when bottling.. use the hot glue gun.. love the hot glue gun..

oinyo · 02-24-2009, 08:34 PM

I have noticed that after a few batches i was getting less then perfect carbonation.

besides the hoegaarden bottles I never could get a perfect seal so headed out to the home hardware shop and picked up a high heat hot glue gun with a refill pack of 24 sticks.

During my last bottling batch I would clamp the top down then sit the bottles to the side. next i would plug in my hot glue gun. switch it to high heat and wait for the glue to start to come out of the end.

next i would glue the entire lid on by squeezing glue into the space between the lid and the glass making a nice air proof lid.

Man did this work. Every bottle now has high carb with a beautiful huge head and a sweet taste that only a good carb can get you.

I was also concerned when I used a bottle opener to open the bottle that the glue would go in.. nope the glue just peals off like a orange and you can hear a nice hiss when you open the bottle.

Best thing is since the glue never touches the inside of the bottle but only is treated as a extra sealer there is no worries of any contamination ( yeah like heating non toxic glue to 180 will not kill everything and anything on it lol )

I HIGHLY recommend everyone do this if you notice semi flat beer with no head

even if you want to just test it on 1 bottle in your next batch you will see a huge diff as I did

http://www.germes-online.com/direct/dbimage/50265789/Cordless_Hot_Glue_Gun.jpg

Boerderij_Kabouter · 02-24-2009, 08:38 PM

If you are not getting a proper seal, I would suggest looking at three things:

1. Are you using European bottles that may have a different crown geometry?
2. Are you using European or otherwise strange caps?
3. Are you using a capper that is appropriate for your bottle cap selection?

You should not need any extra seal after capping. That indicates you are not getting a proper seal, and while your glue trick may work, a proper cap is a much better solution.

Good ingenuity though

Sir Humpsalot · 02-24-2009, 08:40 PM

I use the appropriate amount of priming sugar and allow my bottles to condition naturally at around 70 degrees for two weeks and I've never had a problem with the seal between a cap and a bottle. Ever. And I was always able to track a carbonation problem to something in my technique (impatience, under-priming, etc)

If you are having a consistent problem with carbonation, I'd bet that you're problem is either with your capper, or else perhaps a bad batch of caps. Fixing that will be a lot more beneficial than spending the extra time to fix a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place...

oinyo · 02-24-2009, 08:43 PM

I have been using multiple caps on multiple bottle types. the problem is that red capping thing does not seal tightly enough. With hoegaarden where it has a ridge deep down i can clamp nice and hard to get the seal but with others I get some carb. Just not enough where when you open the bottle you see bubbles come up like a pop.

I was not able to make a 2 inch guiness head until i started this method :P

**TexLaw** · 02-24-2009, 08:44 PM

Man, you have to work on your capping technique or get a capper that doesn't stink to high heaven. You shouldn't need anything to help your seal.

TL

oinyo · 02-24-2009, 08:47 PM

Help meeeeeeeeeeee lol :P

What bottle caper would you recommend? i use this billy.

http://www.homebrewery.com/images/2-handle-capper.jpg

JesseRC · 02-24-2009, 08:48 PM

you should send some in to be judged

**IrregularPulse** · 02-24-2009, 08:52 PM

Poor guy comes in thinking he has teh next big trick in Homebrewing only do be shot down. You guys should be ashamed!

Quote:

Originally Posted by oinyo

Help meeeeeeeeeeee lol :P

What bottle caper would you recommend? i use this billy.

http://www.homebrewery.com/images/2-handle-capper.jpg

I use this and get perfectly good caps. You maybe not be pressing hard enough. Most bottles you should be able to see the middle of the circle kind of dented down. It might feel like you're going to break the bottle but it won't. Either way, you're just not crimping a good seal. Sorry. What brand caps are you using?

RedIrocZ-28 · 02-24-2009, 08:53 PM

Thats the one I use and I cannot understand how or why you are having an issue. I use Sam Adams and Budweiser American Ale bottles exclusively. Are you using twist off bottles by chance????

johnnyc · 02-24-2009, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oinyo

Help meeeeeeeeeeee lol :P

What bottle caper would you recommend? i use this billy.

http://www.homebrewery.com/images/2-handle-capper.jpg

I use the exact same capper with leftover Brewers Best caps from a kit and have never had a problem. I use mostly american pry-offs like Sam Adams, DFH, etc and they work great. On most of them I get a flat dimple in the center of the caps. You may not be crimping hard enough...just a thought