Easy label removal on what beers?

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BrutalBrew

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Im in need of some more bottles. Ive been buying HARP or Leinenkugel because the labels come off so easy. I want to try something new so if anyone has ideas for me that they know the labels aren't super epoxied on like Sam Adams. The only leinenkugels I like are not available this time of year and HARP is good beer , but I like variety. Plus its a reason to try new brews...:mug:
 
Not sure what kind of Sam Adams you're drinking, but those labels fall off the easiest for me. 10 minutes in OxyClean water and they literally slide off the bottles as I pull them out of the bottle.

If you have a Costco membership, the Kirkland brand beers have very easy to remove labels and the beer is pretty damn good for 1 dollar a bottle. I believe their beer its brewed under contract by Gordon Biersch.
 
Seems like all the ones that aren't shiney come off pretty easily after soaking in warm water for a while.
Avoid Saugatuck Brewing Company. PIA
 
rifraf said:
Not sure what kind of Sam Adams you're drinking, but those labels fall off the easiest for me. 10 minutes in OxyClean water and they literally slide off the bottles as I pull them out of the bottle.

If you have a Costco membership, the Kirkland brand beers have very easy to remove labels and the beer is pretty damn good for 1 dollar a bottle. I believe their beer its brewed under contract by Gordon Biersch.
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I've found Kirkland to be the easiest by far. Soak in Oxy and the labels slip off the bottle before I even pull it out of the bucket.
 
Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada labels don't have a chance against a good soaking in Oxy-Clean. If you turn the label side of the bottle up they will float to the top.
 
I just started using oxyclean. So I guess ill soak the 2 case off bottles i have and try that. Been just soaking in water with dish soap.
 
smithwicks, sierra nevada, and flying fish come off easiest for me, without even using oxyclean
 
BrutalBrew said:
I just started using oxyclean. So I guess ill soak the 2 case off bottles i have and try that. Been just soaking in water with dish soap.
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I have a big red cooler that I pack full of bottles, put two scoops of OxyClean over everything, fill with hot tap water, close the lid, and go do something else for a bit. Nice and easy.
 
i personally dont use sam adams bottles. i dont like the idea of samuel adam signing every one of my beers.
 
Homercidal said:
Guinness.

Slit and peel

Don't forget to pull out the widget with needle nosed pliers...
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These should not be used. They are often flawed in their casting. They also (contrary to my original thoughts) do not have the ability to withstand the carb volumes of most other bottles.
 
I've had good luck with Goose Island, and their bottles are unmarked. Sam Adams also work well for me, perhaps a bit better than GI, but like above I don't really like the marked glass. In my case, I just soak in bleach overnight and then scrub very gently and these ones are super-easy.

Around here, Leinenkugel's are all screw-off, so I don't use those. The Guinness draft bottles are nice, widget-free, and just need (CAREFUL!) slitting with a knife to pop off the plastic. Downside is that they're contoured on the outside, which is a little annoying when I put my own labels on.
 
+1 to the Sam Adams bottles, the labels slide right off after a little soak. Harpoon, on the other hand, are impossible to get the labels off of, I stopped saving these after my first soak session
 
Sam Adams are easy
Dogfish head are extra easy (just seems like it has a few lines of elmers glue)
Widmer are pretty easy as well...

kinda funny, the ones that are still high into home brewing are easy to get the labels off and are non screw top :fro:
 
cockybitz said:
These should not be used. They are often flawed in their casting. They also (contrary to my original thoughts) do not have the ability to withstand the carb volumes of most other bottles.
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First I've heard of it. I've used them for years with no ill effects. To my untrained eye they seem to use a thicker glass than some of the straight sided bottles.

Do you have any links to information to support your theory?
 
Highlands Brewery uses a plastic like label that easily pulls away with no soaking required. Not sure if Highlands Brewery distributes to your area though.
 
BrutalBrew said:
Im in need of some more bottles. Ive been buying HARP or Leinenkugel because the labels come off so easy. I want to try something new so if anyone has ideas for me that they know the labels aren't super epoxied on like Sam Adams. The only leinenkugels I like are not available this time of year and HARP is good beer , but I like variety. Plus its a reason to try new brews...:mug:
Click to expand...

If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, this beer tastes all right but it comes in swing tops and the label falls off in a sanitizer soak.
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/neros-apecchio-red-ale/160170/
 
I forgot the leinenkugels ARE twist offs . We used them for a garden project as a boarder around some plants. Looks really cool. I'm just waiting for the weed whacker to break a bottle and me getting all pissy and digging them all back up. I haven't bought a leinenkugel in a long time actually. I do like there Honey Weiss , I just wish it had more flavor.
 
Easiest ones I have found are:

Flying Fish
Dogfish Head

Ones to avoid:

Unibroue - I wasted a lot of time on a case of these trying to get the foil off only to realize that they're twist offs.
Dark Horse - I'm not sure what kind of glue they use but it seems pretty resistant to heat and/or OxyClean/PBW
 
New Belgium comes off just by staring at it. Super easy.

One of the club members wife drinks Spire cider. Those come off really easily also.

I'm the designated bottle cleaner at the club since I'm the new guy.
 
Homercidal said:
First I've heard of it. I've used them for years with no ill effects. To my untrained eye they seem to use a thicker glass than some of the straight sided bottles.

Do you have any links to information to support your theory?
Click to expand...

Only hear-say, but considering the shape of the bottle I could certainly see that opening the option to flaw. In most of them I was able to visibly see air bubbles cast into the glass. Considering the carbing pressure of these I could easily see where the bottle integrity is not as important as other styles.
 
Spicemon1972 said:
Breckinridge labels are the easiest I have cleaned from bottles.
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The labels are not too bad but the glue is an outright headache. Using oxiclean it pulls (only some of) the glue off and distributes it to other bottles in my soaker bath leaving a chalky residue. That caused me to curb those entirely.
 
cockybitz said:
Only hear-say, but considering the shape of the bottle I could certainly see that opening the option to flaw. In most of them I was able to visibly see air bubbles cast into the glass. Considering the carbing pressure of these I could easily see where the bottle integrity is not as important as other styles.
Click to expand...

You have to also consider the thickness of the glass, the type of glass, forming process, etc. There is a lot more to being able to withstand pressure than the shape.

Consider a Coke Bottle for instance. They use a curved bottle yet can withstand a lot more pressure than the average beer bottle.

I wouldn't count them out because they have curved sides. I know many people use them and I have yet to hear anything negative except the possibility that a wing capper might not press the cap on all the way due to neck shape, but that has nothing to do with withstanding pressure and mostly to do with using a wing capper. They are simply susceptible to certain bottles.

There are some bottles that scare me more. I think Sam Adams has some very thin-looking glass and it also appears to be a fairly light color brown.
 
Guinness - just cut the plastic wrapping off
Victory - a few minutes in hot soapy water, and they nearly fall right off
 
Red Hook. Labels and glue come off completely in a hot water/oxyclean soak. The bottle is also pretty cool.
 
Fullers Londons Pride
Hob Goblin

Just put in water and wait till the labels lift straight off, a quick rub with a cloth and the adhesive just disappears.... Oh and the contents are the bog's dollox :)
 
Also FYI, the silkscreen on Stone bottles wipes off easily after soaking in Star San for a couple hours. Rogue on the other hand uses a paint that just laughs at attempts to remove it.
 
I found that Smithwick's labels will float to the surface after soaking in warm water for 20 - 30 mins. Plus Smitty's is a tasty option for an Irish brew!
 
For short stubby bottles, summit comes off super easy, but they say summit on em. I only have a few because they recently switched to pop tops. Founders and Laguanitas have the same size bottles too, and they come off really easy too.
 
i don't bother removing labels anymore, i didn't see the point in bothering with that.
 
rifraf said:
If you have a Costco membership, the Kirkland brand beers have very easy to remove labels and the beer is pretty damn good for 1 dollar a bottle. I believe their beer its brewed under contract by Gordon Biersch.
Click to expand...

Not great beer, but great value, and good beer. Contract brewed by Gordon Biersch for the west US market, and by Saranac for the east US market.
 
It's too bad Rush River isn't more widely available. You can just give those labels a dirty look and they fall off.
 

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