I've always soaked my bottle caps in sanitizer before using, but a friend of mine suggested boiling (throw in the same pot with priming sugar) instead because the cooties can theoretically hide from the sanitizer solution but not from the heat. This makes intuitive sense, although one could debate whether the extra effectiveness has any practical measure. My question is what the downsides are (if any) of boiling the caps. Could a slight metallic taste be imparted? Weaker seal? Something …
I just started brewing my first batch (yay!) and want to set up for bottling while I wait. My question is simple: Can I start using Swing-Tops like Grolsch to bottle my beer? I've heard varying reports about skunking my beer with the green glass, or that the seal is imperfect. Do you think it would be any harder to clean the glass inside these reusable bottles? I would consider capping my own beer although I'd rather save the expense …
I have noticed that after I open many of my beers, my caps still look perfectly intact. I.e not fractures stresses and are relatively clean still. It seems like such a waist to just chuck it. Does anyone out there re-use theirs, and or what would be a good reason not to re-use caps? I know the are cheap. But is that really the only reason to use new ones?
Can ring crown (pull off) bottless such as these: be recapped using a table top or bench bottle capper? EDIT: Just to be clear, I mean capping the bottle with regular caps like these, not not pull off caps. EDIT2: I finally bought a capper and tried this. It worked!
I've been looking around trying to find anywhere that can print low-volume (50-100) runs of custom crown caps. Found loads of US sites but nothing in the UK. Any ideas? Cheers! (Related to this question but specifically for the UK)
My brew kit came with 750mL plastic (PET) bottles & screw-on caps, which I've used. The "safety seals" are broken, but I thought they were more an indicator of product tampering than a functional device. Am I able to re-use the plastic caps in future brews if I sanitise properly?
So my brother in law are in the midst of our 4th batch. Of our first batch ( a 5 gallon brew) probably 2 bottles turned out. These bottles were spectacular great carbonation, retention etc. The others flavors seemed ok but completely and totally flat. I noticed that the bottles that turned out where the smaller 12 ounce size. 3 weeks in fermenter before bottling and then 4 weeks before transferring bottles to refrigeration. We have removed the bottles and …
Quick question regarding packaging for competitions... Usually samples should be submitted in 12oz bottles with caps... is it the case for Belgium styles? Some beers have to be conditioned in bottles, which may create some potential additional fermentation... Is it allowed to use corks instead of caps? For example 18C (Belgian Tripel) "traditionally bottle-conditioned" according to the 2008 Guidance. Should I use corks with muselets? Thanks, guys!
I've got a two-handled handheld capper. Twice, I've snapped the neck while trying to put the cap onto a bottle. Considering how few bottles I've actually capped, that's a failure rate of over 5%. Is there some technique I should be using to avoid this problem? New caps seem to require a great deal of force to apply.
I have a standard, hand held bottle capper and when I am using it I am getting indentations in the cap. The larger problem is that I am having issues with inconsistent carbonation and want to determine if the capper is the problem.It seems like there could be 100 reasons why there is inconsistent carbonation but I am trying to rule out the capper. Here is a photo of what the cap looks like after applying what seems to be …
I'm just doing some reading, and it mentioned capping the fermenter to carbonate the beer by trapping the remaining co2. Has anyone given it a go? What were the results?
Last night, I was trying to carry some bottles of my home-brewed beer in the basket of my bicycle. I only made it a few blocks from my home before I noticed that most of them were leaking. The caps were firmly on but most of the beer had escaped and made a mess. How can I prevent this from happening in the future? This has happened once before with my own beer but never with store-bought bottles. I am …
I have noticed differences in bottle necks which may affect my capping. I was merrily capping away with standard 12oz bottles with my Red Baron capper. I decided to bottle hard cider in green bottles, and again was wailing away until I hit the case of Heinekens. The neck flange is shallow, the cap did not dimple as it did with bottles from Sam Adams, Dogfish Head, etc. When I gave them the twist test, the cap turned. It felt …
I was all ready to bottle up my IPA last night (and yes, since this is StackExchange, I named the brew "IPAddress"). Everything got sanitized, bottles were de-labeled, the whole nine yards. I boil the priming sugar, pour it in, give it a stir, and it's looking lovely. I grab the first bottle, a cap, and....and where's the capper? I spent the majority of last night turning my apartment over, looking for the dang thing. No dice - my best …
Just capped my first batch of beer (Wohoo!). When I invested in my equipment though, I think I was a bit too frugal with my capping tool - I have a hammer on crown capper. It seems to have done the job (hard to tell at this stage if the seals are good, but they seem OK), but it was pretty hard work capping 64 x 330ml bottles with it... What recommendations can anyone out there in homebrewland make for …
I have capped several different champagne bottles with 29mm bottle caps, but the 29mm caps seem to fit too loosely on a case of J. Roget Champagne bottles I just picked up. I was having troubles getting the standard 26mm caps to go on them also. Are they un-cappable?
What are the steps involved in recapping a bottle of beer for any reason (e.g. if too much priming sugar is added, if a cap appears to be defective or failing, etc)?
This appears to be a term many are familiar with, but how exactly do you cause the beer to foam prior to capping? I use a spring-loaded filler rod, which always results in about an inch of head space, with very little if any bubbles.
After downing a bottle of Saison Dupont last night and wishing to re-use the bottle, I wondered if any home brewers have "capped" their brews using corks? The bottle looks like it might be re-usable with regular caps, but using corks is a nice flourish. Corking could mean potentially re-using champagne bottles too. Has anyone tried corking their brews? What's involved?