This sucks 1st time bottling

[Zixxer10R]

Thats dumb. They are like 50 cents a bottle. Why pay for something you can get for free.

Free is realtive, you've gotta pay for the beer. I realize that not really an issue, but i just wanted to place my $.02

 

[JetSmooth]

JetSmooth - What do you do with the large Ommengang bottles? Do you use a corker? I've got several of those empties, but only a standard bottle capper.

I borrowed a Colonna corker/capper from someone when I corked my Belgian. See the thread in my sig.

Now, I just collect and clean Belgian bottles as I need 'em for the next time I do a beer I need corked. I hope to get a Colonna of my own by then.

 

[BrewThruYou]

If I get a TON of bottles, I'll soak in a big bin of oxyclean solution. If I get a case or two, I'll use a Homer bucket with oxyclean solution. I think it usually fits 11-12 bottles at a time with the bottles standing upright.

My process for cleaning bottles is (this is just for storage...not sanitizing for immediate bottle fill):
1. Jet bottle washer to blast out any deposits
2. Soak in Oxyclean solution
3. Rinse out thoroughly with water
4. Hang on bottle tree

 

[PIGMAN]

I used to soak bottles in hot soapy water overnight, then the few labels & glue that didn't fall off got scrubbed off with a green scrubbie pad...
Then I discovered flip-top bottles & bought several cases new; they make bottling a breeze! With flip-tops, I can bottle twice as much in half the time...
Worth every penny.
Regards, GF.

+1! 1L fliptops have made bottling day a breeze.

 

[asterix404]

So, 100% honest here, I did not read the other posts except the ones on this page. To get rid of labels use 1cup ammonia in 5g of water and let it soak for about 3-6h. This will get rid of everything except metallic labels and plastic sealed one. Those bottles are far more trouble than they are worth. Rinse the bottles and scrub out any crud on the bottom. Rinse them again and look through them to make sure that nothing is on the bottom. Then soak the bottles in starsan for about 5min, rinse and rack. I do this in a 6.5g bucket and I can bottle 60 bottles in about 3-4h. Eventually you have a pipeline of bottles to clean, bottles soaking and bottles to rinse.

The other fun option is to build a kegerator. I hate to bottle and so I built one. Now I filled that up and I am stuck bottling again, but it goes much better with a cold beer in your hand.

 

[PIGMAN]

So here I am....boiling 4 bottles at a time waiting for labels to basically fall off I'm 3 hours into the process and I barely have 20 bottles done but I think I have my method down....any other ideas besides oxiclean I don't have any

I have to agree with the Oxyclean posts, great stuff. Also, you probably know this, but bottles with twist-off caps won't work.

 

[CaptKaos]

I just fit 50 grolsch bottles in a cheap 25 gallon rubbermaid bin.

Is two scoops of oxyclean enough?
Will it get the moldy stuff cleaned?

After reading this thread I thought I would try it.

 

[Beezy]

I don't understand the obsession with grolsh bottles. I have a few I have never used. They are green for one thing and for two I would rather cap em.

 

[passedpawn]

I don't understand the obsession with grolsh bottles. I have a few I have never used. They are green for one thing and for two I would rather cap em.

Yes and no.

Grolsch: I have a few and use them, but any color outside of dk brown bugs me.

Swing-tops: Love them. I really do. I have a bunch of odd foreign ones of odd sizes. I wish they were all fliptops.

 

[DannPM]

Dishwasher them 2-3 times back to back. Most labels fall completely off about round 2. I set it on normal wash, added heat, and dry heat combo settings.

 

[SgtB]

JetSmooth - What do you do with the large Ommengang bottles? Do you use a corker? I've got several of those empties, but only a standard bottle capper.

(apologies for the thread hijack - I soak for a few hours in a tub of hot oxyclean like most do and have no problems with labels.)

Is it the Red plastic hand capper? I found out the other day, you can pry the metal dies out and flip them around for the bigger bottles. I don't know if standard caps fit or not since I haven't messed with one yet.

 

[CaptKaos]

I don't understand the obsession with grolsh bottles. I have a few I have never used. They are green for one thing and for two I would rather cap em.

There is no obsession, they are free and easy to cap. My beer ages in a dark temperature controlled room so color of the glass doesn't matter.

I have many cases of 12 oz brown bottles that need to be crimp capped that I may never use. My friend gave up on home brewing and gave them to me. I prefer 16 oz bottles. I think common sense says it is less work to flip top seal fewer 16 oz bottles than to crimp 12 oz bottles.

 

[CaptKaos]

Dishwasher them 2-3 times back to back. Most labels fall completely off about round 2. I set it on normal wash, added heat, and dry heat combo settings.

I'm surprised that the drain doesn't clog with this method. I've had to replace the grinders in my dishwashers due to clogging issues. Then again my tenants won't care about how they treat appliances until they own them and have to pay to fix them.

 

[petey_c]

Cwetherford, Before you head off to the *mart, they sell their own brand of oxiclean. According to another thread here, it's more product for less money.

 

[PHillBrewCo]

Dishwasher them 2-3 times back to back. Most labels fall completely off about round 2. I set it on normal wash, added heat, and dry heat combo settings.

This cannot possibly be a good thing for your dishwasher...

 

[DannPM]

I'm surprised that the drain doesn't clog with this method. I've had to replace the grinders in my dishwashers due to clogging issues. Then again my tenants won't care about how they treat appliances until they own them and have to pay to fix them.

They actually don't clog, the labels do fall over the drain, but they have never fallen into the drain itself clogging it. My Dishwasher is pretty good though, it will take a good deal of small sh*t to fall though the drain cover I have on there to clog it...

 

[DannPM]

This cannot possibly be a good thing for your dishwasher...

For the love of God, I hope you're wrong. It's the dishwasher in my house, I own it.......

 

[wormraper]

You could, but for me, it makes it easier to distinguish between the beer I have in my fridge. Less confusion that way. For example, if I'm in the mood for a certain type of commercial pale ale, reach into the fridge and grab one, I'd be annoyed if I pop the cap only to see that it's really a porter I had made. If it has no label on it, I know to look at the cap.

makes sense.... maybe I'm just lazy

 

[Sober]

Wat. This is insane. Soap them for a couple minutes, peel the label, then scrub the glue off with steel scrubber. Takes no time, I do it as I drink now. Sam Adams' glue is tough compared to Leinenkugel's, Red Horse, and Newcastle. Still easy.

Guinness draft bottles are awesome. The label is a plastic wrap that cuts right off, leaving you a beautiful brown, shapely bottle.

 

[Nightbiker]

Me too. I don't care if there is a lable on my bottles or not.

Copy that! If the old label stays on, it stays on. All of the 'goodness' is inside, after all. What do >I< care if the original purpose label is there?

Hmm... come to think of it, a couple of my kegs still have a PepsiCo sticker on 'em -never bothered me much in that regard either -the keg stays in the kegerator.
Now, if I were sending a bottle to competition, I would choose one without a label (or when I eventually get around to making my own, I'd put it in that one) but for family and friends? No, they don't care anymore than I do.
I do, however, put little round labels on the caps so I know whats actually on the inside (grin).

 

[Nightbiker]

I have to agree with the Oxyclean posts, great stuff. Also, you probably know this, but bottles with twist-off caps won't work.

Not true. You can certainly cap them (I use a bench capper) but don't expect to get many uses (recycles) out of 'em. They are thinner walled and (in my opinion) not worth the risk -but in a pinch they WILL certainly work and I've never had one not seal.

Swing-tops -I love 'em! My favorites are the ones that Hoogstraten Poorter comes in -I really like those because you can crown 'em first, then once you pop the cap, you can close 'em with the swing top if you don't finish off the bottle (not usually a problem, but the thought is nice). One day I'll make a decent clone of that stuff. But I'd LOVE to find crownable flip-top bottles. I'd buy a case or two in a heartbeat.

 

[CaptKaos]

My first experience with oxyclean was amazing. Last night I took 50 old, stinky and moldy grolsch bottles that still had labels on them and soaked them in a 25 gallon rubbermaid container. This afternoon i found that the labels had fallen off and were on the bottom of the bin. Mold and caked on funk was gone as well. Just to make sure I scrubbed all with a bottle brush and rinsed them inside and out. Total time for washing 50 nasty bottles is an hour.

I will be using them to bottle tonight.

 

[unionrdr]

PBW did the exact same thing for me. Seems like they're both good for the tough jobs. And both need rinsing. I think the PBW just needs less tedious rinsing?...ime,anyway.

 

[nunyafnb]

You already mentioned you were going to pick up some Oxyclean, but just so you know, it can be used for FAR more than removing labels. It works wonders for cleaning carboys and fermentors, and more! Worst case, even if you didn't use it for anything else, you can still use it to do laundry! It's a win/win. Just try to get the Oxyclean "Free" without the dyes and perfumes.

 

[bambam190]

I always just fill the kitchen sink, let 'em soak overnight, then take scotch pad (one of those green things) wipe my spin the bottle 2-3 time in my hand then put them in the dishwasher upside down, with no soap and a hot dry. When they are done I take saran wrap and cover them to keep the insides from becoming contaminated.

That being said, I keg most of my beer, we only draw 1/2 dozen or so tops from each keg to bring to the homebrew Club and allow to age for future testing. I bottle when I keg and throw a coopers tab in them, works great.

 

[HammeredHillBilly]

Was drinking in a bar the other day; got talkin bout making wine and brewing beer. A dude in there says he has a bunch of bottles. Long story short; I ended up with fifteen 12 pack cases of 22 oz. bottles, and ten 12 pack cases of them ez cap 16 oz. bottles with the metal levers n gasketed plastic lids. Also i prefer the pbw to clean them with.

 

[JeepDiver]

But I'd LOVE to find crownable flip-top bottles. I'd buy a case or two in a heartbeat.

For at least the last 6 months or so EZ-Cap has been advertising crowanble flip tops in Zymurgy and BYO

 

[Big_Belgian]

Craigslist had been a great resource for flip-top bottles for me - mostly from homebrewers who moved to kegging. I wouldn't say there's a huge difference in terms of process time on bottling night as compared to crown caps, but they are a bit bigger bottles (16 or 22 oz) so there's less to do.

 

[Nightbiker]

For at least the last 6 months or so EZ-Cap has been advertising crowanble flip tops in Zymurgy and BYO

Cool! Thanks for the heads-up!!

 

[smalliewader]

For super easy to clean, I'll throw Pacifico Clara bottles out there too. Easiest I've found to remove and not a bad poolside beer when it's really hot outside.