The perfect beer coaster?

[Munimula]

I'm curious about some other peoples opions on a good coaster?

I'm selling some in the classifieds that are basic round style but are made from an exotic material.


My question to you folks is do you want cheap paper ones or nicer ones?

Round, square, hexagon?

Edge trimming or plain?

Plain material or a logo?

Some basic questions but I've been racking my brain about all the places I have had a beer in my life and trying to recall any coaster that stood out to me and I can not think of any. Maybe it's time for that to change. Sorry if this is a bit long but I just came from a bar and the back of their disposable coasters had a lawyers advertisement on it. Found it kind of off putting.

Any thoughts?

 

[Golddiggie]

I vote either round or hex (I have some square slate ones already). A lip could be good, depending on what the material is. If it's a logo, I'd want it to be one of my choosing.

What are your variations you're offering??

I need to get those BSG coasters now...

 

[duboman]

Personally my idea of a good coaster is one that actually keeps the moisture off the bar or table so it either has to absorb or retain, honestly, looks to me are secondary.

I just use the cardboard ones I get from various bars and brew pubs that I collect. They're free, they absorb, it's neat to see all the different designs and when they get trashed they get tossed! I've got hundreds of them.

Maybe you should make custom cardboard ones and people cans end you their logos or labels and you make them.

 

[Munimula]

What are your variations you're offering??

I need to get those BSG coasters now...

Just doing round ones right now as I'm hand making them from some materiel I have. At over $90 a blank. True carbon fiber is very expensive. So I'm recouping a tiny bit of cost making a coaster out of my scrap piece.


I'm considering doing others but kind of wanted to start a general discussion about likes and dislikes. The carbon to me is very modern looking and I'm thinking of doing a hex shape to maybe accentuate that look even more.

Just thinking out loud on here while I'm marinating in some fine brew from the localish pub.

 

[daksin]

A coaster needs to keep moisture off of the surface it's resting on, even if that surface doesn't need protection. That's the point of a coaster. I prefer a lip to hold condensation or dribbles, but a good absorbent material works just as well. If liquid from my glass can get onto the table, the coaster isn't doing its job. Any carbon fiber coaster worth its salt needs to contain any liquid that might come off a glass. Just cutting CF discs isn't going to get it done for me.

 

[Golddiggie]

The slate coasters I'm using do the job just fine. If I get the BSG coasters, I'll probably not use them, just have them for show (too nice to F them up).

 

[Munimula]

I guess these are more table protecters then absorbers.

 

[naiek]

Your link isn't working for me so I don't really have an idea of just what you are selling. I own an old letterpress and have printed some and as far as standing out I really like Cranes 220# cotton cover, it takes a nice deep impression and has a great feel to it, it's really expensive paper though. I did buy a box of heavy 4" square with round corners from Katz American, they are a lot less expensive and do not take an impression as well. Are you looking to sell custom printed coasters? To try to answer you question, if I were to buy something that serves the same purpose as a folded paper towel, I'd like it to be nice, printed and shaped to compliment the printing.
Here is a recent coaster I printed for some friends of mine trying to go pro

 

[Nightshade]

Titanium outer with cork center slightly lower than the outer.

 

[worxman02]

Your link isn't working for me so I don't really have an idea of just what you are selling. I own an old letterpress and have printed some and as far as standing out I really like Cranes 220# cotton cover, it takes a nice deep impression and has a great feel to it, it's really expensive paper though. I did buy a box of heavy 4" square with round corners from Katz American, they are a lot less expensive and do not take an impression as well. Are you looking to sell custom printed coasters? To try to answer you question, if I were to buy something that serves the same purpose as a folded paper towel, I'd like it to be nice, printed and shaped to compliment the printing.
Here is a recent coaster I printed for some friends of mine trying to go pro

That looks awesome! I hope your freinds get up and running soon, as Salem needs another good brewery. I live down in Corvallis so I'd be happy to drive up there and visit them one they are established. /offtopic

 

[Billy-Klubb]

the perfect coaster would be made of compressed magic beer that you could eat (think of the gum in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory) and it would magically fill you glass with whatever beer you had a hankerin' for.

 

[Munimula]

seems my sale thread got closed. I'll have to look into becoming a vendor. Which I guess I wouldn't mind doing if I could sell some of these but I'm guessing there is a fee to become a vendor which kinda sucks since I'm trying to sell them since I'm broke. lol


Always a catch 22.


To the guy that mentioned the titanium outer with a cork center. It's funny you should mention that since I machine Titanium all day. It is rather expensive though.

 

[Golddiggie]

How about stainless steel??

 

[dcarter]

I have used everything from ceramic with a paper cover, cork, wood and plain old paper. The ceramic with paper cover was the worst. The paper would allow the pint glass to adhere to the coaster and when the glass was raised the coaster came with it for about a foot and then crashed back onto the table. Cork is OK but you still have the sticky bottom problem even though it doesn't break your table when it lands. Wood with an inlaid pattern works very well, doesn't stick to the glass but tends to collect the moisture instead of absorbing it. The heavy paper ones seem to do the best. They don't stick, collect moisture and when your done with them you toss em out.

 

[Golddiggie]

I have used everything from ceramic with a paper cover, cork, wood and plain old paper. The ceramic with paper cover was the worst. The paper would allow the pint glass to adhere to the coaster and when the glass was raised the coaster came with it for about a foot and then crashed back onto the table. Cork is OK but you still have the sticky bottom problem even though it doesn't break your table when it lands. Wood with an inlaid pattern works very well, doesn't stick to the glass but tends to collect the moisture instead of absorbing it. The heavy paper ones seem to do the best. They don't stick, collect moisture and when your done with them you toss em out.

The slate ones I'm using work really well. Of course, What I put on them (this time of year) isn't generating a lot of condensation, so they don't need to do much. Still, they're heavy enough to be on the surface, absorb enough liquid to keep it off the surface, and look pretty cool too.

 

[dcarter]

The slate ones I'm using work really well. Of course, What I put on them (this time of year) isn't generating a lot of condensation, so they don't need to do much. Still, they're heavy enough to be on the surface, absorb enough liquid to keep it off the surface, and look pretty cool too.

Slate would be a good material. The problem with my ceramic is that....well my wife bought em and they NEVER wear out! I can't toss them and they are always finding their way under my pint glasses. But to be honest, my pints and draft glasses usually look like this...

 

[Golddiggie]

Slate would be a good material. The problem with my ceramic is that....well my wife bought em and they NEVER wear out! I can't toss them and they are always finding their way under my pint glasses. But to be honest, my pints and draft glasses usually look like this...

Where ARE you located?? I've not seen any of my beer glasses look like that except in the hottest parts of summer.

BTW, I got the slate ones (I believe) from Amazon.

 

[dcarter]

Tonight, I have upgraded to....a Lowe's receipt.

 

[dcarter]

I'm in the south. Very south. Louisiana to be exact. Here's a photo of my current coaster...
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