Grolsch’s swing-top beer bottle has become an integral part of the brand – but how? We take a look at its origins, its development over the years, and its ongoing relevance in today’s market.
The iconic swing-top bottle was originally introduced in 1897. According to Grolsch, the closure’s benefits were three-fold: it kept the beer fresh, didn’t require an opener, and could be resealed to savour the drink in multiple sittings.
Legend has it that when then-owner Theo de Groen took over the brand’s Enschede brewery in 1922, he refused to conform to the emerging standard of crown cap bottles in beer packaging – reportedly stating: “It is I who decides what I put my beer in.”
The original bottle was made from brown glass and featured a porcelain head, a rubber ring, and a metal bracket. Over the years, it has been redesigned to suit an accelerated production process.
This includes a streamlined revision in the early 1960s, then a reimagining to align with state-of-the-art technology and exporting requirements in the 1970s.
Today, drinkers are more likely to receive their bottles in a green bottle with a plastic top. A label is applied over the opening mechanism as a tamper-evident measure.
Glass colour may vary depending on the type of beer; for example, the blond variety has been sold in a brown bottle with a yellow label.
Nevertheless, Grolsch highlights the ‘halo effect’ of the ‘distinctive’ swing-top bottle – positing that the format ‘premiumizes’ the brand’s portfolio.
A description on the brand’s website reads: “The swing-top bottle stands out due to the deep embossing in the glass and, of course, the metal clamp with the red rubber ring. The typical ‘pop’ sound is unmistakably linked to the swing-top bottle.”
In 2024, Little Black Book reported that Grolsch had retired the swing-top bottle in international markets ‘for sustainability reasons’. Consumers have speculated that this kind of closure also makes the beer more vulnerable to oxidation or ‘skunking’ – a chemical reaction that occurs when beer is exposed to ultraviolet or artificial light – in transit.
While overseas customers can no longer access the swing-top bottle from local retailers, Purple Creative has helped Grolsch develop its heritage icons to commemorate the swing-top’s place in the brand’s development.
The swing-top format remains popular among home brewers due to its durability, resealability, and affordability compared to a crown seal approach.
Aside from its swing-top bottle, Grolsch has participated in various sustainable packaging initiatives. In 2007, it claims to be the first brand in the Netherlands to sell beer in a transparent green returnable bottle – featuring flattened sides, vertical embossing, and the symbol of two types of hops on the shoulder.
The bottle was marketed with the slogan ‘Bier mag weer gezien worden’ – or, to translate it roughly into English, ‘beer that can be seen again’.
In 2021, Grolsch adopted Smurfit Westrock’s (then Smurfit Kappa’s) TopClip Can Topper for can multipacks sold in the Netherlands. The decision is believed to reduce carbon emissions by 36% compared to new plastic films and 16% compared to recycled plastic films, as well as to save 100,000kg of plastic annually.
The brand also switched to 98% recycled crates, made predominantly from other crates, in 2023. Their ridges and embossing were set to make stickers easy to remove and keep the crates in suitable condition for longer.
In a previous article, Packaging Europe dove deeper into the controversy surrounding plastic tethered caps. Berndt+Partner CEO Thomas Reiner described the swing-top bottle format as “everything that modern tethered caps should aspire to be but fall short of achieving” – holding the stopper away from a consumer’s face and preventing discomfort while maintaining easy opening and resealing.
Our Iconic Packs series has also explored various well-known bottle formats, including Ramune’s ‘ball’ bottle – a design that is regaining popularity among younger generations due to cultural nostalgia and its connections to a particular time of year, among other influences.
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