Which of these bottles should I avoid?

[dancingbarefoot]

OK, it's time to bottle my porter, so I'm collecting up all my bottles. I have enough brown 22 oz. bottles to bottle the entire batch, but I'm thinking of putting some in smaller bottles (especially for events where I'm not certain I'd get the bottles back).

I have the following 12 oz. bottles, mostly donated by roommates and friends who think I'm nuts for homebrewing but who encourage me anyway. Which should I definitely avoid?

brown
Belhaven

green
Dos Equis
Becks
Grolsch (non-fliptop)

If I keep the green bottles in a sealed Rubbermaid container, is that enough to avoid the skunking, or should I just recycle these?

I did search for this info but couldn't find some of the brands (especially Belhaven). Any advice appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Check the necks of those import green bottles. Some of the German ones I've seen aren't the same style as my capper requires.

 

[Yooper]

I've tried to cap Dos Equis bottles, and they don't seem to work. The lip on them is not right for a hand capper. maybe they'd work with a bench capper, though. I think I remember using the green Grolsch bottles and they worked ok, but I've never tried Beck's or Bellhaven bottles.

The green bottles are ok for giving as gifts- I keep my bottled beer in cardboard boxes while they condition and then stick them in the fridge. The green ones have never skunked on me (yet) and I have over 150 green grolsch (ceramic cap) bottles.

Lorena

 

[Wolf]

I just used soem Dos Equis bottles someone gave me and had trouble with them. I think I got them capped okay, but I won't know until drinking time.

You didn't list them, but as a heads-up Stella Artois is good for nothing...you can't even use the bottles. Could not get a cap on a single one of them.
I have some green grolsch bottles I use, I put my beer in empty 12 pack boxes until fridge time, so I'm not too worried about skunking.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Check the necks of those import green bottles. Some of the German ones I've seen aren't the same style as my capper requires.

Do the clamps on your capper come out so you can turn them 180 degrees to change the size of the neck grip? Mine do...

 

[dancingbarefoot]

Check the necks of those import green bottles. Some of the German ones I've seen aren't the same style as my capper requires.

Yeah, that's where part of my uncertainty comes in. Some of the bottles have really thick rims, so I doubt the caps will seal properly. Guess I should just test a couple out with the capper.

I've tried to cap Dos Equis bottles, and they don't seem to work. The lip on them is not right for a hand capper. maybe they'd work with a bench capper, though. I think I remember using the green Grolsch bottles and they worked ok, but I've never tried Beck's or Bellhaven bottles.

The green bottles are ok for giving as gifts- I keep my bottled beer in cardboard boxes while they condition and then stick them in the fridge. The green ones have never skunked on me (yet) and I have over 150 green grolsch (ceramic cap) bottles.

Thanks for the reassurance about green bottles! Last time (this is only my second batch), I kept all the bottles in a closed Rubbermaid container so that if any of them exploded, it'd be easier to clean up. So I thought that should be enough to keep light away from them, too.

I've heard both good and bad reports of using Dos Equis bottles, so I think I'll just avoid them.

I just used soem Dos Equis bottles someone gave me and had trouble with them. I think I got them capped okay, but I won't know until drinking time.

You didn't list them, but as a heads-up Stella Artois is good for nothing...you can't even use the bottles. Could not get a cap on a single one of them.
I have some green grolsch bottles I use, I put my beer in empty 12 pack boxes until fridge time, so I'm not too worried about skunking.

OK, cool. Thanks for the info!

Thanks, ladies & gents!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Do the clamps on your capper come out so you can turn them 180 degrees to change the size of the neck grip? Mine do...

Never checked - I switched to kegging very quickly and bottle rarely now. I have a couple of cases worth of bottles + 6 kegs, so I don't get concerned about throwing out the odd bottle here and there. I'll check my capper, though. Thanks for the info!

 

[homebrewer_99]

You're welcome.

Some of the red cappers have 2 cresent shapes on the clamps. One radius (arc) is larger (see right side of clamp/grip in picture) than the other for different size bottle necks.

Some just have one cresent side and one flat side...you can't change them.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Ok, that makes sense for different neck diameters, but here's a pic of what I'm talking about (just happened to have the requisite example bottles in the fridge):

Note how shallow the flare is on the bottle on the right. My capper doesn't grab that sufficiently to cap. It does, however have the reversible jaws you mention.

 

[homebrewer_99]

OK, that's correctable also. Go back to my pic.

See the crimper (bowl part with the magnet in the center)? UNSCREW IT a couple of threads and it will reduce the space between the clamps and the crimper. Should work.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Got it. For the few bottles I encounter that are like that, I'm probably not going to bother making the adjustments. Thanks again, though, for the bottle capping education!

 

[homebrewer_99]

Again, you're welcome.

 

[tron]

Does anyone know if Heineken bottles will work with most standard cappers. I am new to brewing and have a friend that will drink Heineken like its his job and that seems to be a cheaper alternative than buying new bottles. What about Amstel Light bottles as well.

 

[chillHayze]

Yes I have used heini and becks. Both work, but alas they are green and not optimal. I never had a problem with skunking but then again I keep them either in a dark closet or the fridge.