First time brew....Did the cap correctly?

[EddieTheBrewerLADET]

Are these going to carb? Some of the caps just don't look flush and evenly spaced while others are perfectly level. Slightly worried they didn't completely seal...


These bottles are all from Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas, Firestone, etc. All the stubby ones. I used the capper and caps that came with my Northern Brewer kit. Some seem perfectly flush while others are slightly SLIGHTLY at an angle. None of them leak, but isn't it still possible that the CO2 could leak?


Also..I did end up wasting like 10 caps during the process. Some of them wouldn't crimp down and got stuck inside the capper. Twice I literally broke the top off the bottle hahahaha. Whats going on? Would better pictures help?

 

[JINKS]

.

I have never noticed caps doing this before with any of the kit caps I've used. Its kind of interesting because from my understanding the cap is pushed flat onto the bottle's rim and then the bell shape of the capper is forced around the cap crimping it onto the bottle.
Perhaps someone with more capping experience can chime in and help.

are these going to carb? Some of the caps just don't look flush and evenly spaced while others are perfectly level. Slightly worried they didn't completely seal...


These bottles are all from sierra nevada, lagunitas, firestone, etc. All the stubby ones. I used the capper and caps that came with my northern brewer kit. Some seem perfectly flush while others are slightly slightly at an angle. None of them leak, but isn't it still possible that the co2 could leak?


Also..i did end up wasting like 10 caps during the process. Some of them wouldn't crimp down and got stuck inside the capper. Twice i literally broke the top off the bottle hahahaha. Whats going on? Would better pictures help?

 

[David_Trucks]

I've bottled some beers with uneven looking caps. Didn't seem to be a big deal, but I don't know if they lost carbonation over time or not.

I do see a potential problem with your bottles though... Some companies that produce stubbies use bottles that don't cap well for me. Lagunitas is one of them. It's easy to tell when you compare them - hold a lagunitas bottle side by side with another and compare the part just below the lip of the bottle - you'll see. Lagunitas bottles (among others) have a shorter tip (not sure how else to describe it) and they don't cap well with the basic capper that I use. Cascade Lakes bottles have the same problem. I'm blanking on the other brands I've seen, but there's more.

Edit: forgot to mention that I've broken a bottle like that while capping. I don't even try to use those types anymore.

 

[kev211]

I've bottled some beers with uneven looking caps. Didn't seem to be a big deal, but I don't know if they lost carbonation over time or not.

I do see a potential problem with your bottles though... Some companies that produce stubbies use bottles that don't cap well for me. Lagunitas is one of them. It's easy to tell when you compare them - hold a lagunitas bottle side by side with another and compare the part just below the lip of the bottle - you'll see. Lagunitas bottles (among others) have a shorter tip (not sure how else to describe it) and they don't cap well with the basic capper that I use. Cascade Lakes bottles have the same problem. I'm blanking on the other brands I've seen, but there's more.

Edit: forgot to mention that I've broken a bottle like that while capping. I don't even try to use those types anymore.

Sierra Nevada.

But Ive never had any issues with them (just bottled 110 bottles consisting of sn and lagunitas bottles).

To the op, the caps do look a little crooked but you should be fine. Just remember... RDWHAHB. And learn to rotate your photos

 

[unionrdr]

When I was still using the Red Baron wing capper, the problem I had was the length & shape of the stubby bottle's neck. The wing handles grip the neck of the bottle in order to crimp the cap. The short, wide style of neck didn't seem to allow it to grip properly & got stuck on the bell. Broke the necks on a couple of them. Stopped using stubbies, then got a bench capper to eliminate the problem. Not sure the crooked ones will seal? Keep an eye on them at the least.

 

[hou_me]

You didn't by chance use twist-off bottles did you?

 

[Psylocide]

This has happened with my bench capper before... brew partner wasn't getting them seated well before he crimped them down.

I didn't notice until a few days later.

I just tested them with my thumb and none were loose by any means, so I left them. Carb'ed up just fine.

 

[flars]

Are the caps Fermentors Favorites brand caps? NB forum had a thread about these caps taking very heavy pressure to seat, and with some bottles breaking. I had just received an order with the FF caps. Tried a few. I thought there was a good chance my bench capper would break it took so much pressure with the first cap tried. Out of six caps tested, three took a huge amount of pressure to seat. Two others moderate pressure, and one cap normal pressure.

 

[joshesmusica]

i have a ton of these shorter (stumpy) bottles. i also have the longer-neck bottles. i have a wing capper, and have found that it seems to be designed to work best with the long neck bottles. with those i simply push down and they're on. super easy and quick. with the stumpier ones i have press it down, then kind of push down on all sides of the cap as well. otherwise it gets stuck in the capper as well.

 

[David_Trucks]

Sierra Nevada.

But Ive never had any issues with them (just bottled 110 bottles consisting of sn and lagunitas bottles).

To the op, the caps do look a little crooked but you should be fine. Just remember... RDWHAHB. And learn to rotate your photos

Nah, SN work fine for me. UnionDr has it right. My cheap capper doesn't work as well with some bottles. I just store away the weird ones until I get a bench capper.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah, the super agata bench capper pretty much makes this a non-issue, as it only presses downward with no wings to grip the neck. But some bottles still have the cap stick in the bell. But to be fair, I don't lube the bell as recommended either. Not sure what to use for lubing the bell?

 

[1977Brewer]

unionrdr, just use WD40. It's delicious and nutritious.

I had the same problem as the OP with my wing capper. On my small sample size of 9 bottles, I have had none leak.

 

[unionrdr]

I thought maybe use Vaseline, something less toxic?

 

[David_Trucks]

Here's a pic comparing a lagunitas (which doesn't cap well for me) and a Redhook. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1422629782.528885.jpg

 

[edroberts]

I tend to break one bottle's neck every other bottling session. It doesn't seem to matter what kind of bottle either. I also find that there are some bottles that simply do not seem to crimp the same way as others. In my experience, these tend to have more narrow openings, such as Green Flash bottles or some other stubbies. You never seem to get the crown to completely drop down.

 

[edroberts]

Here's a pic comparing a lagunitas (which doesn't cap well for me) and a Redhook. View attachment 252617

One issue here that is very apparent is that the grip ring is rather close to the top of the bottle... Another reason why you may have issues properly crimping a bottle with a traditional wing capper.

 

[David_Trucks]

One issue here that is very apparent is that the grip ring is rather close to the top of the bottle... Another reason why you may have issues properly crimping a bottle with a traditional wing capper.

That's what I was trying to say. Just showing the OP my experience with different bottles.

 

[kev211]

I may have gotten lucky with my capper cuz I cap lagunitas bottles just fine. Never broken a bottle with the capper (yet. I did knock a bottle off the table this last bottle session. That was fun).