Who makes the best crown caps?

[Richard_H]

Evening fellow home brewers

Probably one of the most boring subjects to be posted on here but while bottling my grapefruit and blood orange kveik yesterday I had to use 2 different 26mm caps due to my insufficient stock and it become quite obvious that the Malt Miller branded caps were far better at sealing any bottle shape all the way round when using my hand capper, probably as good as the bench capper! Then its time to use the Tappi Corona branded caps and they are clearly inferior, rarely clamping as well all the way round and with some bottle shapes they were a nightmare to use and the bench capper was needed ( I live in a flat and this is noisy, so try not to use it as much).

The Malt Miller caps had a more substantial gasket which turns out to be the Daraform liner which prevents oxidation. Is anyone aware of anything else like the Daraform liner and is there a cap out there that produces the best seal?

 

[BrewMeHappy]

I get mine from anywhere, be it from a HBS when I do an order or off eBay if I'm running low in between orders. I can't say I have ever noticed much or any difference although some I am using now seem to corrode a bit on the edges when I soak them to sterilse them. Luckily I drink my beer quick so the rust doesn't get chance to spread and affect anything

 

[Drunkula]

Wah - just bought 1.3kg of bottle caps and didn't think about them being different. I just bought them off a rando because they were all different colours and worked about 1.4p each.

The ones I've almost finished using are from the homebrew company and the lining is sort of like a foam. The new caps have a thinner liner but the inside rim is 'cupped' like a little half-pipe and the number 0 2 with the zero and 2 separated by about 2 characters of space. Just checked and all the commercial bottle caps have that shape.

The Wilko ones were the half-pipe shape and I never had trouble with those, or these foam ones.

What's the profile like on the ones you've had trouble with? EDIT: Just google imaged and it seems the Tappi Coroner have the foam liner like the ones I've just finished.

 

[Oneflewover]

I use Youngs' caps, purely because that's what my local health food shop sells (no idea why!) and I keep forgetting to add them into an order along with ingredients. Always been very happy with them, I guess they are about 3p each

 

[Richard_H]

Wah - just bought 1.3kg of bottle caps and didn't think about them being different. I just bought them off a rando because they were all different colours and worked about 1.4p each.

The ones I've almost finished using are from the homebrew company and the lining is sort of like a foam. The new caps have a thinner liner but the inside rim is 'cupped' like a little half-pipe and the number 0 2 with the zero and 2 separated by about 2 characters of space. Just checked and all the commercial bottle caps have that shape.

The Wilko ones were the half-pipe shape and I never had trouble with those, or these foam ones.

What's the profile like on the ones you've had trouble with? EDIT: Just google imaged and it seems the Tappi Coroner have the foam liner like the ones I've just finished.

I have just taken this picture which hopefully will be useful to you and hopefully your 1.3kg of caps are the good ones.

The top cap is a 29mm for the champagne style bottles and seals perfectly. The middle one is the worse performer and the bottom one is The Malt Miller and seals perfectly even with a hand capper

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Some of the members that have been here a while will remember these

Design your own bottle tops (click on any top on the site) - Custom Bottle Caps

 

[VW911]

I use Youngs' caps, purely because that's what my local health food shop sells (no idea why!) and I keep forgetting to add them into an order along with ingredients. Always been very happy with them, I guess they are about 3p each

Ceres in Yeovil?

 

[Clint]

This is exciting!

 

[Oneflewover]

Ceres in Yeovil?

Down to Earth in Dorchester

 

[Oneflewover]

This is exciting!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Messing about with the basic clip art - Custom Bottle Caps

 

[foxy]

There are the oxygen scavenging caps, whether they work is debatable. I did read an article by Ken Grossman after he stopped using them at Sierra Nevada Brewery. He said finding a liner that works in the crown caps is like looking for the Holy Grail.
https://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.u...st oxidation,stability and extends shelf life.

 

[paintingken]

Some of the members that have been here a while will remember these

Design your own bottle tops (click on any top on the site) - Custom Bottle Caps

Oh man, you just made my brewing even more expensive!

 

[fury_tea]

I use Youngs' caps, purely because that's what my local health food shop sells (no idea why!) and I keep forgetting to add them into an order along with ingredients. Always been very happy with them, I guess they are about 3p each

Kombucha makers?

 

[Oneflewover]

Kombucha makers?

They do sell a few other homebrew bits and bobs. I'm not grumbling by any means, I'm just not sure what place homebrewing has in a health food shop

 

[VW911]

That's why I asked if it was Ceres - I was surprised to see a (very limited) stock of homebrew stuff in a health food shop...

 

[Cwrw666]

Messing about with the basic clip art - Custom Bottle Caps

Six quid for 50 caps. That's nearly as much as the whole brew costs.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Six quid for 50 caps. That's nearly as much as the whole brew costs.

They are expensive but the type of brewers who want their bottles to look the business wont worry about the price.

I assume they would only use them on bottles they were giving to friends etc.

 

[fury_tea]

Six quid for 50 caps. That's nearly as much as the whole brew costs.

I might get some done. I only usually bottle around 20-30 beers a year to give away as presents or save a few to age. Definitely cheaper options if you are bottling whole batches but for the novelty I think it's worth it. Plus my friend just made me a logo so I have the perfect excuse to show it off now

 

[Cwrw666]

I've nothing against using the caps but the only options they give are for 50 or 150 which wouldn't last me five minutes. I'd quite like printed caps but I'd want a sensible price for 1 or 2 thousand.