St. Louis Startup Snake Bite Wants to Open Your Beer

The Snake Bite. | Courtesy Snake Bite Co.

Perhaps you have that friend who insists on poking a hole in the top of his beer can after he opens it. "It helps it flow better," he says, while the rest of you roll your eyes. Well, stop it. He's right. Dan Peskorse and Kevin Kelly, founders of the St. Louis startup Snake Bite Company, are here to set you straight.

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Peskorse and Kelly have been using similar openers for years, ever since they found some old ones in a bunch of junk, the kind used to open the old tin cans. One day somebody put two holes in their can and called it a snake bite. At first it sounded stupid, but then everyone wanted the snake bite. Peskorse and Kelly soon put together a prototype; the process of figuring out manufacturing and sourcing started in earnest about a year ago.

"Initially it was like, 'This is funny and it makes beer come out better,'" Kelly explains. But it also supports the craft-canning movement. We did a pour test of Schlafly Hefeweizen, and we got a good response because it shows the pour creating less of a crazy, foamy, heady beer."

They also wanted to make sure there was a style element as well -- you're not just poking holes in your can. The Snake Bite is also designed so it can open beer bottles as well. It was important to Kelly and Peskorse that the opener was 100 percent made in the U.S., and it's handcrafted right here in St. Louis.

The Snake Bite's Kickstarter was fully funded within 30 hours -- it has now raised nearly $10,000 of its $5,000 goal. Snake Bites will be ready to ship in December. They're planning local pickup in St. Louis, pop-up shops and collaborations with restaurateurs like Pi's Chris Sommers. You can learn more about Snake Bite at its Kickstarter page here.

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