screwtop bottles

[chadtheartist]

I am on a strict budget. So I did some dumpster diving. I cleaned all the bottles thoroughly three or four times and then used adhesive remover to get all the label goo off of them. then I washed them in the dishwasher again. I have babied these bottles and then sat down to read the instructions on bottling. (this is my first time) the instructions say "no screwtops".

PLEASE TELL ME THERE IS A WAY!!!!

How can I use these beautiful bottles that I slaved over!!

chad

 

[jamesnsw]

I've heard it's possible, but not recommended. There is a risk of breaking the bottle, and the seal may not be as tight. I feel your pain. Cleaning bottles is perhaps the worst part of brewing, and to have it be for naught... that's not fun.

 

[chadtheartist]

thanks! anybody else with a sure way to make it work?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Use a bench capper. Otherwise, you really shouldn't use them.

 

[chadtheartist]

whats a bench capper?

 

[Sean]

What kind of capper do you have?

I have been told the bench capper handles screw bottles fine. I have mistakenly bottled several screw cap bottles with a wing capper and had no problem.

 

[chadtheartist]

I have no capper yet. as of yet. I was going tomorrow to the homebrew shop here in town and get one. the only one I know of that he has is a wing capper (i think) so I will give it a try. unless he has a bench capper. I will probably be hitting the same dumpster for bottles so I need something that will do screwtops.

by the way your local pub will have plenty of bottles in the dumpster. mine was so full I didn't even have to get in. I was pretty grossed out at first but after cleaning them and seeing them all lined up and waiting for beer I am proud of my recycling job. May God bless my thriftyness and lett the wing capper work!!!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

The wing capper won't work. You'll have mixed success at best. I know you put a lot of work into those bottles, but if they won't reliably seal, what's the point of using them?

Once again, use a bench capper. Moreover, get yourself a stash of good bottles!

 

[thantos]

This is what I have!

http://morebeer.com/images/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=/product_images/morebeer.com/1/5571.jpg&w=250&h=250&far=C&fltr[]=wmi|../../themes/morewinepro/images/thumbnail_watermark.png|C|15

 

[Jmac00]

Benchcapper is best, but if all you have is a wing capper, it can be done...just take your time, don't rush...you may end up having to do some twice, just double check seal afterwards.....

 

[XXguy]

I have used a wing capper on screw top bottles. I'd say 8 out of 10 sealed OK. To me, that wasn't a good enough success ratio.

 

[giligson]

The other problem with a wing capper is that it grabs hold of the bottle just below the screw thread - the glass can be very thin here and prone to breakage more than a pop top. With the bench capper the force is directed straight down the bottle wall. And yes, screw threads can work but the results are variable.

 

[BargainFittings]

I've capped screw tops with an antique capper I bought off ebay for $15.00 with shipping.

Just search for bottle capper.

They look like this

 

[chadtheartist]

thanks to all. I am gonna give the wing capper a try. that's all I got access to. then I will save up and buy regular bottles for the next batch. If there are any other comments keep them coming I will check back in the morning before I go buy the capper.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

So I just looked at the HBT Wiki and it said wing-cappers can't handle any bottle type but long-necks.

I call shenanigans!!! SHENANIGANS I SAY! At least 50% of my bottles are Sierra Nevada stubbies as we're so friggin close to Chico and SNPA is as abundant as BMC. The wing-capper works spectacularly for these and I've never had a problem with a bad crimp or oxidization.

Am I just too awesome for the rules or is there really something wrong with it?

 

[peter4jc]

thanks to all. I am gonna give the wing capper a try. that's all I got access to. then I will save up and buy regular bottles for the next batch. If there are any other comments keep them coming I will check back in the morning before I go buy the capper.

Check craigslist for bottles. Or visit some bars that specialize in import beers. I found a tavern owner that was more than happy to save and sell some bottles, and wound up w/ almost 200 bottles for $20- lots of 1/3 liter and 1/2 liters too.

 

[Homercidal]

Never hurts to as a bar to save a few days worth. Here in MI I can get all I want for .10 apiece at the liquor store. I just pay deposit that they would normally get from the beverage distributor. Also local bar saves Guinness bottles for me, and although they don't go through a lot (being more or less a redneck bar, where the partons have heated arguments over what's better, Bud Light or PBR) I get a 6er every week or so. I guess they got one guy who drinks one or two a day.

 

[chadtheartist]

thanks again. seems bud light is the beer of choice at this bar. they are screwtops and the label is plastic so it was killer trying to get it off. and clean the adhesive off. but I did and by-golly I'm gonna use 'em.

the dumpster didn't charge me a thing!

 

[bendavanza]

I would not waste any more time with the screw top glass unless you want to waste a lot of your good beer and are good at avoiding broken glass. It takes some force to cap a bottle, and the screw top bottles aren't made for it, esp. without a bench capper. If you're going for cheap, reuse plastic 1 and or 2 liter soda bottles (not root beer), you can get new caps at your homebrew shop.

 

[chadtheartist]

you can bottle beer in plastic? I went and got the wing capper. that was all he had. I used it. so far so good. no broken bottles. we'll see what happened when the pressure builds. how long do you think it will take for the carbonation pressure to build up enough to pop the cap?

 

[MikeG]

Ask friends, hit up bars/restaurants for empties with non-screw tops, anything is better than trying to cap the screw offs.

I've done it by accident (not realizing it until later) with a wing capper but sure enough I noticed it was screw off as it was leaking.

 

[rico567]

I've capped screw tops with an antique capper I bought off ebay for $15.00 with shipping.

Just search for bottle capper.

They look like this

Ha! Looks like my Grandpa's old Prohibition-era capper. I use it all the time now, and the "red baron" capper sits in my brewing junk box. If you can find one, I highly endorse buying it.

 

[bendavanza]

You may not notice caps popping off of the screw tops, as they are more likely to slow leak and never build up pressure.
Yes, many people bottle in PET soda type bottles. You can just reuse soda ones, but beware of rootbeer, that smell never seems to leave a bottle.
Here is a link to a case of 8 http://homebrewhq.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=2186
You may find a better price somewhere else.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

There's always Grolsch and other such fliptops:

 

[chadtheartist]

I used the screw tops. I tilted them every which way with no leaks. I have to assume they are working. I will no for sure on monday when I taste test one.

 

[mkw87]

I have used screw tops both capping them and by re-using screw tops. I never wanted to use them but needed to. I recently talked to my aunt's boyfriend and he has used screw tops for years, I mean like probably as long as I am old, and never had any issues.

 

[SeamusMac]

I've used my father's bench capper to cap 100's of screw-top bottles.

 

[chadtheartist]

it doesn't seem like I am having any problems. I did notice that, on a couple of bottles I tried before actually capping beer filled bottles, that they screwed off extremely easy. That is, without hardly trying to. but so far no spills, leaks or popping offs.

 

[XXguy]

The leaks - as someone else mentioned - will be C02 escaping & lack of carbonation.

If you can twist the cap easily, you don't have a good seal & the beer will never carb.

 

[bensyverson]

I once bottled some excess beer in a Vitamin Water bottle... even though I had thoroughly cleaned and sanitized the bottle, the beer still came out tasting like fruit punch.

 

[bendavanza]

Vitamin water bottles are not PET for carbonated beverages.

 

[bensyverson]

Which is probably why it didn't work!

 

[chadtheartist]

the screw top bottles worked. well so far I haven't tasted but one. about to taste another. the first one was well carbonated. the rest are in the fridge now. no leaks thus far. I say use screw tops if you must!

 

[hayabusa]

all this talk about screw top bottles has me wondering - can you buy screw-caps for screw-top bottles? Not that I can seem to find but this thread make me think about it...

 

[jcobbs]

My family drinks lots of Dr. Pepper in 12 oz. PET bottles. I have them save the bottles and I'm using them until I can save up enough glass ones and get a benchtop capper. They seem to do a good job and after a couple of uses I throw them away. I also do root beer and soda for the kids, but you don't want to reuse a bottle after it's had root beer--you can never get the smell out. Funny enough, I have a few of those PET A&W brown bottles that look like beer bottles and they don't smell like root beer. Anyway, my in-laws are non-drinkers, but they haven't noticed that I get a lot more bottles from them than I use for root beer

 

[chadtheartist]

my beer has a strong aftertaste that I am not sure about. my wife doesn't like beer and really doesn't like the aftertaste. I don't care for the after taste much myself. is this because its amber malt or another reason. I am obviously not fluent enough in beer or its flavors to determine if its a bad after taste or a real strong bitter.

this may or may not have anything to do with the thread at hand. Its bottled it in the screw tops.

 

[bendavanza]

Chad
Give your beer more time, at least 2 weeks in the bottle, even better to wait 3-4 weeks.
-Ben

 

[chadtheartist]

This thread is real old but I thought I would let everyone know I didn't have a single problem. every screw top bottle of beer was completely sealed and delicious! I used a wing capper to do them and they were all fine.