reuse bottle caps??

just a quick question.. working on my first batch(in primary), got a few bottle caps that came with my kit but was wondering if you can reuse them? i know theyre not that expensive but i was just curious lol

NO!! Once they are crimped tight on a bottle there is little chance of them working properly again after being pried off.

Penny wise, pound foolish. Short cuts like this can ruin your beer and waste all your work, time, and money besides getting the reputation that you cannot brew.

New beer requires new caps on clean and sanitized bottles. Do it right the first time.

Fitz said:

just a quick question.. working on my first batch(in primary), got a few bottle caps that came with my kit but was wondering if you can reuse them? i know theyre not that expensive but i was just curious lol

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They'll probably seal, but it's not worth it. I had to resort to used caps one time with a batch of hard cider on a Sunday afternoon ... I think I had about a 60-percent success rate with them. Definitely not how you want to save $1.75 a batch.

But ... used bottle caps are great for sealing your beer bottles after rising the yeast off the bottom! If you leave them open, you can have some trouble getting cooties out of them when you're ready to put beer in them. With used caps on them, you just pop the tops off, run 'em through the dishwasher (no soap, high heat) and put beer in 'em.

--Finn

I've got a buddy that reuses twist offs, by simply twisting them back on.

Depending on how you take them off you could do it easily and have 100% success, but I would never do it unless I had to. They are just too cheap. I keep a few sets extra so I dont' run out.

If I think I won't drink a whole bottle, I carefully pry a bit all around the cap until it is loose enough to remove. This prevents the cap from being creased across the top and gives a nice even bend around the edge. I can then put the cap back on with the wing capper I keep in the kitchen and put back in fridge. It doens' lose enough carbonation to affect the drinkability of the 1/2 bottle later.

Homercidal said:

If I think I won't drink a whole bottle, I carefully pry a bit all around the cap until it is loose enough to remove. This prevents the cap from being creased across the top and gives a nice even bend around the edge. I can then put the cap back on with the wing capper I keep in the kitchen and put back in fridge. It doens' lose enough carbonation to affect the drinkability of the 1/2 bottle later.

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Who drinks half a bottle? Even the double deucers are pretty easy to wipe out. Then again, maybe I'm just an alcholic.(...but it tastes so good.)

Absolutely not. You risk a poor seal and no carbonation on any batch that you reuse caps on.

abracadabra said:

I've got a buddy that reuses twist offs, by simply twisting them back on.

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IMHO...Your buddy is a fool.
For less than $2.00 you get brand new caps that won't kill your beer.
There is no reason that you should chince here. It is not worth it. How long does it take you to make $2.00 at work....How long does it take you to brew another batch of beer, bottle and age it, then the embarrassment of handing a friend a nasty ass flat infected bottle of swill...No thanks?

Homercidal said:

Depending on how you take them off you could do it easily and have 100% success, but I would never do it unless I had to. They are just too cheap. I keep a few sets extra so I dont' run out.

If I think I won't drink a whole bottle, I carefully pry a bit all around the cap until it is loose enough to remove. This prevents the cap from being creased across the top and gives a nice even bend around the edge. I can then put the cap back on with the wing capper I keep in the kitchen and put back in fridge. It doens' lose enough carbonation to affect the drinkability of the 1/2 bottle later.

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There is nothing possibly more important that could happen that would require you to have to recap mid-beer. Even if I leave the room for a bit you just have to come back and drink a little warmer beer.

FizzBizzle said:

Who drinks half a bottle? Even the double deucers are pretty easy to wipe out. Then again, maybe I'm just an alcholic.(...but it tastes so good.)

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I drink a half a bottle. Sometimes. but then again, I'm not an alcoholic...

Sometimes at lunch I go home and drink a couple of swallows to wash down my lunch, but not enough to get a buzz or anything. Sometimes it's close to bedtime so I pour a bit in a glass. Lately I have not been able to pour a half-bottle, but it happens on ocassion.

LHBS is closed, I just finished sanitizing my bottles, I have my next batch ready to brew and... not enough caps. Now I'm going to go around and try to find my used caps.

What about PET caps how often can you reuse those? If at all.

ohiobrewtus said:

You risk a poor seal and no carbonation on any batch that you reuse caps on.

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I have an old style opener from the 50's. It takes the caps off without distortion. You pop them back on, and it has a "resealer" - looks like a capper.
https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/data/1/Capper2.jpg

That being said.... sanitation! used seals that probably will be distorted or nicked! Yucko stuff on them from a previous bottle! A lot of those resealed bottles went flat when I was a kid growing up in the 60's. Not tha I ever drank any of those Black Labels from the basement.....

Definately not worth it.

By the way, how in the heck do I actually post a pic????

I always reuse my caps. But just to be sure I cap half my batch with brand new and the other half with the used ones. I use a bench capper and always try to take off the caps gently