Beer bottles aren't fully sealed

[moshe94]

I just finished brewing my first batch and I noticed that some of the bottle aren't fully sealed, there may be a problem with the bottle and cap fit.
Can I still drink the beer from those bottles? Is the only problem going to be flat beer?

 

[ncbrewer]

I had that problem for a while. Some bottles were just flat - some were badly oxidized - some were infected. You'll just have to try them and see. But I wouldn't assume that they will all be the same. And you definitely need to fix the capping problem. I switched to a bench capper.

 

[Jaybird]

I would find the problem, fix it and recap.

Cheers
Jay

 

[RM-MN]

I just finished brewing my first batch and I noticed that some of the bottle aren't fully sealed, there may be a problem with the bottle and cap fit.
Can I still drink the beer from those bottles? Is the only problem going to be flat beer?

Beer will be safe to drink even if it is not properly capped.

If you use a capper like the one linked to below, check the "bell" that forms the cap onto the bottle. Sometimes they aren't screwed on tight and that will cause a bad crimp.

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/royal-crown-bottle-capper

 

[wallyLOZ]

Most likely the issue is the bottle neck configuration. The distance between the gripping lip and the top of the bottle varies causing issues in some cases (see attached). Some winged cappers have reversible jaws which accommodate the shorter neck, or as @ncbrewer stated, get a bench capper.

 

[hotbeer]

Look at the sides of the bottle cap after you crimp it. They should be almost vertical. If they have a angle to them then you didn't get a good crimp and likely have some that fail to seal.

I do highly recommend a bench capper. Well worth the extra cost. You'll find it easier and faster than the two fisted bottle capper.

 

[mac_1103]

I still use a wing capper. I crimp, then rotate the bottle 180 90 degrees and crimp again. I think I got that idea here.

 

[PokerDad]

This happened to me with a few of the bottles in my first batch of home brew, and I later realized it was because I had accidentally included some TWIST OFF bottles in the batch. I drink mostly craft beer, so I assumed that none of the bottles were twist off, but I was wrong.

So check for this. I don't think they'll seal correctly no matter what kind of capper you use.

 

[RM-MN]

I have a few twist off bottles mixed in. I keep thinking about discarding them but they always seal with my wing capper.

 

[mac_1103]

I have a few twist off bottles mixed in. I keep thinking about discarding them but they always seal with my wing capper.

Do they twist off?

 

[RM-MN]

Do they twist off?

I've never tried. I have this nifty bottle opener mounted on the wall next to my refrigerator and never take my beers unopened anywhere.

 

[ncbrewer]

I've had mixed results with twist-off bottles, so I tossed them.

 

[franknbeans]

I still use a wing capper. I crimp, then rotate the bottle 180 90 degrees and crimp again. I think I got that idea here.

I started doing this as well and never had an issue with the hand held/wing cappers. I also picked up a bench capper.. either way I haven't had a issue with cap seals anymore. The wing style with crimping, rotating, crimping, rotating 4 times total would leave a little indentation on the cap from the bell. That was my sign it was really on there. I had read somewhere on here that is bad and compromises the cap, but never was the case with any of mine.