Cracking bottles during capping

So I'm bottling up a batch tonight and had a bunch of issues with bottles cracking. First I had some chipping/cracking they were either Lagunitas IPA or Founders All Day IPA bottles, 4 cracked right off the top, they were never used for home brew before. So I stopped using those and then I get to some New Belgium Co. ones, also never used for home brew and the first two the whole top cracked right off!

Any have any issues before with either of these bottles and home brew bottling?

FYI: I use the regular black betty capper.

Thanks!

I've never had a bottle crack from crimping on a cap. I use a bench capper though.

Well, I'm not familiar with the black Betty capper you speak of, but I have to wonder if you're using the proper size capper head for your bottles. Perhaps it's too small? I've never had a bottle crack on me while capping.

I use both bottles you state regularly, (New Belguim are my favorite bottles) I have the red capper and a bench capper, never had any issues with either

my bad Black Beauty, I got it from Midwest

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/black-beauty-bottle-capper.html

Just found it really odd. I used caps from Midwest too...I've bottled a few other batches with this capper too and no issues. Might need to do some testing with water filled bottles.

There's something funny about those lagunitas bottles. I've never been able to get caps to seal tight on them with my capper. The caps just spin and I have no confidence in them so I don't use those bottles anymore.

I had the black beauty, cracked one bottle, went out and bought the bench capper. I haven't been happier since. It's just so much easier with the bench capper!!

I stopped using New Belgium bottles because a high percentage of them broke when I tried capping them with my wing capper.

Yeah, I never liked the New Belgium bottles. I've never broken or even cracked or chipped any bottles with my wing capper in over 2 years of use, but the New Belgium bottles always seemed weak to me and just didn't clamp on the same as some others. I have the "Red Baron" wing capper and it has worked great for me, but a bench capper will always be better.

In my experience Bell's, Three Floyds, and Sam Adams make pretty good bottles for re-using. Any of the standard long neck bottles that don't have funky things going on tend to work pretty well.

The capping "bell' in my Red Baron will come unscrewed sometimes. Your Black Beauty might also and that will cause you problems. Easy to check and fix if that is the problem. I've managed to break 2 bottles with my capper but that was attributed to operator error.

I have a Red Baron capper as well as a bench capper...and I actually prefer the Red Baron. Now, with that said, I have broken a couple of bottles in about 30 batches of homebrew. I was just way too vigorous pulling down the handles on the Red Baron! Most of my bottles are either Sam Adams or New Glarus Brewing [Wisconsin ONLY brewer], with some odds and ends thrown in. I have no idea of the origin of the bottles that broke.

glenn514

New Belgian Bottle crack easily. So far they are the only ones I have ever been able to crack and I think I have only had 2 that didn't crack on me out of the dozen or so I tried before I gave up and recycled those bottles.

I cracked one bottle..the first bottle of my first batch (I was like 'OH NO')...then I read a good tip on using a capper. Use the capper to "lift" the bottle into the cap, not push the cap down on the bottle. He said to 'pretend the capper is a pencil that you are trying to snap into two', use that motion.

That way you dont put much weight on the bottle, and the capper will even out pressure. If you lean onto the bottles too much, you make be alittle crooked and bust it.

Beergazzi said:

I cracked one bottle..the first bottle of my first batch (I was like 'OH NO')...then I read a good tip on using a capper. Use the capper to "lift" the bottle into the cap, not push the cap down on the bottle. He said to 'pretend the capper is a pencil that you are trying to snap into two', use that motion.

That way you dont put much weight on the bottle, and the capper will even out pressure. If you lean onto the bottles too much, you make be alittle crooked and bust it.

Click to expand...

great tip, thanks!