Label Removal Experiment

drbell · 01-24-2008, 09:06 AM

I have decided to put labels on my beer to identify them, as well as making them look good. I want to minimise the effort to remove them, while having them look as good as possible when they are on.

Having researched labels on this forum and the rest of the web I have decided to conduct a simple experiment. The full details are on my blog: http://bellsbeer.wordpress.com/ including a picture and initial observations.

In short, I have attached labels to bottles in 6 different ways:
# sticker attached to a wet bottle
# sticker attached to dry bottle (the control sticker)
# sticker which has been stuck to a jumper several times to remove some of the stickyness
# sticker with addition of glue from a glue stick
# plain paper attached using glue stick
# plain paper attached with milk

I have made initial observations and will now leave them for a week before judging them first on appearance, and then on how easily the labels come off after soaking them in warm soapy water.

dilligas2u · 01-24-2008, 09:26 AM

Try Oxi_clean to remove they pop right off

**brauhaus** · 01-24-2008, 02:21 PM

i put mine in the dishwasher.... or boil them... the heat makes them come right off.

**Revvy** · 01-24-2008, 02:53 PM

I'll be looking forward to the results of your experiment...It's the ultimate brewer's conundrum, we hate taking labels off bottles (even though I use the oxyclean soak method) and yet some of us do what to decorate our own bottles...

Oh and I enjoyed your blog too! I have a "closet brewery" also...Though I never though of putting a sutible poster in it....Have to go and do some shopping.

**bigjohnmilford** · 01-24-2008, 03:04 PM

it looks like the wet bottle and milk are already losers. Thanks for doing the experiment for the bottlers out here.

drbell · 01-24-2008, 06:50 PM

Revvy, the poster (which Im really happy with) was as idea I had after realising how scruffy the walls looked before I started. I knew I couldn't paint them as I'd have to wait a long time for the paint to dry and the smell to go away. I was really pleased to find a poster I thought would look good in only the second shop I looked in. Other options included more modern dark JD posters, and full pint of guinness.

bigjohnmilford, I think, with a couple of practice goes, I could get the water and milk ones slightly neater, but I don't really want a method that might not look perfect every time.

**olllllo** · 01-24-2008, 06:55 PM

The milk is like hanging wall paper. After a few it's easy.

**bigjohnmilford** · 01-24-2008, 07:14 PM

Thanks again, We don't bother labeling for home just a simple avery circle with different colors. But, we will be doing some wedding beers that will require labeling and I want to make clean up as easy as possible.

**WillPall** · 01-25-2008, 02:58 AM

Umm, while we are on this topic, doesn't the milk smell bad. I know it is just a small amount, but still, I would think it would make your label and bottle smell a bit funky.

**olllllo** · 01-25-2008, 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillPall

Umm, while we are on this topic, doesn't the milk smell bad. I know it is just a small amount, but still, I would think it would make your label and bottle smell a bit funky.

Nope, no and not so.