do look old.. would be odd to have 1956 stamped on the base if they were made in the 70's or 80's

Pale_Ale wrote:But not as sad as the other states where a can is worth 0c !

A can of VB anyway...

You have got know idea how many Scout Bottle Drives I went on collecting beer bottles (Pick Axe and others).

Used to be great money spinner too. Paid for additions to the Scout Hall, paid for a boat and other gear.

The deposit system works well in SA. You don't see too many bottles or cans on the side of the road like you doo here in NSW. 5 cents might only seem like 5 cents but get enough of 'em and they can be pretty handy.

Should be standard all over OZ

Gave away over 4 dozen bottles last night, most of them pick axe. Solid bottles they are too albeit a tad dirty from living in sheds for several years.

Still got the best part of 350-400 which i will eventually re-distribute to the homebrewing brethren. More than 100 need to be tipped cos they contain beer i wont be drinking (Kits + BE1, no hops and a few other with BE2)

Timmsy wrote:I think all states should do it

In Newcastle, well Lake Macquarie, we have a seperate bin with 1/2 for paper and the other for bottles, aluminium cans, steel tins etc...

If you heard the recycling truck at Xmas time, especially in my street, there is hundreds of dollars of bottles every week....and the recyclers get them for free .Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer and Newman get a truckfull of recyclables and intend to drive them interstate to get the Dollars.

Anyway....Our "City" of Lake Macquarie is very green in respect to recyclables and has a very high % rate of particpants. I even refuse (pardon the pun) to add bottles or cans to the bin if the recycling bin is full .

Regarding the old bottles....I also have many old bottles dating back to 50's...about 20 all up. NSW Bottling company etc....I also have many Pick-axes but nearly all the roll-tops I have, have been delabelled over time so I have no idea what was in them.

Cheers

Boonie

I have one that still has its original label. It was Swan Light, 0.9% alc/vol.

0.9%? That shouldn't be classified as beer, more accurately its soft drink which may contain traces of alcohol, haha.

MOFO wrote:Pale_Ale: Wow - that 5c rebate must do wonders in Adelaide if your homeless drive utes!!



LOL - they improvise with trolleys

Just saw that the deposit is to be doubled to 10c. Those home less people will be able to afford to drive utes now. On the down side its will reportedly push the price of slabs in SA up by $2.40. Combined with rising interest rates this price rise might force more people on to the streets. At least they'll have utes though. Not a problem for us homebrewers though.

earle wrote:Just saw that the deposit is to be doubled to 10c. Those home less people will be able to afford to drive utes now. On the down side its will reportedly push the price of slabs in SA up by $2.40. Combined with rising interest rates this price rise might force more people on to the streets. At least they'll have utes though. Not a problem for us homebrewers though.

No scalping going on there...

The increase to 10c is, on the face of it a good initiative but I too have heard that the price of a carton will be increasing. Sucks.

However, I believe we are still the only state who refunds glass/plastic bottles. Wake up other states, it's 2008 and we are meant to be 'environmentally concsious', because Al Gore told me.