Swingtop bottle questions

[machinist09]

First, so you know what I'm asking about:

This is a 1L bottle that has a swing-top available for use, but comes with a standard crown cap on it. The swing-top is not ceramic as many are, but a very hard molded plastic by the look and feel of it. Seems to me that if I were to use these for bottling(and I plan to) I could use either method of capping. But which one?

If I go to crown caps, I think I run a higher risk of improper sealing(thus no carbonation), but an easier job of keeping everything sterile. The swing tops would be the opposite. If I were to go with crowns, I would keep a few swingers on hand to close the bottle up if I don't want to drink it all in one sitting, much as I do with synthetic corks for wines.

Give me your opinions please. Oh, and maybe someone would know if these would make decent wine bottles? I want to get into wine soon as well.

 

[Bruin]

I've only used swing tops, including the 1 liter jobs. No problem sanitizing (you wrote sterilizing. We don't sterilize as homebrewers, we sanitize. There is a difference). For swingtops, I put some sanitizer in the bottle, and shake it with the top loosely on, so sanitizer sloshes around the gasket and cap and lip of bottle. Dump it all out 10 minutes later, flipping the gasket side of the cap away from the bottle, letting the exterior of the cap rest against the side of the bottle. This way, you don't inadvertantly contaminate the cap by letting it sit against the outside of the bottle, which hasn't been sanitized. Remember that larger volume bottles will take longer to bottle carbonate, due to the ratio of surface area to liquid volume.

 

[Monstar]

I've only used swing tops, including the 1 liter jobs. No problem sanitizing (you wrote sterilizing. We don't sterilize as homebrewers, we sanitize. There is a difference). For swingtops, I put some sanitizer in the bottle, and shake it with the top loosely on, so sanitizer sloshes around the gasket and cap and lip of bottle. Dump it all out 10 minutes later, flipping the gasket side of the cap away from the bottle, letting the exterior of the cap rest against the side of the bottle. This way, you don't inadvertantly contaminate the cap by letting it sit against the outside of the bottle, which hasn't been sanitized. Remember that larger volume bottles will take longer to bottle carbonate, due to the ratio of surface area to liquid volume.

I do almost the same thing with my swing tops, but I take the gaskets off and soak them individually.

I love the swing tops. I recently moved to kegs, but swing tops are what made bottling bearable for me. Make sure to replace the gaskets on any new ones you acquire though.

 

[machinist09]

I was actually thinking about doing the tops seprately, so maybe i'll do the gaskets too. Are they usually on crazy tight? I've tried to pry one off to no avail.

 

[Bruin]

Gaskets should come off no problem. +1 about putting new gaskets on any new bottles. They are pretty cheap to buy a bag. I think the ones that come from Grolsch are only good for one use. They seem leaky after that.

 

[clayroc]

Not on that kind, I noticed the same thing with mine. They are glued or plastic welded or something. But you can get replacement swingtops when you need to replace the rubber

 

[Vector]

Looks like you will need a bench capper to put a crown cap on that bottle. A wing capper needs a lip to hold onto the bottle to crimp the cap. Don't see a lip in your picture.
I just use the swing cap. Keep it simple.

 

[Monstar]

I was actually thinking about doing the tops seprately, so maybe i'll do the gaskets too. Are they usually on crazy tight? I've tried to pry one off to no avail.

Fresh gaskets are way tight! I love it. Its more obviously sealed than bottles... I have had more problems with leaking caps than swing tops somehow

 

[machinist09]

Looks like you will need a bench capper to put a crown cap on that bottle. A wing capper needs a lip to hold onto the bottle to crimp the cap. Don't see a lip in your picture.
I just use the swing cap. Keep it simple.

I already have a bench capper. After being gentle-but-firm with my wing capper and breaking 7 bottles in a single batch, I said f*** it. The lip was shearing right off. Haven't had a single problem with the bench capper, but the height adjustment needs to be quite tight.

Not on that kind, I noticed the same thing with mine. They are glued or plastic welded or something. But you can get replacement swingtops when you need to replace the rubber

Ok, so it's not just me? I'm assuming you were using the same "Howe Sound" bottles, based on your location. They are readily available around here.

 

[Eisendrath]

I have over 200 swing tops in rotation. I use
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=1322
with the swing tops attached to sanitize them and
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=910
to dry them. Works like a charm.

Now I keg. Life is so much simpler.
Pour a beer, drink, put glass in dish washer, repeat tomorrow night.

 

[MetallHed]

Ok, so it's not just me? I'm assuming you were using the same "Howe Sound" bottles, based on your location. They are readily available around here.

I used two Howe Sound bottles on my stout, bottled last week. I hope they carb up fine... I was planning on capping them but didn't realize the wing capper wouldn't work until after I filled them. So, I sanitized the swing tops and put them on.

Does anyone think I'll run into a problem with aging? I was hoping to save these for about a year before drinking. Will I lose carbonation? I didn't replace the gaskets, as I didn't plan on using them.

 

[Zamial]

Does anyone think I'll run into a problem with aging?

No.

I got 24 1 liter/quart bottles that are the EZ-cap brand name for x-mas. I also had 4 smaller bottles. I now have started buying beer in brown swing top bottles exclusively. It can be tough to track them down...but I love mine. I am no longer saving 12oz. capable bottles and will slowly gift/competition them away...

Swing tops are nicer than the crown caps IMO because you will not need a bottle opener to get inside...

They age just fine too. SWMBO and I each had a Stout from '09 in a flip top and it was perfect in every way...so that is 2 years-ish for aging.

Sunlight is hard on the gaskets and so I try not to let them sit in direct sun light longer than needed, just like the beer inside the bottle...

 

[MetallHed]

Good to know. This was my first experience with swing tops, so far so good!

 

[Brett_Bellmore]

Not on that kind, I noticed the same thing with mine. They are glued or plastic welded or something. But you can get replacement swingtops when you need to replace the rubber

Glad I found this comment. Got some swing top bottles off of craigslist, and wanted to replace the washers, and they were stuck, bad. I thought this was the washer going bad. I guess they're just made that way, and I'll need to replace the swing top when the washer is no longer serviceable.

Is the lid hardware on these things universal? Or do I have to worry about getting the right replacement tops?