Oxygen absorbing caps???...

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

browntrout

Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2008
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
Location
Westchester NY
Bought a bag of caps and found out they are the oxygen absorbing type.
Is this a good thing?

Don't the yeasties need a little O2 to start the bottle fermentation too?.

If they are bad then what are they for?

I have an american pale ale and a porter in primaries right now. Don't know if it matters but thats what they would be used on.
 
Nope, you don't want ANY O2 to get the the beer at that stage. Those caps are the bomb. Use them any time your going to store your beer for ANY time at all.
Cheers
JJ
 
I forgot where, but I read about a little test involving these recently. A homebrew club set up a panel of tasters and each was given two samples of a few different styles of beers. The difference in the two was one used the caps you mention and one did not. The beer with the o2 caps was chosen blindly over the regular caps something like 80% of the time. If I find the original article I read I will post it.
 
I believe yeast need O2 to replicate. You don't need them to replicate much in the bottle, just make a bit of CO2.
 
I believe yeast need O2 to replicate. You don't need them to replicate much in the bottle, just make a bit of CO2.


That is correct, we have forced them into an anaerobic life cycle while fermenting. After this has started we want to introduce as little o2 as possible into the beer. This causes oxidation and off flavors.
 
Don't boil the caps, that will ruin the little seal inside the cap. However, after you cap your bottle, you should invert it. Moisture activates the cap.


:EDIT: BTW, I don't leave the bottles inverted, just turned it over as if I was gonna pour, and then into the case it goes. Seemed to work just fine.
 
I put mine in a container of starsan just before I begin to bottle. I place the container by the capper and just pull them out one at a time, shake the excess off and cap.
 
I put mine in a container of starsan just before I begin to bottle. I place the container by the capper and just pull them out one at a time, shake the excess off and cap.

That's what I do with my regular caps: Take them out of the Starsan and just place the caps on the bottles loosely. I don't crimp them after all bottles are filled.

When I use the O2-absorbing kind, I just give them a quick spray from a StarSan-filled spray bottle immediately before placing it on the bottle. I will also seal the cap immediately. It's extra work, but since their absorption capacity is fairly limited, it produces better results.
 
only thing is forrest from AHBS came on here in a thread and said

DO NOT get the caps wet before use

defeats the purpose

do not sanatize or get them wet cap then invert

getting them wet activates the O2 absorbing properties

YMMV

:tank:
 
only thing is forrest from AHBS came on here in a thread and said

DO NOT get the caps wet before use

defeats the purpose

do not sanatize or get them wet cap then invert

getting them wet activates the O2 absorbing properties

YMMV

:tank:

OK... but wouldn't you be kinda rolling the dice. One- you may have a lil better beer by removing the oxygen or Two- you risk infection?? I am not sure I think i would go with at least a spray of starsan just before capping. Or do you trust they are sterile?
 
Back
Top