Do flip-top bottles work for bottle conditioning?

[Washington_Brewologist]

I have read all over the place that flip-tops are an awesome and convenient way to bottle your beer. I went out today and picked up a case and have been filling up my latest Pale Ale's. I noticed as I was filling that the flipping mechanism goes into a couple holes on the side of the neck(you can see into the bottle just a little bit). Wouldn't this prevent proper carbonation if the bottles aren't sealed completely?
Thanks for your help guys!

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

The holes shouldn’t go all the way through the glass, if they do the bottles were probably meant for crafts or decorations and you are right they wouldn’t seal at all, thus leaving your beer open to bacteria and not priming.

 

[Washington_Brewologist]

The holes shouldn’t go all the way through the glass, if they do the bottles were probably meant for crafts or decorations and you are right they wouldn’t seal at all, thus leaving your beer open to bacteria and not priming.

Your right. I was just being overly cautious. I checked with a toothpick. No air getting in these bottles. Phew.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Your right. I was just being overly cautious. I checked with a toothpick. No air getting in these bottles. Phew.

That’s good news.

Keep in mind that the gaskets on the flip tops will not keep a good seal after being used once or twice. I have heard people say that they can be used indefinitely, but that was not my experience and it resulted in a couple of batches that didn’t prime well for me. If however you replace the seals every batch, they are really a cool way to bottle.

One other thing, the metal wire corrodes in PBW wash. Best to take them apart and just sanitize the wires, while cleaning and then sanitizing the plastic top and gasket.

 

[z-bob]

You don't need to change the gaskets all that often. I've been using the same ones for several years. I replace them when they crack, or I otherwise don't trust them.

 

[shoengine]

Seals are easy to diagnose. Pinch them in a U shape between your fingers. If you see cracks, replace them.

 

[Washington_Brewologist]

Seals are easy to diagnose. Pinch them in a U shape between your fingers. If you see cracks, replace them.

That makes me feel better. I definitely did not replace the seals when I picked them up, but I did check each one for cracks. Found 2 with cracks and replaced them with ones from other bottles. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happens. If a few don't carbonate properly, is there a way to save em?

 

[dmtaylor]

I've reused Grolsch-style flip-top bottles hundreds if not thousands of times. They work great. I've never changed a gasket yet. I think maybe one time a gasket cracked and I couldn't use that bottle. Pretty rare in my experience.

 

[Yooper]

I've replaced a couple of gaskets over the years, but mostly I've just taken them off to clean them, and put them back on without any incident. I have a case or two of Grolsh bottles that I love to use.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

This isn’t my video, but after two batches, all of my bottles leaked just like this guys. They would hold about 1.5 volumes, so my beer wasn’t completely flat, but it wasn’t carbed to my liking.

 

[flars]

I haven't had any problems using the same gaskets for about 8 years on flip top bottles. I don't soak the gaskets in cleaners. Just rinse after pouring and sanitize before filling the bottle. Long soaks in cleaners or sanitizers might be the reason for premature failures.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I brought back about 10 cases (20 bottles to a case) of flippies from Germany when I moved back to the States.

If they are TIGHT at closing...they won't leak. Change the out when the closing action feels "soft".

When they feel "soft" DO NOT toss the gaskets away, use them for your hoses. All you need to do is a little trimming at the inner hole.

 

[z-bob]

I just opened a bottle of blonde ale that I bottled on 5/31/2018 in a 25 year old 1L flip-top bottle with the original gasket. Not only that, but the bottle sat unused for 20 years, which I'm pretty sure is worse for the rubber gasket than repeatedly using it (I know it is for tire rubber.) The beer's good, but just a little overcarbonated.

This thread got me wondering, at what pressure is a Grolsch bottle designed to leak? It might be a safety thing to prevent bottle bombs. Maybe I should use flip top bottles when I make root beer... Those sure make a mess when they explode (don't ask how I know this)

 

[homebrewer_99]

I just opened a bottle of blonde ale that I bottled on 5/31/2018 in a 25 year old 1L flip-top bottle with the original gasket. Not only that, but the bottle sat unused for 20 years, which I'm pretty sure is worse for the rubber gasket than repeatedly using it (I know it is for tire rubber.) The beer's good, but just a little overcarbonated.

This thread got me wondering, at what pressure is a Grolsch bottle designed to leak? It might be a safety thing to prevent bottle bombs. Maybe I should use flip top bottles when I make root beer... Those sure make a mess when they explode (don't ask how I know this)

I have beer that is 8+ years old that has NEVER been in the fridge. The ONLY time I've ever had "bottle grenades" is with Root Beer.

Since then I keg my RB.

 

[BrewbieVet3]

I’ve used flip tops for bottle conditioning with cider and have not liked the results. Several bottles out of a batch went flat and were ruined. Maybe it was because the seals were old or the bottles improperly sealed, or maybe cider’s different somehow. Either way, I’ve experimented with flip tops, corking, and ultimately settled on bottle capping, which seems to work the best for me.