Bottles

[Luvabeer]

hi all
My first brew is almost ready for bottling! So after collecting cleaning an sterilising my magners bottles. I’ve just been told the caps won’t seal. Can anyone advise me on this before I go to the expense of buying more bottles
Cheers Shaun

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
I use Old Mout bottles with a bench capper - no problems whatsoever.
Hand cappers can be trouble with commercial non-returnable bottles, as I've been advised on this forum.

 

[Luvabeer]

Hi!
I use Old Mout bottles with a bench capper - no problems whatsoever.
Hand cappers can be trouble with commercial non-returnable bottles, as I've been advised on this forum.

Ok col thanks for the advice.
I just been looking on eBay an there’s grolsch type bottles for sale so looks like i’ll Just have to bite the bullet.
Thanks again

 

[Luvabeer]

P

Ok col thanks for the advice.
I just been looking on eBay an there’s grolsch type bottles for sale so looks like i’ll Just have to bite the bullet.
Thanks again

p.s my capper should arrive tomorrow ish so I’ll try carbonating a bottle of water first to see if it holds

 

[The Baron]

As Col says the best thing if you are going to get into it more serious is to buy a bench capper as they will cap just about every bottle going. You will not regret it as hand ones do not to tend to work very well for any length of time and can break the necks off no such problem with a bench capper and mine does hobgoblin bottles etc which are notoriously hard to do with a standard hand held

 

[Luvabeer]

Cheers baron
Bench capper it is then
Thanks Shaun

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
Just remember to store your empty bottles carefully.
I went to prepare my bottles for the latest brew and they are minging inside! Plonker!!!!!
Oxi soak and bleach, I think.
Next time I'm going to sanitise them and cover the neck with aluminium foil.

 

[Luvabeer]

Yer done oxy soak I was going to sanitizer just before bottling! Good call. How long would bottles stay sanitized this way?
Also way fermentation finishes how long can I keep my brew in the fermentation bin before I have to bottle?
Cheers

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
Two weeks in the FV is the usual advice.
Sanitise your bottles just before using them. I use Star San, which needs only 30 seconds contact time. I sanitise a batch of 4 bottles, fill them and cap them (caps sitting in a bath of sanitiser before use).

 

[Clint]

Some sound advice on bench capper! I bought one from the off...does everything!
As for leaving your brew in the fv...til it's done! Then a week over won't harm it...

 

[Luvabeer]

Nice one clint

 

[bobukbrewer]

I have a lever column capper and use any 500 ml beer bottles wot I have emptied myself - never had any problems.......

 

[Leon103]

Why won't your caps for. Have you tried?
I have used magners in the past with hand and bench capper. No issues

 

[Luvabeer]

Yes I tried one yesterday and it seems fine. I originally asked the question because the guy in my local home brew shop said they wouldn’t seal

 

[Leon103]

Yes I tried one yesterday and it seems fine. I originally asked the question because the guy in my local home brew shop said they wouldn’t seal

He wanted you to buy bottles from him

 

[phildo79]

Hand cappers can be a real pain in the arse unless you use a very specific shaped bottle neck. After a while you will know the shape I am talking about. I have broken the neck off quite a few bottles over the years. It's dangerous and wasteful. I very quickly started collecting swing top bottles and never looked back. Quicker to close, holds pressure better, safer and you don't have to keep buying caps.

 

[parpot]

B&M, swing top brown bottles still £7.99 for 12, picked up two boxes today. slowly replacing all my old bottles

 

[DavidDetroit]

I like the swing-tops (Grolsch bottles) a LOT. I'm not sure of the ultimate pros and cons (capping vs swing-tops) of the two methods since I've never capped.
I don't know of any negatives with the swing-tops except that you have to make a commitment to drink all 16 ounces once it's opened.

 

[phildo79]

Committing to drinking 16 oz of beer has never been much of a challenge to me, in fairness.
8 quid for 12 swing tops is decent value, I guess. Personally, I refuse to buy empty bottles. I'd rather get 3 x Grolsch for a fiver in the supermarket and build my collection that way. For a short time, ASDA sold 4 x Grolsch for a fiver. Ah, those were the days!
Another way to get you hands on some 750ml or litre bottle swing tops is to pinch the one you invariably see in hotel rooms... Should you be that way inclined. If you want to make yourself feel better, you can try convincing yourself that you already paid for it along with the soap, shower cap, bog roll etc. that came with the room.

 

[phildo79]

And with that in mind, why not help yourself to the Corgi trouser press as well!