This trick will hold you in good stead for many years of beer drinking. The cheap, flat-sided lighters work best, but any of the common disposable types, or for that matter any similarly sized and shaped hard object will work.

Step 1: Firmly grasp the top of the neck, such that the web of your thumb is flush with the bottom of the cap.

Step 2: Insert your lighter between your first finger and the bottom of the cap. The proper position is centered between the base of your finger and your first knuckle, with the lighter perpendicular to your finger-bone, and straight out from the bottle. You should be able to hold the lighter in place with the pressure between your finger and the sharp edge on the cap.

Step 3: Now, this is the important part. While grasping the bottle's neck firmly, use your other hand to leverage the lighter down (kind of like trying to wrap the lighter's free end around your finger), using your finger as the fulcrum. The leverage should enable you to quickly and smoothly pop off the cap without causing any pain. If your finger is hurting you when you apply pressure, try readjusting your grip on the bottle.

This can be slightly difficult the first couple of times you try it, but just a little practice, and you'll never have to ask, "Does anyone have a bottle-opener?" again.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.