I REALLY dislike short neck bottles **Bottling Guru's Please Help!!**

[bowlersp]

So I've been having problems bottling with short neck bottles since day one of brewing. I'm hoping its just an equipment issue so I'm going to ask the bottling guru's on here for some help.

Whenever I bottle with my handy red bottle capper I have ALOT of problems with the short necks (i.e. Founders bottles, Lagunitas bottles, Boulevard bottles)

Most of the time they don't secure properly and I end up questioning if the bottle will become carbonated. On some occasions I break the neck of the bottle.

This is the cheap bottle capper that I'm talking about:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/red-bottle-capper-product.html

My question is do I need a high quality bottle capper or do all other homebrewers who bottle avoid using small necks too?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

[passedpawn]

Don't use them. I used to have problems with (I think) sierra nevada bottles. They were little stubbies. Eventually, I stopped using 12 oz bottles at all except for a few for competition. I really like the larger 1/2 litre german bottles. Free from german restaurants, as many as you can all, nightly

 

[unionrdr]

The wing cappers, the Red Baron I had for example, do not work well if at all with stubbies. It's due to the nature of it's design. The way both sides are designed to grip the bottle's neck is the problem. Even though I bought the super agata bench capper, I gave away my stubbies. Included are Sierra Nevada, Sapporo, Smithwick's & the like that the wing cappers have problems with. The bench capper does not.

 

[radiogorillaz]

This isn't good to read. I've been aging some homebrew in Sierra Nevada bottles. Guess I have an excuse to open them early now. Boo…hope I don't have to dump the whole six pack.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I have a capper just like that (not sure if it's the same one though), and I use stubbies all the time without issue whatsoever. Not sure what the issue might be in your case.

 

[Snowden]

I have issues with the stubby bottles, but they don't appear to be consistent across the board. Sierra Nevada bottles seem to accept caps ok, but I have given up on Abita bottles...for whatever reason I have broken several of them trying to get them capped.

 

[lowtones84]

Yup, I have problems with some short neck bottles as well, but I've used that capper for probably over four years and I've never broken a bottle. A good bench capper will definitely solve the problem, as will not using short neck bottles.

I keep my short neck bottles around just in case I need them, but I use them as a last resort. I've never had any issues with them not carbonating, it just kind of sucks getting the cap on, or the capper off of the bottle sometimes actually. The only bottles I've had carbonation issues with a couple of times are -some- English bottles.

 

[b-boy]

I used to use SN bottles exclusively. I used a wing capper without any problems. Only time I ran into issues was with European bottles.

 

[MaxStout]

Though I now have a bench capper, I had used a Red Baron wing capper on hundreds of stubbies. Never a single problem with leakage or breaks.

But not all stubbies are created equal. I recycle the ones with the two rings close together (e.g., Summit, Lagunitas), as I found there isn't enough vertical space between the bell and the gripper to pull the cap on tight.

But SN, Founder's, et al., have always worked for me.

 

[unionrdr]

I broke some of the Sierra Nevada stubbies with the Red Baron. And it also had a habit of hanging up on all the short-neck bottles.

 

[Barley_Bob]

I have problems with some stubbies more than others, but I am phasing them all out. When you close the capper on a long neck, the metal ring on the inside grips the underside of the collar, which allows good leverage for the cap to be pressed down over the lip.

On the stubbies, it looks like the ring doesn't make it all the way to the collar, but, rather, closes around the neck. On some bottles, this seems to work okay, and I can still get a decent seal. Sometimes, though, the capper will slide up the neck, causing a poor seal. I've found I can usually get a good seal on Sierra Nevada and Woodchuck bottles, but I can't get a good seal on Boulevard and some others.

I think the necks are just a little too slender on those for the ring to close snugly on the bottle. But, again, even on the stubbies with a wide enough neck, the ring will pop and slide up the neck to the collar, leaving too little leverage to provide a good seal. So, some work, but they just aren't worth the effort.

I also have problems with Sam Adams longnecks. They fit the capper fine, but the glass seems to be poor quality. They work, but I can easily crush the glass under the capper to break off the bottle top if I'm not paying attention.

 

[unionrdr]

I didn't have to much trouble with Sam Adams. But some didn't seal as well as others. So I gave the Red Baron to a member in need that was down on his luck. He seems to do better with it? I like my super agata much better. No more problems.

 

[Beerbeque]

All of my bottles (~7 cases) are sierra nevadas. I use a wing capper and it works fine.

 

[edroberts]

Though I now have a bench capper, I had used a Red Baron wing capper on hundreds of stubbies. Never a single problem with leakage or breaks.

But not all stubbies are created equal. I recycle the ones with the two rings close together (e.g., Summit, Lagunitas), as I found there isn't enough vertical space between the bell and the gripper to pull the cap on tight.

But SN, Founder's, et al., have always worked for me.

I totally agree. If the grip ring is close to the top, you're going to have questions on the seal. Lagunitas and Green Flash are definitely on the small side. I've had mixed results with Founders, Boulevard, Abita. My favorite are New Belgium and Dogfish, both long-neck, but even these will sometime bust during capping.

 

[Bobbybob]

I use a bench capper for Most of my capping for this reason. I was using a wing capper and just pressing down. After a few close calls with token bottles I stoped. But if you get a bench capper get a self adjusting one. It is a pain to use when you have a mixed batch of bottles.

 

[runkelia]

Get a bench capper. Rather than make the easy adjustment on the capper post for my Sierra Nevada bottles, I put a scrap 2x4 under the bottle. Couldn't be easier.

 

[Homercidal]

+1 on a bench capper. I have an old one and I even pull it down off the shelf when I want to cap a couple of bottles from the keg. I just like it a lot better than the wing capper I got just for quickies.

The cap design of the bottle is the real culprit. I've had problems with a couple of bottles, but not a single one with the bench capper. Well, that one SA bottle that mydaughter broke when she was capping. They are weak!

 

[twohoundbrewery]

I love bottling in Red Hook and Boulevard stubbies. Heck, I've been buying beer just for the stubby bottles (cough* Red Stripe *cough). I haven't had any issues so far.

I've noticed the cal looks different on a Boulevard, like one corner isn't pressed as far down as the others, but they've all carbbed without issue.

 

[BierGut]

The worst bottles I've ever used were from Anchor. They're really nice looking little bottles but I broke ~4 bottling a smoked porter this past summer. Really ticked me off because it was probably the best beer I'd ever made. There's nothing wrong with your capper though, it's what many of us use. Just avoid stubbys when possible.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

I have been bottling stubbies for years using a bench capper and have never had a single issue, so I'm not really sure what all the fuss is about.

 

[user 163849]

I have only bottled a little over 150 bottles so far. But I am using several different brands of bottles. The little stubby Duvel bottles are my favorite. My Ferrari Colt bench capper performed trouble free on all the different bottles that I have collected so far, tall or stubby. This, despite all the bad reviews this capper has recieved. It is mounted to a relatively heavy base which helps a lot in removing bottles from the tight crimping bell.

 

[Devin]

As has been said - get a bench capper and be done with it.

 

[bobertw]

When I was using a wing capper (black beauty) I would break about 1 or 2 summit bottles a session. Now with my bench capper I haven't broken one yet. Added advantage is that the 6 and 9 year old can help with the capping better.

 

[christyle]

I used to break at least 1 bottle per session (3-4 if I let SWMBO bottle...) The cheapy capper like you posted that came with my kit seemed to develop excessive play after a few batches. You had to be very careful at the critical "break-over" part where you're putting the most force in to bend the cap, and it often snapped necks, regardless of type it seemed.

I bought this capper and havent broken one yet. Works great, no adjustment issues really, only an occasional cap that isn't fully bent, and it sometimes sticks in the capper. Easy for me to deal with for something that doesn't scare me to use like the last one...

 

[WouldBeBrewmaster]

You have to choose longnecks or stubbies and stick to it. Mixing and matching makes stacking and storage a pain. Never had a problem capping stubbies in the past with my red Barron.

 

[Setesh]

I had no problem with stubby bottles either, but I used a bench capper. I have a wing capper but it always made me really nervous after snapping the neck off a bottle one day by applying uneven pressure. After that I got a bench capper.

 

[bowlersp]

Thanks for all the responses, I'm definitely going to upgrade to a bench capper, not just because it may fix my small bottle issues but also for time savings!

 

[mgr_stl]

Been using a wing capper for 18 batches with no problems with both longneck and short (boulevard) bottles. Never one issue. Just jinxed myself, huh?

But I do like the idea of a bench capper.

 

[Devilsnight]

Been using a wing capper for 18 batches with no problems with both longneck and short (boulevard) bottles. Never one issue. Just jinxed myself, huh?

But I do like the idea of a bench capper.

Same here, you need to look at the tops and figure out what works with your capper. If the distance between the ring and the bell is too short the capper will hang up. Always double check before bottling.

 

[christyle]

Thanks for all the responses, I'm definitely going to upgrade to a bench capper, not just because it may fix my small bottle issues but also for time savings!

Check out the capper I posted. a lot easier to use and store, havent really had an issue with it. And pretty cheap. I liked that it was nearly all metal. I thought about getting a bench capper but gave this a shot. I bottle all different sizes so I didn't like the idea of messing with adjusting.