Home brewing shortcut failures

[kkuczma]

I’ve only brewing since January of 2021, but I tend to get overly excited with new hobbies and want to dive headfirst into the deep end without swimming lessons.

I thought I was being smart about bottling with my third kit, as not all the bottles I originally purchased were ready for use. I went with the logic of “I’ll just drink beer from the store and use those bottles- that sounds like a win!”

I broke 4 of them during bottlecapping and the ones that survived were screw tops that didn’t work out well. One of them slid off cleanly as I twisted off the cap and then the neck went with it.

Lesson learned!

 

[Spundit]

All of my bottles came from the store bought beer. I probably have about 200 in rotation. I am sure some have been used for 10+ homebrews. It can be done but some bottles are definitely better than others. I have a lot of Sam Adams and Sierra nevada bottles that work well. The labels come off easy and the caps go on easy.

Another thing to check is your bottle capper. I started with one that had metal wings. The action was never smooth and I would break a bottle almost every batch. I swapped it for the red plastic Emily model (made in Italy). Much much better and still very inexpensive.

 

[ByrdMass]

A bench capper is a great investment. I had a world of trouble with the wing capper that came with my first kit. Since buying a bench capper, I haven't had any issues.

 

[kkuczma]

All of my bottles came from the store bought beer. I probably have about 200 in rotation. I am sure some have been used for 10+ homebrews. It can be done but some bottles are definitely better than others. I have a lot of Sam Adams and Sierra nevada bottles that work well. The labels come off easy and the caps go on easy.

Another thing to check is your bottle capper. I started with one that had metal wings. The action was never smooth and I would break a bottle almost every batch. I swapped it for the red plastic Emily model (made in Italy). Much much better and still very inexpensive.

Yep! I had the metal one originally and thought “this seems like a poor design.” Swapped it out for the red plastic and it’s been a much smoother experience, although I have a few dozen bottles at my disposal now for when I want to brew smaller batches.
Ive also read Kona bottles are pretty sturdy.

 

[kkuczma]

A bench capper is a great investment. I had a world of trouble with the wing capper that came with my first kit. Since buying a bench capper, I haven't had any issues.

Down the line, I’ll invest in one. I’ve got a kegerator purchase (and engagement ring, but you can’t brew with one of those) coming up first.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Yep! I had the metal one originally and thought “this seems like a poor design.” Swapped it out for the red plastic and it’s been a much smoother experience, although I have a few dozen bottles at my disposal now for when I want to brew smaller batches.
Ive also read Kona bottles are pretty sturdy.

Odd. I got one of the plastic-ish cappers in some stuff a few years ago and my girlfriend has the same or a similar one. I hate it. I have had a metal one like this link for years and I like it much more. It feels very solid and gives solid feedback when the bottle is capped. The plastic one flexes a bit and it feels impossible to tell if the cap is fully sealed. This one: Hand bottle capper | eBay

Yeah, Kona bottles seems nice. I have had good luck with the vast majority of craft beer bottles. Some imported bottles (say from Belgium or Germany) are very durable. Some of the necks don't work with some cappers, and they might be 0.3L or 0.5L sizes.

 

[Stormcrow]

I've got a capper like the one linked. Love it. Also use Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada bottles without any problems. I have a lot of Three Floyds bottles too, but the labels are crazy hard to get off.

 

[Steveruch]

I’ve only brewing since January of 2021, but I tend to get overly excited with new hobbies and want to dive headfirst into the deep end without swimming lessons.

I thought I was being smart about bottling with my third kit, as not all the bottles I originally purchased were ready for use. I went with the logic of “I’ll just drink beer from the store and use those bottles- that sounds like a win!”

I broke 4 of them during bottlecapping and the ones that survived were screw tops that didn’t work out well. One of them slid off cleanly as I twisted off the cap and then the neck went with it.

Lesson learned!

Screw top bottles have thinner necks and aren't really meant for reuse.

 

[MaxStout]

I've heard a few people say how they use twisties w/o any problems. But why take the chance, just to save a little on bottles? You've spent all that money and time on brewing, and that's where you want to cut corners?

 

[Andres Falconer]

Is there a limit to the number of times beer bottles should be reused? Assuming they are properly cleaned of all residue, can they be used eternally - until broken - or is there any risk of material fatigue (e.g. around the neck from the pressure of capping?) Most of mine are going strong for 5+ years.

 

[jrgtr42]

I've got a dozen or more cases of empties ready and waiting, though mostly I'm kegging these days.
I primariely use bombers to bottle in - it's half as much work as using 12-ox, though I'll often do a six-pack or so of the small ones for any number of reasons. I don't bother taking the labels off - if they come off fine, if not, I don't worry - I know what's in each case. And I have bottles that go back to those early days, easily 25+ uses out of them. I do rinse well after emptying, with that, there's not much needs to be done at bottling day, probably a rinse and a startsan dunk. THough |I did cull through them over the pandemic, and found not a few that had stuff in there - guess those weren't rinsed as well as I though. I tossed those ones, since I still have more than enough in stock.
I have a wing capper, the same one that came in my starter kit 15 years ago, that still works perfectly fine. |I've found the best bet on that is to go slowly. You can't just jam them on there, you need to take your time and make sure the cap is sitting cleanly on the top, and is seated right in the bell before squeezing. I can count on one hand the bottles |I've broken over the years, though I routinely toss caps that won't sit right.

 

[davidabcd]

Something to consider--flip-tops (Grolsch bottles).
Buying the beer and using them is one way. Buying flip-tops from LHBS is another. You can also find them on Craigslist for free or for a reasonable price. The benefit is that they're larger (36 or so per 5 gallon batch).
I've never capped before but with the flip-top you can fill with one hand and close with the other.

 

[Andres Falconer]

Something to consider--flip-tops (Grolsch bottles).
Buying the beer and using them is one way. Buying flip-tops from LHBS is another. You can also find them on Craigslist for free or for a reasonable price. The benefit is that they're larger (36 or so per 5 gallon batch).
I've never capped before but with the flip-top you can fill with one hand and close with the other.

Yes to flip tops! I've gradually shifted from capped 12oz bottles to 1 liter swing tops. I hardly ever drink less than a liter (when accompanies) anyway, so it saves a lot of time and effort. I still have plenty of those 12oz bottles and I'm not yet willing to get rid of them, though. Yes, I know what some of you are thinking... Someday I'll be kegging, too.

 

[davidabcd]

1 liter swing tops

Those would be nice--about twenty to fill only.

kegging

As awesome as I'm sure kegging is, I'll never do it. Bottle cleaning is as close to effortless as it can be for me and I know all the ins and outs with that method. Also I've read here what's needed for maintaining the kegs and operating them properly--too much and too much to learn.
But as I said, kegging is awesome and far superior to bottling.

 

[SMD]

A bench capper is a great investment. I had a world of trouble with the wing capper that came with my first kit. Since buying a bench capper, I haven't had any issues.

This . I had 2 cases of stubbies awhile back that I got from a local bottle swap. Cleaned, sanitized and filled with an Octoberfest. I proceeded to cap with my little wing capper only to find out the design of the stubbies didn’t align with the capper and I couldn’t cap them .

 

[MaxStout]

I'm a bottling neanderthal, with no plans to switch to kegging, for reasons beyond the scope of this post.

If you can find swingtops, they are a good investment. There's usually someone selling them on Craigslist, and the going rate seems to be about $1/bottle. Sometimes you can find them for free. Buy a pack of replacement gaskets, as those will need to be changed out from time to time. But you'll save on bottle caps and bottling day goes faster.

If you use with green Grolsch bottles, keep them in a box or something to keep out the light. Green doesn't filter UV as well as amber and you don't want your beer to get skunked.

 

[davidabcd]

$1 is about right for Grolsch.
I'm having some difficulty getting good replacement gaskets right now as LD Carlson switched to these pink, awful, super-stiff gaskets instead of the nice, dark red ones.

 

[MaxStout]

$1 is about right for Grolsch.
I'm having some difficulty getting good replacement gaskets right now as LD Carlson switched to these pink, awful, super-stiff gaskets instead of the nice, dark red ones.

I haven't seen those pliable red gaskets in a while. And I have a bag of the stiff LD Carlson gaskets. I have to soak them in hot water to get them to stretch over that little knobs on the caps.

 

[davidabcd]

have to soak them in hot water

Yeah, me too. It really rubs me the wrong way. I had some back and forth with LD Carlson to no avail. I'm trying yet another place. IF it is successful, I'll post it.
Besides the hot water, I take a medium-sized Sharpie, sit on the couch and, while watching TV, pull each one down onto the Sharpie...100 times.
The alternative to that is two pairs of pliers. Sad face.

 

[Sunfire96]

I bought a case of 1/2 liter swing tops from my LHBS and hated them. Easier to bottle, but the beer never fully carbonated or would ruin the flavor/aroma of a hoppy beer. I love my red swing top capper. It's actually an upgrade from my first capper that required a hammer to bend the caps on, believe or not

 

[E606]

I haven't seen those pliable red gaskets in a while. And I have a bag of the stiff LD Carlson gaskets. I have to soak them in hot water to get them to stretch over that little knobs on the caps.

Not sure if this is what you are looking for. Never mind. replied too quickly!

 

[Beermeister32]

I keg and bottle. Both are needed. Kegging gives you the greatest clean pours, a full pint without a trace of yeast. Bottling is great for putting up beers for a while that don’t favor kegging, or maybe ones that you do batches of infrequently. Both are needed!

 

[MaxStout]

Yeah, me too. It really rubs me the wrong way. I had some back and forth with LD Carlson to no avail. I'm trying yet another place. IF it is successful, I'll post it.
Besides the hot water, I take a medium-sized Sharpie, sit on the couch and, while watching TV, pull each one down onto the Sharpie...100 times.
The alternative to that is two pairs of pliers. Sad face.

Maybe there's some kind of o-ring pliers that would stretch the gasket over the stem.

Once I re-gasketed about 70 or so bottles I bought on CL. My fingers hurt for a day after that. I will say that the LD Carlson gaskets do seal well, as I've never had a leaker.

 

[MaxStout]

I keg and bottle. Both are needed. Kegging gives you the greatest clean pours, a full pint without a trace of yeast. Bottling is great for putting up beers for a while that don’t favor kegging, or maybe ones that you do batches of infrequently. Both are needed!

Agree. And I see the advantages kegging brings to the table. Just not practical in my situation.

However, I might consider a mini system like you have pictured here. That would be perfect for bringing to a small gathering.

 

[kkuczma]

I keg and bottle. Both are needed. Kegging gives you the greatest clean pours, a full pint without a trace of yeast. Bottling is great for putting up beers for a while that don’t favor kegging, or maybe ones that you do batches of infrequently. Both are needed!

I will certainly be doing both. For the near future, I'm going to brew 5 gallon batches for seasonal brews I'll want to enjoy for a longer period and I will bottle for smaller batches and experimental brews where I may not want more than 10 at a time. I have so many things I want to try and bottling in smaller batches will aid me with that exploration.