I love bottling

Williams 728
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I stopped brewing because of the bottling process. Just got my first keg last month ! Bottling simply equals a major time loss to me.
 
I'm still bottling because its cheap, bottles are easy to store, easy to share, easy to save portions of brews. What has me put off about kegging is buying and storing half a dozen kegs, modifying the fridge, keeping up with CO2 cartridges, cleaning lines, being able to put a kegerator where its convenient, and you still end up wanting to put some in a bottle from time to time.

I'm sure there are many keg vs bottle posts out there, but for me bottling makes the most sense and I do like to see all the shiny bottles in the fridge.
 
I'm about to be much happier about bottling with a vinator, bottle tree, and a slick new dip tube for the bucket. I really enjoy being able to give someone a sixpack of homebrew and say "I made this". Yeah I know you can bottle from a keg but that just seems like one extra and very expensive step!
 
Chipman said:
I'm about to be much happier about bottling with a vinator, bottle tree, and a slick new dip tube for the bucket. I really enjoy being able to give someone a sixpack of homebrew and say "I made this". Yeah I know you can bottle from a keg but that just seems like one extra and very expensive step!
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And messy lol.
 
I don't mind bottling. I really don't mind saving so much time with kegs. I still like the bottle pours for some reason. That said I just bottled 20 gallons of brown and IIPA the last two evenings. Once you get the process down it isn't so bad. Sometimes you gotts do what you gotta do. Kegging would have saved 4 hours of time. To me that is reason enough to keg.
 
I really like bottled beer. I love cracking it open...the sound it makes, the labels, everything about it. Bench capper is a must. Same as many posters, its rather relaxing and its foolproof as far as I am concerned. I also bottle during the brew day, 2 hour boils for me so no need to rush and everything gets done. Finally, you know that your one step closer to drinking homebrew
 
I didnt mind bottling but the stacks of cases became an annoyance with how much i brew. I like kegging more, but by the time you consider cleaning the beer lines, maintenance on faucets, etc its really not much of a time savings
 
It's funny to read the complaints about bottling when the title is the I love bottling thread! Huh?
 
TNGabe said:
1 keg will never match the joy I get from so many beautiful bottles! I can't be the only one who loves bottling beer.
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Your not the only one bud......
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swackattack said:
I didnt mind bottling but the stacks of cases became an annoyance with how much i brew. I like kegging more, but by the time you consider cleaning the beer lines, maintenance on faucets, etc its really not much of a time savings
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Uhhh, what?

You don't have to clean your bottles? Sanitize each bottle and cap? I think there are several aspects of bottling that you are glazing over and forgetting about...

And quite honestly, maintaining a kegerator is not as much work as you seem to think it is.
 
Chipman said:
Those caps are awesome!! Snarling badgers? A brigade of them?? So cool!
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I've been pretending I didn't see them and that I'm not dorky enough to get custom bottle caps. It's not working.
 
Chipman said:
Those caps are awesome!! Snarling badgers? A brigade of them?? So cool!
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Thanks bud.... Badger Brewing actually started out as The Badger Brigade paintball crew! 32 guns on my side point back at you guys... Lol

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TNGabe said:
I've been pretending I didn't see them and that I'm not dorky enough to get custom bottle caps. It's not working.
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I understand one goal of homebrewer's is to make as best brews possible for as little money as possible, But I have to say this is really fun, creative and worth the very little money you spend!
My last batch I bottled everything with badger caps, But you don't have to do that and I do not plan to do that next time.....
I am going to bottle the ones for me with just plain old cheap caps and my flip tops, But if you pride yourself in what you make why not pride yourself in your presentation....

BottleMark.com makes things very easy, You upload your image and it's done, Then they send them out to you!

My idea is to make fun labels for my different brews but always have the badger caps so I'm recognized by the badger logo....
 
I don't mind bottling. In fact, I just bought a case of beer because I wanted to use the 0.33l swing top bottles, I kinda like them.
berg-ulrichsbier.jpg
 
I don't mind bottling, its relaxing. However I bottled once while brewing and it was a pita. Never doing that again.
 
I never sanitize the caps. How much can be on them if you keep them in a ziplock and handle them carefully. They don't touch the beer either.
 
BadgerBrigade said:
I understand one goal of homebrewer's is to make as best brews possible for as little money as possible, But I have to say this is really fun, creative and worth the very little money you spend!
My last batch I bottled everything with badger caps, But you don't have to do that and I do not plan to do that next time.....
I am going to bottle the ones for me with just plain old cheap caps and my flip tops, But if you pride yourself in what you make why not pride yourself in your presentation....

BottleMark.com makes things very easy, You upload your image and it's done, Then they send them out to you!

My idea is to make fun labels for my different brews but always have the badger caps so I'm recognized by the badger logo....
Click to expand...

Yeah, 12 cents each isn't too bad. I loaded up the logo for our business. I think my wife will love it. It would be pretty cool to do a batch with kraft paper labels and custom caps, they'd match the packaging for the products we sell at farmers markets.
 
It hit me this fall, while bottling, that bottling isn't so bad. 500ml and 650ml bottles speed things up. I have a system, I put some extra time getting ready so that when I do the deed it goes pretty fast. I can sanitize, bottle, cap and clean up 23L in 60-70 minutes.
 
Frogmanx82 said:
I never sanitize the caps. How much can be on them if you keep them in a ziplock and handle them carefully. They don't touch the beer either.
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I would hate to have a whole batch ruined just because I didn't take 30 seconds to sanitize my caps...

Also curious as to how you never let your beer come in contact with the caps...
 
HollisBT said:
I would hate to have a whole batch ruined just because I didn't take 30 seconds to sanitize my caps...

Also curious as to how you never let your beer come in contact with the caps...
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The bottles are stored upright, so the beer doesn't touch the cap. and it is a very small surface. And really, what can be growing on the caps. They sit in a ziplock bag. I just recall the one time I did sterilize some caps and a did a few too many and when I put them away they ended up rusting.

Am I the only one?
 
Frogmanx82 said:
The bottles are stored upright, so the beer doesn't touch the cap. and it is a very small surface. And really, what can be growing on the caps. They sit in a ziplock bag. I just recall the one time I did sterilize some caps and a did a few too many and when I put them away they ended up rusting.

Am I the only one?
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Your beer doesn't move when you move the bottles?

You have to let them dry before you put them back in the bag, it really isn't hard work. Pint glass full of sanitizer and caps, pull cap out place on bottle. The piece of mind alone is worth it IMO. You wouldn't put your bung in your carboy without sterilizing it, would you?
 
HollisBT said:
I would hate to have a whole batch ruined just because I didn't take 30 seconds to sanitize my caps...

Also curious as to how you never let your beer come in contact with the caps...
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I just throw my caps in a bowl full of water....
Am I not supposed to be sanitizing my caps?
The ones that have my logo on them Are fine.... It's not like the custom caps have ink or anything...
Why aren't you guys just putting them in a little bit of water in star San?
 
I sanitize my caps but this got me thinking about the oxygen absorbing caps that activate with water...how are you suppose to sanitize them? Maybe you don't NEED to do it, but I do.
 
Sanitize your caps people. There is no difference between the caps and the bottle. If you sanitize the bottle, you should sanitize the caps.

If you use a vinator to sanitize the bottles (which I highly recommend), just toss the caps into the bowl of starsan solution at the top of the vinator.

images
 
OK, I see I'm in the minority on this. I use a vinator so yeah I can toss some caps in the solution. I haven't had any issues with off tasting beer so far though there is no point in risking it for a measly cap.
 
Frogmanx82 said:
OK, I see I'm in the minority on this. I use a vinator so yeah I can toss some caps in the solution. I haven't had any issues with off tasting beer so far though there is no point in risking it for a measly cap.
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I was by no means saying "you're doing it wrong", if it works for you then it works :). It's just worth the piece of mind IMO, it's a good 6 hours worth of work and one months patience before your brew is complete, for me, I'll take most precautions to make sure that it comes out well

:cheers:
 
HollisBT said:
I was by no means saying "you're doing it wrong", if it works for you then it works :). It's just worth the piece of mind IMO, it's a good 6 hours worth of work and one months patience before your brew is complete, for me, I'll take most precautions to make sure that it comes out well

:cheers:
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If a bunch of people posted they skipped sanitizing the caps and had no issues, I wouldn't change. Since no one else seems willing to cap without sanitizing then it's a bit riskier for me to be doing all the testing.
 
Frogmanx82 said:
If a bunch of people posted they skipped sanitizing the caps and had no issues, I wouldn't change. Since no one else seems willing to cap without sanitizing then it's a bit riskier for me to be doing all the testing.
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I've never sanitized a cap or cork.
 
I would say that a majority of homebrewers sanitize everything that could contact beer. Although beer is a lot less susceptible to contamination due to the alcohol (compared to wort). My point is, its so easy. So why not?
 
"I've never sanitized a cap or cork."

and I didn't always use a condom.... we all have our own level of risk taking don't we?
 
lgilmore said:
"I've never sanitized a cap or cork."

and I didn't always use a condom.... we all have our own level of risk taking don't we?
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Although with 2 other homebrewers I know who don't santize caps we're well into the 1000's of bottles and no problems. While I'm at it, I'll venture to say there's no reason to sanitize a clean bottle, we just do it as a force of habit.
 
I too enjoy bottling. After you get some batches built up in the pipeline, I just fire up the stereo, open a home brew or three, and start bottling the current batch.
 
When I brew 10 gallons, I clean 2 kegs, sanitize them, then purge with CO2 and fill them with beer. Works every time. The caps and bottles I have stay in a bag or box and are unsanitized every time. Actually they're quite dirty ;)
 
I love bottling because many of my favorite styles of beer need bottles for proper carb without having a 200ft serving line. Plus it just looks so much cooler when you show up to a party with a 6L champagne bottle full of saison and pop the cork.
 
I like being able to go down and pick from about ten different ales. All similar but different. Drier, sweeter, more hops, different hops, maltier...etc. I do not have the room or the patience to keep ten or so different kegs at the ready.

OMO

bosco
 
Bottling sucks..Why fill 50, when you fill one. I have a bottle filler and fill some once in a while, but Kegging is where it's at....
 
smokinghole said:
I love bottling because many of my favorite styles of beer need bottles for proper carb without having a 200ft serving line. Plus it just looks so much cooler when you show up to a party with a 6L champagne bottle full of saison and pop the cork.
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That would be awesome!

boscobeans said:
I like being able to go down and pick from about ten different ales. All similar but different. Drier, sweeter, more hops, different hops, maltier...etc. I do not have the room or the patience to keep ten or so different kegs at the ready.

OMO

bosco
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I agree, I have 9 brews to pick from now and I'm hoping to add more as time goes on. But, I also small batch so I can have that kind of variety and I love popping open a bottle whether its a 12 oz 16.9oz Swingtop or 22 oz bomber
 

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