Hoppopotomus

Recipes 

I am brand new to the home brewing scene and have my first ever batch in the primary (American IPA). I have been saving my craft brew bottles for some time. What is the best solution to soak the bottles in to loosen the glue to remove labels. Most of my bottles are from Bell's and from what I hear, the labels are tough to get off. I still have a couple of weeks before bottling, but want to start preping bottles. Thanks in advance for your advice!

broadbill

Recipes 

oxyclean soak FTW

JBrady

Recipes 

Go to walmart or wherever and get you some oxyclean FREE, which is the unscented version. One spoon full of that in water will make the labels fall off on their own in about 2 hours time. Its also great for cleaning gunky fermenters. Be sure not to get the scented oxyclean though.

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Primary: Empty

Bottled: Janet's Brown, Session Dry Stout, Yellow Fly Cream Ale

Gallons Brewed In 2011-40

brettwasbtd

Recipes 

I am a big fan of a solid scoop of oxyclean and water in some sort of tub/bucket and let them soak overnight. This is also good for cleaning the inside of the bottles if you didnt thoroughly rinse them out after use

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Shegogue Brew | Pronounced "Shuh·goo"

Marko73

Recipes 

Also, check the Label Removal Thread Sticky at the top of this forum. I found a TON of great advice in there.

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"It is sheer folly to be taken by the hand and led down the path of better brewing by someone who says that they know it all. No, it is your experience that counts most. It is your experience that will always lead you to more questions."

~Charlie Papazian

voodoocurt

Recipes 

++++++oxyclean and let them soak overnight, run them through sanitize cycle in the dishwasher, heat dry and bottle.....done.

v

neovox

Recipes 

I've never tried oxyclean, but I've had success soaking them in very hot water with some TSP. The labels peel off. Then I use a scrubby to take the glue off.

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I don't drink water often, but when I do I prefer it with barley and hops.

the_bird

Recipes 

Any bottles whose labels won't come off with Oxyclean, toss 'em in the recycling because that's by far the easiest solution and if that don't work, there ain't much that will. There's a few bottles where pretty much nothing will remove the label, which to me sounds like a good excuse to just go buy another six pack.

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Come join Yankee Ingenuity!

"I'm kind of toasted. But I looked at my watch and it's only 6:30 so I can't stop drinking yet." - Yooper's Bob

Homercidal

Recipes 

All of the above advice, and I would like to note that Guinness Draught, with the plastic labels, are some of the easiest labels to remove. I pull the widget out with needlenose pliers and slit the plastic label with a small, sharp knife top to bottom and it just about jumps off the bottle!

And they have a sexay shape too!

riromero

Recipes 

This might sound crazy but...

I do the hot water/oxyclean soak which floats off 75% of the labels I encounter. But for that other stubborn 25%, I use 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper under water. Doesn't scratch the glass and shreds everything else.