bottling / capping

[Crastney]

I have a lot of cider to bottle, in the past I've used plastic pop bottles or wine bottles with screw lids.

I've been drinking more beer and wine, so have a supply of empty bottles now - so is it worth buying a capping device and caps?
are they generally all the same size neck, will any caps be ok, what's the difference in colour?, etc?

Thanks in advance

C

 

[Runwell-Steve]

Nearly all beer bottle crown caps are 26mm, personally i've not encounterd any different sizes. I believe you can cap the champagne type bottles with 29mm crown caps.

As for the different colours, it is just that, different colours. Different coloured caps are an easy identifier for which beer it is when all you can see are the caps when you have loads of boxes full of beer.

I would recommend getting a Bench Capper, I have tried all sorts of other versions and never had much success, although many people do have success with the 2 handled lever capper.

Bench Capper

http://www.hopandgrape.com/public/detai ... EN20182166

2 handled lever capper

http://www.hopandgrape.com/public/detai ... EL20182135

 

[Crastney]

thanks, I'll have a look at the links.

 

[oldbloke]

Youngs do plastic caps which are re-usable. But I find they hurt my thumbs when I'm trying to open a bottle. Minor inconvience. Quicker to put on.
Having said that, I have bought a capper... Not tried it yet.

 

[Vossy1]

Another vote for the bench capper here. I had the twin lever jobby but it wore out very quickly and it used to slip all over the place when applying the pressure to fix the cap, sometimes taking the bottle with it

 

[pjbiker]

Bench capper all the way. All the rest make an already tedious job even worse IMO.
some of the more handy on the forum have even made their own.

viewtopic.php?p=166077#p166077

 

[Darcey]

I haven't had any problems with my two handed caper, only wasted about 10 caps from the last 200 bottles or so... I don't have a bench caper.. because I don't have a spare bench! But after doing a 60 bottle batch I wish I had a bench so I could buy a bench caper...

 

[golder247]

I have a 2 lever capper and it is a winner but I haven't done many batches with it so a bench capper may well be on the way when I have the space.... no doubt hat using glass bottles and crown caps is better though.. so much more satisfying when you open them up!