Is it ok to use twist off bottles

I've read they can be harder to cap, but are there any other issues with using twist off bottles?

I have never had much luck getting them to seal and I use a bench top capper

I've been using them all the time for around 10 yrs.. no problem. Just don't tamper with them just after you capped them, they will tighten as the co2 builds up in the bottle.

I use regular brown twist cap commercial bottles (canadian model).


Cheers !

I have bottled many batches with a mix of pry off and twist off caps and have observed no difference between the two. In fact, I find it pretty satisfying to open the fridge and pop open a homebrew with little to no effort. I then pour it of course.

I read everything I could find on the topic a year ago. Most every one said not to do it due to poor seal and breaking bottles but one person said an old fashion press caper would work, bought one on Ebay for $8 and tried it. I bottled 6 cases of 7 oz Bud Light bottles for favors at my daughter's wedding. We did not have any bad seals or broken bottles, it was a complete success. Now I bottle 2 or 3 7 oz twist bottles with each 5 gal brew as samples to check for carbonation and finish. I did break bottle necks when I tried the 2 handle style caper. I only use the press caper now as it takes half the time and energy.

Good Luck
John

Thanks for the input. I think I'll use the twist off's I have and build up my pop top collection over time.

I have acquired a 300 battery of swing tops, but previously used twist tops.

My method was to reuse original caps (cleaned & sanitised), and twist them back on with the assistance of half a squash ball used as a gripper to sufficiently tighten the caps. Worked like a charm - never a flat bottle, and no breakages.

you can also use it as an excuse to start buying 6/12 packs of good beer. "I need the bottles for my beer!" once you have enough bottles, you switch to "I need to drink commercial beer for research/reference!"

I've use twist offs in a pinch (ran short on bottles and happened to have an empty 6-er of Yuengling sitting around), worked fine even with a hand capper. I don't think I'd trust anything highly carb'd or that I wanted to age for a while in them, but you can certainly use them until you build up a good supply of pry tops. just don't be surprised if you wind up with the occasional bottle that doesn't seal properly.

if you're looking for easy access, it's hard to go wrong with swing-tops. they're a little pricy ($2-3/bottle), but they make bottling a lot more bearable. they make good birthday/Christmas gifts from family that want to support your hobby but don't know what to get you.

Twist off bottles work for me with my wing capper and bench capper. I haven't bottled that many twist offs though.

I stopped buying anything in a twist off bottle because I never intend to use them for brewing. I do look for unusual bottle shapes to collect, but if someone brings me beer in a twist-top the bottle goes in the recycle bin.