Do you guys put labels on all your bottles?

Or just the ones you are giving as gifts?

I am just wondering, because after I get the commercial labels off, I don't want to clean labels off again!

To identify my beers I cut out small labels for the caps that I print on mailing label sheets.

Just wondering what others do.

I don't bottle any more, but when I did, I would just put those little circular stickers on the caps with some abbreviation on it to let me know what beer was what.... or keep the different batches in different boxes and just label the box.

When I gave some away, or if I took some to a gathering and wanted to make them look classy, I would print labels on "label paper" I bought from the LHBS and slap them on the bottles. The glue on that paper came off much easier than commercial labels.

In general, the bottles I gave away never made it back home to me anyway.

Walker said:

I don't bottle any more, but when I did, I would just put those little circular stickers on the caps with some abbreviation on it to let me know what beer was what.... or keep the different batches in different boxes and just label the box.

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Yup, thats what I used to do. Way back in the bottling days...

Apparently if you put them on with milk they come off very easily though. But my bottling days were before my HBT days, so I didn't know this tidbit and skipped it all together.

Having spent a great deal of time soaking the labels off commercial beer bottles so I can put MY beer in there, I don't label. But for gifts I designed a set of bottle tags.

A lot of folks evidently used them last year for Christmas, and I know one guy who is going semi-pro and doing boutique pico-brewing, and he asked if he could use my design. You can download the template here, and in my bottling thread.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f46/wine-beer-bottle-hanging-tags-93201/



For my own use, I just sharpie a code on the caps, it makes it easier to cover them up come contest time.

For my own use, I just sharpie a code on the caps, it makes it easier to cover them up come contest time.

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That's what I used to do but recently bought some of those adhesive 'dots' Walker mentioned...they're just easier for me to write on (being 'wrong' handed and all ). Rubbing alcohol gets sharpie ink off very easily.

Nope. Just the ones I give away.

Nope. I just enjoy designing the labels.

I also Sharpie the cap. Very easy.

R2-D2 said:

Nope. I just enjoy designing the labels.

I also Sharpie the cap. Very easy.

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Oh that's funny...I too have played around with label designs, but never actually put them on my bottles.

I use labels mostly for gifts and on beers that I want to show off to friends and neighbors. But I bought full size sheets of the waterproof sticker paper which peel off later with almost no residue. For my own beers I just write intials on the cap while it's dry with a dark colored sharpie and it rarely ever rubs off.

I love designing labels and put them on every beer I bottle. I just find the experience more complete with an attractive label. I print them on a laser jet and apply them with two small lines of water soluble glue stick. Labels come off with a wipe and they look professional.

I design most of my labels to be rectangular. This allows me to cut them out with a paper cutter and it goes fast.

I sharpie on my caps. My "cellar" is actually a high closet, so I also slap some duct tape on my 6 pack holders and write the name of the beer there too. I ran some labels for christmas for giving beer away; those went on with milk as an adhesive last night and seem to be doing fine.

DurangoHomeBrewMafia said:

Or just the ones you are giving as gifts?

I am just wondering, because after I get the commercial labels off, I don't want to clean labels off again!

To identify my beers I cut out small labels for the caps that I print on mailing label sheets.

Just wondering what others do.

Click to expand...

You can get the little white dots for the printer. That's what I do. Avery. You can download a template or use their on line software...

Mine are 05408 White 3/4" round.. 1008 labels to a box.

Sharpie on the cap here... Why bother with the dots?

if its beer they aren't around long enough to make labeling them worth while. for other things like wine, cider, or mead that get better with age so stay around for a while i label.

s3n8 said:

Sharpie on the cap here... Why bother with the dots?

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I put what it is and when bottled. Those bottles are for storing and gifting. If you can get all that on the cap and still read it, good for you. In high school they MADE me take typing because no one, myself included, seems to be able to decode my hand writing. Finally came in handy with the advent of computers.

s3n8 said:

Sharpie on the cap here... Why bother with the dots?

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For me it's just because it's easier (and a little faster) to write on the dots. But it's not a big difference, I just saw them in the store and decided to give 'em a try.

one 6er i took the labels off half-assed. the other 6er i didn't bother. i liked pretending my honey cream ale was snpa.

Hermit said:

In high school they MADE me take typing because no one, myself included, seems to be able to decode my hand writing. Finally came in handy with the advent of computers.

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screeeach! how can you not read your own writing? i mean come on. no matter how bad i write or sign something (which is always different), i can tell.

mordantly said:

screeeach! how can you not read your own writing?

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It's a gift I guess. I know what it is when I write it. Later on? Not so much.....

I've only labeled a few bottles of cider and never any beers.

This is my favorite unused label I designed.

Actually I haven't come up with the recipe for this....I'm trying to find an 1870's ale recipe to brew for the Vintage Base Ball Association Annual Convention that we're hosting in March.

How about Alewife Brown? Claims to be of that age, but is obviously cheating on the hop varieties. You'd also have to tweak the gravity.

2.5 Rauch Malt
12 oz C60L
8 oz Black Patent
6 lb Munich

1.5 oz Willamette @ 75
0.25 oz Liberty @ 10

W-1084

150F for 90 minutes

david_42 said:

How about Alewife Brown? Claims to be of that age, but is obviously cheating on the hop varieties. You'd also have to tweak the gravity.

2.5 Rauch Malt
12 oz C60L
8 oz Black Patent
6 lb Munich

1.5 oz Willamette @ 75
0.25 oz Liberty @ 10

W-1084

150F for 90 minutes

Click to expand...

Oh cool david...THanks!!!!!