Twist top bottles?

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SuperiorBrew

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Last week I was trying out my new beer gun and I bottled up about 24 bottles, at the time I didnt notice but somehow I had one twist top bottled filled so I capped it and figured I would drink that one the next day, well it ended up burried in the fridge and I got to it tonight and it was fine, nice pressure when I twisted it off and carbed the same as all the rest.

BTW I love the beer gun, solves the problem of the give away beers, I save my old non screw micro brew bottles and dont care that much if they dont come back. If I knew all the twist tops would work that would be even better.
 
For some reason I overlooked the fact that those big old sierra nevada bottles are twist off(I guess they all actually are) and bottled with several of those a few batches ago. I didnt even realize until I went to wash the bottles that they were twist off. I think that they will work in a pinch for sure, but you have to be really careful handing them because it isnt the most durable seal in the world.
 
Yiengling, Kona, and some other twist off are just fine ... even Bud Light works if really necessary; however; with Bud LIght bottles I had a few problems in the past ... like 1 out of 15 or so.
 
I too have accidentally used twist offs, but I find the main problem is that if you are naturally carbonating, and the pressure gets to high the cap will un-seal. Additionly the necks on the screw tops are a lot thinner than the other bottles and make the bottles more likely to become bottle bombs. If you are using a beer gun, and not naturally carbonating, I wouldn't worry to much, as the pressure won't change as the beer sits in the bottle. I would however not reccomend naturally carbonating in screw tops.

BTW screw top beers have been banned from my house, you may want to implement a similar ban.
 
Okay, I've got to ask. I always naturally carbonate in the bottle. I have no clue what you're talking about. What is a beer gun? Sorry.
 
par383 said:
Okay, I've got to ask. I always naturally carbonate in the bottle. I have no clue what you're talking about. What is a beer gun? Sorry.
It's an (overpriced) apparatus for moving beer out of your kegs and into bottles for transport to a party, beer swap or to store for longer periods of time and free up your kegs.

I've bottled up multiple cases of beer out of my kegs using my racking cane, cobra tap and a drilled #2 stopper. Works great and I still have great carbonation 8-10 months later.
 
BierMuncher said:
It's an (overpriced) apparatus for moving beer out of your kegs and into bottles for transport to a party, beer swap or to store for longer periods of time and free up your kegs.

I've bottled up multiple cases of beer out of my kegs using my racking cane, cobra tap and a drilled #2 stopper. Works great and I still have great carbonation 8-10 months later.

Lots of people use and like them, If I need a couple 6 packs to give away to my BMC buds that would no doubt be turned off by the gunk in the bottom of the bottle that they would not know or remember to leave in the bottom of the bottle.
As far as it being overpriced, I guess that depends on who you ask, its sort of like saying a gas grill is overpriced because I could make a steak over a campfire.

Brass button for beer black button for gas :)
beergun.jpg


Edit fer speeling
 
NateKerx said:
For some reason I overlooked the fact that those big old sierra nevada bottles are twist off(I guess they all actually are) and bottled with several of those a few batches ago. I didnt even realize until I went to wash the bottles that they were twist off. I think that they will work in a pinch for sure, but you have to be really careful handing them because it isnt the most durable seal in the world.
Seems like Sierra's were always twist-off until just after I started brewing this summer, everything I've bought since was a pop-top.
 
KIDS
Egads!!! Using paper thin twist off bottles!!! I'm glad I started brewing when you could buy beer in returnable bottles... I got +6 cases of REAL bottles!!!
 
So the problem with twist-off cap bottles is that the glass is thinner?

How is Sam Adam bottles? I've been saving those..
 
SuperiorBrew said:
...its sort of like saying a gas grill is overpriced because I could make a steak over a campfire.
...

I'll take my racking cane and #2 drilled stopper ($4.00 total) anytime.

This is what my campfire did....40 minutes to bottle a case of beer:
notempties.JPG

Obvioulsy, the end result was "okay"...
empties.JPG

No CO2 hookups. No valves. No black or brass buttons...

Filling bottles from a keg is the most fundamental and simple thing there is.

Of course, there are those who would spend mony on battery operated wine bottle openners too.. :D
 
NateKerx said:
For some reason I overlooked the fact that those big old sierra nevada bottles are twist off(I guess they all actually are) and bottled with several of those a few batches ago. I didnt even realize until I went to wash the bottles that they were twist off. I think that they will work in a pinch for sure, but you have to be really careful handing them because it isnt the most durable seal in the world.

I accidentally used some Sierra Nevada twist-offs and the beer turned out fine. Guess it's not the end of the world if you use twist-offs, but I'd avoid it if ya can.
 
I bought a sixer of Liberty Ale, and a sixer of Anchor Steam....thought I could use the bottles.

Nope.

Oh well, the beer inside was worth it :ban:
 
Donasay said:
I too have accidentally used twist offs, but I find the main problem is that if you are naturally carbonating, and the pressure gets to high the cap will un-seal. Additionly the necks on the screw tops are a lot thinner than the other bottles and make the bottles more likely to become bottle bombs. If you are using a beer gun, and not naturally carbonating, I wouldn't worry to much, as the pressure won't change as the beer sits in the bottle. I would however not reccomend naturally carbonating in screw tops.

BTW screw top beers have been banned from my house, you may want to implement a similar ban.

But my favorite local micro brewery uses twistys for some reason..... It tastes better at their tap room anyway :)
 
El_Borracho said:
So the problem with twist-off cap bottles is that the glass is thinner?

How is Sam Adam bottles? I've been saving those..

Sams bottles are fine, I've been using them for 5 batches or so now.
 
hi,

looking in your gallary at your tap set up and noticed you had a new castle, is ag or kit brew, just wondering. im new to this and didn't know if all the pro's ever messed with kit brew?

Nick
 
Call me crazy, (and I know you will after the next part,) but I got into this grazy hobby/obsession from a Mr. Beer kit. At the time, all I drank was Miller Lite. So, I had a surplus of bottles. With some foresight, I saved the tops from the next case I drank, sanitized them and hand twisted them back on the bottles. I still have the wicked callous on my right hand to prove it. I guess my point is that after I allowed proper priming time to elapse, my bottles were carbonated. They stayed carbonated and now I am wondering why in the hell can't anyone use thes kind of bottles and caps. Just a thought.

Note: The beers I made at this juncture were not really that good but the thing is that they held the carbonation.
 
LostDakota said:
I saved the tops from the next case I drank, sanitized them and hand twisted them back on the bottles. I still have the wicked callous on my right hand to prove it. I guess my point is that after I allowed proper priming time to elapse, my bottles were carbonated. They stayed carbonated and now I am wondering why in the hell can't anyone use thes kind of bottles and caps..

No reason !

I've got a buddy that does the same thing all the time. With no problems what so ever.
 
What about using regular caps on twist off bottles? I have 24 Anchor Steam bottles and I don't want to throw them out...
 
El_Borracho said:
What about using regular caps on twist off bottles? I have 24 Anchor Steam bottles and I don't want to throw them out...

I don't use them myself but most of the posts I've read on this forum state the following.
the tops are weaker and prone to breaking but if you use a bench capper that will make it less likely for them to break and more likely for them to seal.
 
I've been dumpster diving behind a local bar for a few weeks - actually they recylce but there are always more in the dumpster - anyway - i have noticed that Sam Smith's bottles are a lot heavier than other bottles - to be treasured for my longer-term brews. I felt sad this morning when I saw the remnants of a broken one. Same for the Julius Echter bottles.

The yuengling bottle twist-offs give me pause because i need some lamer bottles that are easy to get for giving away - and that bar produces about 10 of those every night - I think I'm gonna give that a whirl, but I'l go easy since I don't have a bench-capper yet. Thanks guys
 

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