efreem01
Well-Known Member
Hey All, I'm only on my third batch as of now but i have learned a great deal about removing beer bottle labels. I thought i would share and see if anyone else has any additions to put in.
Removing paper labels from Bottles:
Fill up a sink, or tub with a decent amount of hot water. Add the appropriate amount of Oxy-Clean powder [1/2-1 cup per gallon]. Put as many bottles as you can fit in the sink/tub (make sure they're underwater) and just let them soak. In 20 minutes, the labels will literally be falling off of the bottles. Use a brillo pad, or SOS over the surface of the bottle to wipe off residual glue and paper. I've tried this trick with Budweiser, Sam Adams, and a half dozen other commercial beers.
Removing Clear Plastic Labels from Bottles:
When i was approaching bottling day with my first batch, i really only had one type of beer bottle in the house with a crown top. That's Amstel Light. It had the annoying clear plastic labels with some sort of crazy adhesive behind them. I tried the Oxy-Clean trick with these, but it's useless. The plastic creates a barrier so the solution can't get to the glue. First, you need something metal that can get under the label such as a knife or razor blade. Boil a pot of water and dip the bottle in for about two minutes. The bottle will be really hot, so i use cooking tongs. Use the razor to peel the corner of the label. Once you have enough to get a firm grip just peel off the label with your fingers. When the labels are all off, dip the bottle in the oxy-clean solution (see above) and use SOS to remove the adhesive. WIthout adding the oxy-clean, that adhesive is brutal.
Using these two methods (as i did 10 minutes ago) you can get any commercial beer bottle with a crown-top up to homebrew standards. Some beer bottles (sam adams) have a logo engraved in the bottle itself. This is just something we have to live with. I seriously recommend any crown top bottle with a paper label. They're a breeze.
I'm going to do a seperate post on printing and labeling a 'blank' beer bottle.
Removing paper labels from Bottles:
Fill up a sink, or tub with a decent amount of hot water. Add the appropriate amount of Oxy-Clean powder [1/2-1 cup per gallon]. Put as many bottles as you can fit in the sink/tub (make sure they're underwater) and just let them soak. In 20 minutes, the labels will literally be falling off of the bottles. Use a brillo pad, or SOS over the surface of the bottle to wipe off residual glue and paper. I've tried this trick with Budweiser, Sam Adams, and a half dozen other commercial beers.
Removing Clear Plastic Labels from Bottles:
When i was approaching bottling day with my first batch, i really only had one type of beer bottle in the house with a crown top. That's Amstel Light. It had the annoying clear plastic labels with some sort of crazy adhesive behind them. I tried the Oxy-Clean trick with these, but it's useless. The plastic creates a barrier so the solution can't get to the glue. First, you need something metal that can get under the label such as a knife or razor blade. Boil a pot of water and dip the bottle in for about two minutes. The bottle will be really hot, so i use cooking tongs. Use the razor to peel the corner of the label. Once you have enough to get a firm grip just peel off the label with your fingers. When the labels are all off, dip the bottle in the oxy-clean solution (see above) and use SOS to remove the adhesive. WIthout adding the oxy-clean, that adhesive is brutal.
Using these two methods (as i did 10 minutes ago) you can get any commercial beer bottle with a crown-top up to homebrew standards. Some beer bottles (sam adams) have a logo engraved in the bottle itself. This is just something we have to live with. I seriously recommend any crown top bottle with a paper label. They're a breeze.
I'm going to do a seperate post on printing and labeling a 'blank' beer bottle.