Bottle Capping

[Morrey]

I have saved some Stella Artois bottles to use for at least some of a new batch I am staging to bottle. I typically keg or use Grolsch stopper bottles but a bit short for a full batch.

I have a wing capper from Northern Brewers. For the life of me, I cannot get the Stella bottle to cap properly. Thank goodness I had presence of mind to do a capping test before bottling day. It seems the capper jaws doesn't have much of any kind of "structure" to bite down on for a good cap crimp.

Am I doing anything wrong? I almost always keg, sometimes use Grolsch bottles, but RARELY bottle.

 

[emcfarden]

If you've bottled before you'll know how it feels when the cap goes on the bottle correctly. Its pretty foolproof so I think its probably the Stella bottles. I would ditch them and go for some brown ones, you don't want to run the risk of the beer going bad if you're not confident they are capping well.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

I have saved some Stella Artois bottles to use for at least some of a new batch I am staging to bottle. I typically keg or use Grolsch stopper bottles but a bit short for a full batch.

I have a wing capper from Northern Brewers. For the life of me, I cannot get the Stella bottle to cap properly. Thank goodness I had presence of mind to do a capping test before bottling day. It seems the capper jaws doesn't have much of any kind of "structure" to bite down on for a good cap crimp.

Am I doing anything wrong? I almost always keg, sometimes use Grolsch bottles, but RARELY bottle.

Been there done that. Stella bottles don't work. Read the thread I started should help.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=571475

 

[PADave]

I've had a bottle or two that I couldn't cap. Forgot what brand, but that cap was not going on.

 

[hikemor]

Some bottles have smaller "lobes" below the lip which means the capper is more fully depressed before it engages. I had this problem with Dos Equis bottles IIRC.

As others have said, I also have had good results with Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada bottles.

 

[Nicknack]

Been there done that. Stella bottles don't work. Read the thread I started should help.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=571475

I'm interested about knowing more regarding the Stella bottles because I used 3-4 with my last brew. I looked through the link you provided but didn't see anything relating to Stella. What is wrong with Stella bottles?

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

I'm interested about knowing more regarding the Stella bottles because I used 3-4 with my last brew. I looked through the link you provided but didn't see anything relating to Stella. What is wrong with Stella bottles?

The point of the last thread was just showing that not every bottle works. I used Stella bottles...quite a few of them b/c I really enjoy that beer before realizing they don't cap...they simple just don't. When you think they are capped....after wasting several tops and waiting three weeks you will be disappointed with the lack of carbonation. Use them at your own risk.

 

[Nicknack]

The point of the last thread was just showing that not every bottle works. I used Stella bottles...quite a few of them b/c I really enjoy that beer before realizing they don't cap...they simple just don't. When you think they are capped....after wasting several tops and waiting three weeks you will be disappointed with the lack of carbonation. Use them at your own risk.

Talk about great timing and irony. Just about all of my recent batch was bottled in brown bottles but being that I had a couple extra 22oz Stella bottles hanging around, I used them as well. I decided to have a pale ale last night so I grabbed one of the Stella bottles and guess what... hardly any carbonation. First time I have ever experienced this. Besides not liking the green bottle, no more Stella bottles for me.

 

[ArthurDigbySellers]

Never tried capping a Stella bottle but I do get different "feels" depending on the bottle. I have a wing capper and Sierra Nevada bottles, while they actually cap fine, seem to grip the capper after I pull the wings back up. It takes a little extra pull to get it off. My typical brown bottles don't do that but both seem to seal fine.

 

[Nicknack]

I sure hope sierra nevada bottles are okay because I have two cases of them waiting for my next brew.

 

[ArthurDigbySellers]

I sure hope sierra nevada bottles are okay because I have two cases of them waiting for my next brew.

They are fine. Probably half of my bottles are SN bottles. They just grip my wing capper on release for some reason. Never had problems with them sealing properly. You're good.

 

[zchwlsn]

Sierra Nevada are my favorite bottles to use

 

[WrQth]

Get a benchtop capper and problem solved

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/super-agata-bench-capper

 

[ArthurDigbySellers]

Get a benchtop capper and problem solved

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/super-agata-bench-capper

I used a bench capper to help a local brewery bottle 600+ bombers of beer a few months ago. It may have been the quality of the capper itself but I did not like it one bit. It felt flimsy and I had a hard time telling if the cap had actually sealed or not. I loved the fact that I could pre-load a cap since the bell was magnetized, but other than that I was not sold on it.

 

[Nicknack]

Get a benchtop capper and problem solved

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/super-agata-bench-capper

I have a wing capper and used it for my last two batches without any problems until opening the Stella bottle last night. All other brews so far have sealed just fine. Why would a bench capper have any different results? Also, what problem are you referring to - the Stella bottle issue or what was mentioned about SN bottles?

 

[Nicknack]

I used a bench capper to help a local brewery bottle 600+ bombers of beer a few months ago. It may have been the quality of the capper itself but I did not like it one bit. It felt flimsy and I had a hard time telling if the cap had actually sealed or not. I loved the fact that I could pre-load a cap since the bell was magnetized, but other than that I was not sold on it.

I just started brewing a couple months ago. I was going to get one as I'm all about making brewing as efficient and effective as possible. However, after reading a lot of reviews I decided to stay with my wing capper.

 

[WrQth]

I have a wing capper and used it for my last two batches without any problems until opening the Stella bottle last night. All other brews so far have sealed just fine. Why would a bench capper have any different results? Also, what problem are you referring to - the Stella bottle issue or what was mentioned about SN bottles?

The bench capper does not need to "grasp" the bottle to hold the cap on the bottle allowing the the bell to close the cap and seal it. I believe there is also a 29mm bell and cap that some (though very limited) imported beers use

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

I sure hope sierra nevada bottles are okay because I have two cases of them waiting for my next brew.

Those work fantastic in my experience, one of the easiest ones I've used. Sorry to hear about the Stella bottle situation its a real bummer I know the feeling.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Wing capers work just fine guys, here is the part I think people mess up. Once you put the cap down and clamp to tighten don't lift the caper straight up you will actually pop the cap off. Take your time to release and bring the wing back up then pull up and you should have much better results.

 

[CJ-3]

The reason I prefer a bench capper to a wing capper is this:

I had problems with a wing capper when the bottles did not have a large enough shoulder to clamp onto.
A bench capper works regardless of the shoulder size as it only uses downward pressure.

 

[GHBWNY]

If you've bottled before you'll know how it feels when the cap goes on the bottle correctly. Its pretty foolproof so I think its probably the Stella bottles.

This^^^ It's definitely a "feel" thing. Corona bottles don't cap well, either. While you don't want to put your beer in clear bottles, I had to in a pinch. They resisted being crimped and the winded capper didn't want to let loose easily. Avoid.

 

[Jon38464]

I have saved some Stella Artois bottles to use for at least some of a new batch I am staging to bottle. I typically keg or use Grolsch stopper bottles but a bit short for a full batch.

I have a wing capper from Northern Brewers. For the life of me, I cannot get the Stella bottle to cap properly. Thank goodness I had presence of mind to do a capping test before bottling day. It seems the capper jaws doesn't have much of any kind of "structure" to bite down on for a good cap crimp.

Am I doing anything wrong? I almost always keg, sometimes use Grolsch bottles, but RARELY bottle.

hi I literally just bottled my first home brew and would drink any beer that you had to use a bottle opener on it to open...well tonight I found out there is a difference in the bottles one has a long grabbing point and one has a short grabbing point I did bust 3 bottles doing this for the first time but the Stella Artois green bottles wouldnt work but the Stella Artois cidre bottles that are clear worked perfect

 

[TKWoody]

I had a wing capper, but had problems with bottles breaking. Mostly short bottles - Summit, Anchor. I switched to a table top capper and haven't had any problems since. (It also has the side benefit of allowing me to say I own a Ferrari.)

 

[Jon38464]

Lol,I understand that.I will try this one more time with a different bottle capper and u can bet if I continue to brew I will either go Ferrari style or keg it,talk about frustration.

 

[deadwolfbones]

My personal gripe is Lagunitas bottles. I drink so damn much of their beer and the bottles are useless to me. Another reason I'm glad they're going to cans...

 

[Jon38464]

I am new at hb but seen threads were if u plan on bottling your beer drink craft beer that you have to use a bottle opener on.....well I did this for 60 beers some good some bad..but i had the bottles for sure little did I know the difference untill I had the beer in the bottles and capped a few..well there is a big difference..some have a little grabbing point some have a longer grabbing point ..talk about frustration..luckily I had checked out a local craft brewery and bought the growler bottles 2 different times and was ables to use them because I didn't have enough long grabbing points..my advice is preparation before you jump in.. lol as I did

 

[Morrey]

I am new at hb but seen threads were if u plan on bottling your beer drink craft beer that you have to use a bottle opener on.....well I did this for 60 beers some good some bad..but i had the bottles for sure little did I know the difference untill I had the beer in the bottles and capped a few..well there is a big difference..some have a little grabbing point some have a longer grabbing point ..talk about frustration..luckily I had checked out a local craft brewery and bought the growler bottles 2 different times and was ables to use them because I didn't have enough long grabbing points..my advice is preparation before you jump in.. lol as I did

Yeah, Jon, that post was 2 years ago and I developed a much better bottling system since then. (Its a good thing that you are researching old threads as this is definitely how you learn on HBT)

I keg all of my beers so bottling is not a frequent occurrence. Occasionally I'll bottle a few from tap to share with friends, but this is not an every batch situation. If you decide to keg (if you are not kegging now), you'll quickly appreciate all of the plusses that kegging offers.

Going to a bar/pub and scavenging empties really is a crappy way to get bottles, and since I make my own beer to drink w/o buying much commercial product, I wouldn't have access to bottles I save myself. So....I find it much more consistent to buy the brown bottles from home brew supply stores. I also bought a bench capper, so all in all, my limited bottling efforts are consistent and easy to manage.

 

[shoengine]

Bench capper for the win. I have two, one old one that has a screw-type adjuster and a newer one that has a spring. I only lose one cap or so on average for a 5 gal batch, and the capper has excellent positive engagement as I have to bottom out each one to cap it.