Armand Ferranti was in flight school in South Carolina when a classmate removed the top of a can of beer with his teeth. It was Armand’s first topless beer and the first time he tasted the full flavor of beer with all its subtle undertones, because the aroma was not impeded by the lid. When your sense of smell is diminished, so is your sense of taste. Think about when you have a cold and everything tastes blah!
Armand remembered the topless beer years later when he opened a bottle of wine with a foil cutter. He rotated the cutter so that it slit the foil and then he was able to remove the cork easily. So why couldn’t he make a tool that would slit the top of a beer can—or any can: seltzer, canned wine, canned cocktail, energy drink, iced coffee or soda? Armand is a proud “gearhead.” He has been “tinkering” since he was a child and invented windshield wipers for eyeglasses. After obtaining a degree in aeronautics, he moved up to building helicopters, then to assessing aviation risks. But he spent every free moment inventing. So he went off to his local liquor mart with his trusty micrometer and measured every kind of can and then went to work creating the Draft Top.
How it Works
The Draft Top uses four purposely dull blades (“splitters”) that are designed to use pressure to easily remove the top of the can without leaving behind sharp edges.
- Open the handle of the Draft Top until it clicks into place.
- Place the Draft Top flat on the can, press gently, and lightly squeeze the handle.
- Grip the can near the top with your other hand and rotate the can about half a turn. The four splitters sitting inside the rim split and fold the lid as it turns, rolling the edge over rather than leaving it jagged.
- Listen for a series of “cracks,” then a “pop,” and just like that, your beer is topless.
- Rinse the Draft Top with warm water after each use to keep the mechanical parts clean.
The Draft Top can be used on standard 8- to 16-ounce aluminum beverage cans and some 19-ounce cans if they have standard tops. It is American-made of stainless steel and high impact ABS and is a convenient 4.5 inches x 3 inches x .5 inches, so you can just keep it in your pocket.
The Draft Top comes in black and gray, but it can be customized, such as with a logo to advertise your business or organization with a useful giveaway. Add the names and wedding date and you have the best wedding favor ever.
Benefits of the Draft Top
In addition to the obvious benefit of enhancing the experience of drinking from a can, a topless can:
- Gives you a smooth, uninterrupted pour—the correct way to pour beer.
- Allows you to add ice, mixers or garnishes.
- Makes for a great game of beer pong or beer die.
- Eliminates the need to wash dirty glassware.
- Goes where glass can’t, for example, on a camping trip or in any area that prohibits glass, such as a pool area or public park.
Draft Top and NASCAR
The Draft Top team has partnered with NASCAR and the Half Mile of Mayhem that is the Martinsville (VA) Speedway. The Draft Top 250 is part of the NASCAR Playoffs Weekend, a NASCAR Xfinity Series stock car race that was televised nationally on NBC in October 2020.
