Super Agata bench capper not capping Paulaner bottles

[Jason D Cook]

Hi everyone - I just had my first bottling day as a new brewer and it was an unfun thing.

First off, I live in the Philippines and everything I am using to homebrew has been sourced from either Northern Brewer or Amazon and shipped here.

I have a Ferrari Super Agata bench capper and 26mm bottle caps from Northern Brewer. I collected 20-oz. Paulaner bottles purchased (full!) locally in the supermarket to use for my first bottling. I also collected bottles from a local craft brand called Pedro Brewcrafters. I measured the openings with calipers to be sure they were "standard".

My problem is when I capped the Paulaner bottles, the caps sometimes popped off themselves or sat so crookedly that I could pop them off with thumb pressure. I wasted about 1/3 of the caps I used.

I was getting a complete capping, with the second "smoosh" you feel as the capper crimps the cap, so I know I had the capper set for the right height and was pulling the handle down hard enough.

With the local Pedro bottles, many of the caps were skewed and (on Drinking Day) could be pried off really easy. My beer was also pretty flat though it had a nice head.

I just now tried to cap a Heineken bottle and also got skewed caps.

Is anyone using the combo of Paulaner bottles and Super Agata capper? Does anyone have any idea why I'm getting this bad capping?

I took the existing bell off and checked it over and everything seems to be level and true until I actually cap. I'm about to rush order a standard size replacement bell for my Second Bottling Day in two weeks.

Any thoughts about this, out there in the vast wonderland of knowledge?

JD

 

[Stormbringer]

The Paulaner bottles (European) will not work with the American caps and American sized capping bell. In order for them to work you need European caps and the correct bell for those bottles. I found out the hard way when bottles I bottled with this combo were sent into a competition. The seal wasn't good and the cider became infected and flat. Sorry I do not know the correct bell and cap sizes you are looking for, But i know they do not work together. Easier solution is using American bottles with your capper and caps.

 

[Jason D Cook]

Thanks for the reply.

I thought that exact thing so I got a bag of 29mm caps and a crimping bell to match. The "Euro" caps don't crimp at all on the Paulaner bottles and just sit atop them like little hats.

I've seen some threads here where people have used the Paulaners. I'm hoping they chime in with how they get them to work.

Maybe I just got a bad standard bell with this one?

 

[popsicleian]

I remember running into this problem a while back, but luckily it was only a few bottles in a bottling run. Paulaner bottles seem to use some weird, smaller proprietary cap size that I couldn't make work, either. I just recycled them and moved on to other bottles.

 

[deadwolfbones]

I tried capping some the other day with a regular red wing capper (after I'd already filled them, alas) and couldn't make it work. That beer went down the drain.

 

[Jason D Cook]

I remember running into this problem a while back, but luckily it was only a few bottles in a bottling run. Paulaner bottles seem to use some weird, smaller proprietary cap size that I couldn't make work, either. I just recycled them and moved on to other bottles.

This is interesting. I'm in the Philippines and when I say Paulaner bottles, I mean 500ml (16oz.) bottles. I never drank the beer while in the US so I don't know. Are they the same bottles? I'd think that for the sake of streamlining, Paulaner would use the same bottles.

The regular-sized Fermenter's Friend caps I got from NB seem to fit, they're just crooked and don't seal well. Same with my local 330ml (12oz) bottles.

It's the same with Heineken bottles.

 

[Jason D Cook]

I tried capping some the other day with a regular red wing capper (after I'd already filled them, alas) and couldn't make it work. That beer went down the drain.

That's kinda what happened to me. Out of the Paulaners that I filled, I only got 7 to seal to the point that I couldn't pop them using two thumbs under an edge.

Unlike you, I tried to salvage this very first batch by sanitizing a funnel and pouring the Paulaners into my other bottles which the darn caps also went onto crooked. I wound up with very poorly Brown Ale and a pellicle atop most of the beers.

I've ordered a hand capper and new caps and will be bottling my second-ever attempt when they get here.