Ez Cap Bottles

[kc_lupo]

I have to by some bottles for my brew that should be done in a few weeks and I was interested in the 16oz Ez Cap bottles that have they cap/cork built on the bottle with a metal harness that snaps them in place.

Has Anyone used these before? Do you prefer them over regular crown capped bottles or is there any disadvantages to them?

These are them:

 

[Yuri_Rage]

A lot of bottlers consider these the "Holy Grail" of bottling because they're so quick and easy to use.

There are only two disadvantages, and neither is a big deal. First, the rubber grommet at the top tends to collect goop and may wear out after a while. Remove them when you clean and sanitize. Second, the wire "bale" tends to wear out after a while as well. They are cheap and sold in bulk at many homebrew supply shops.

Also, be a little careful when snapping the top closed - make sure the lid is centered so you get a good seal.

 

[feedthebear]

I really like them. 1 have 2 cases of 16oz and I'm considering picking up a couple of 1 or 2 liters for parties and gatherings

 

[Flyin' Lion]

I bottled SWMBO's IPA with twelve of these and about half didn't carbonate. After talking with some folks at our beer club, I was told to turn the bottle upside down after filling and capping to lubricate/seal the grommet. Now I haven't filled them since so I can't say if it works or not, but it can't hurt.

Good luck,

 

[Alx Rains]

I scored about a hundred of them a couple of years ago and I reckon they are great! they do save time when bottling and they make a really cool "pop" when you open them!

 

[trinitone]

I went with the flip-tops myself. I just have my first batch in bottles, so not too much experience with them yet, but so far so good. Washed them, steamed them in the dishwasher and boiled the gaskets. Bottling was a cinch. I've only sampled one beer so far and it was well carbonated, so I'll have to wait and see if any of them had leaks.

 

[subliminalurge]

The place I've been ordering my ingredient kits from will sell you one 16 or 32 oz ez-cap for a dollar with the purchase of a recipe kit, so I'm beginning to build up a small collection of the 32 oz ones.

I like them enough that I'm considering purchasing a few cases of each size.

 

[chillHayze]

They are the way to go. I'm converting all my bottles to this style. Of course it is easy when I can buy 20 for a dollar at the beer store. Or just trade my old 12 oz'ers for them 1:1. One nice thing about living in a bottle return state.
Gaskets are $2.50 for 100 at the LHBS, and need replacing every 5 batches or so.

 

[Teirminator]

This is a ridiculously old thread, but I'm curious if anyone has come across swing top bottles that you can't remove the red gasket?

I've got a whole bunch of these bottles and it seems like I've got two different types - about half and half. One type the gaskets come off no problem. The other type, the gasket is a little redder and looks a little more "plastic-y" as opposed to rubbery, and they just refuse to come off. Like they are glued on or something.

Anyone seen this? Do I just need to try harder? Or are these gaskets actually not replaceable?

 

[MarsingRedneck]

This is a ridiculously old thread, but I'm curious if anyone has come across swing top bottles that you can't remove the red gasket?

I've got a whole bunch of these bottles and it seems like I've got two different types - about half and half. One type the gaskets come off no problem. The other type, the gasket is a little redder and looks a little more "plastic-y" as opposed to rubbery, and they just refuse to come off. Like they are glued on or something.

Anyone seen this? Do I just need to try harder? Or are these gaskets actually not replaceable?

Just a thought. Have you tried putting them through the dishwasher with NO soap to see if they clean up and loosen the gasket?

I really like em have had no problems (yet) and they seal way better then the metal caps in my opinion.

 

[Teirminator]

I love them too! Just want to replace the gaskets to help ensure a tight seal.

The thing is, it does seem to be an issue of being a certain type of cap. Because about half of my bottles, the gasket looks different, paler, and comes off no problem. These gaskets look just like the replacements gaskets.

The other half are redder and I cannot get them off. I'm wondering if this is a lost cause. But since I haven't seen anyone else mention this type of swing top, I'm wondering if there's some sort of trick. Otherwise I would think people would be warning to stay away from these! It costs a lot more to buy full replacement swing tops than just replacement gaskets.