1,500 bottles: Grafton man has been collecting beer bottles for 14 years

By Emily Pofahl

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    GRAFTON, Wisconsin (WISN) — Inside Dave Armstrong’s Grafton garage sits a collection Joseph Schlitz himself, would be proud of.

For the past 14 years, Armstrong has been collecting empty beer bottles and displaying them on shelves in his garage.

“The rule is, if I don’t drink the beer, it doesn’t get to go on the wall,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong said in his 14 years, he’s only broken one bottle out of his 1,500-bottle collection.

“I had another one in the refrigerator, so it wasn’t a big loss. I had another one to back it up right away,” he said.

Armstrong said the collection started after his family member gave him 50 beers for his 50th birthday.

Armstrong grows his collection each year on Black Friday. Every year, Armstrong lines up outside Lakefront Brewery in the late night hours of Thanksgiving to be the first in line for their limited edition Black Friday beer. It’s how WISN 12 News first met him.

“I’m first in line every year,” Armstrong told WISN 12 News in 2016.

It has since turned into a social event for Armstrong, who said he meets new friends in line every year.

“My son-in-law started coming 10 or 11 years ago. So now it’s a family tradition,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong said he plans on growing the collection indefinitely, even as he runs out of space in his garage.

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