Does milk really work?

[cbrewcrew]

I have seen you can use milk to adhere labels to your bottles. Does it really work? Any tips? Should I use something else instead?

 

[passedpawn]

It works well. Use a paint brush, brush bottle, apply label, then brush outside of label or it will curl. Print on laserjet: colors won't run. Inkjet: colors run.

There is someone on here that used gelatin and said it worked better.

 

[davekippen]

I have used it with great success! It wont hold up to a cooler with ice, but they are great for fridge beers! I put a little milk in a small plate and folded up a paper towel. I dipped the edge of the towel in the milk and used it like a brush on the back of the paper. I did not do the front and dont remember any curling. Maybe I got lucky!

 

[cbrewcrew]

Thanks. Does 2% work or does it have to be whole?

 

[passedpawn]

Thanks. Does 2% work or does it have to be whole?

2% works. I used it.

 

[mrphillips]

HA! I've never tried this, but love the idea! I have 100 bottles to cap in 2 weeks, and I will be employing this technique. Thanks for the idea.

 

[ianw58]

2% works. I used it.

Actually, if you're going to use milk, fat free is even better. Not fat to go rancid.

I used to use milk to glue labels on bottles. I've switched to gelatine.

As long as the gelatine is allowed to bloom and heated up to 150°F, it will stand up robbing in a cooler for a few hours without falling off. Hit the label with hot water and the label comes right off.

 

[cbrewcrew]

I went with 2% milk and it worked great. And it was very cheap and easy. Already had milk and it took barely any milk at all to do. I would recommend it to anybody.

 

[ltwhiskers]

I tried this today with 2% and it was a total fail. Maybe it was the printer paper I used but 80% of my labels curled at the edges and were easily brushed off when I tried to pick them up. :/

 

[cbrewcrew]

I used gloss paper and printed with an inkjet. Gloss gives it more of a label look.

 

[titansvol]

I have used 2% in the past with great success

 

[Jayslay]

I tried this for the first time yesterday. Decent quality printer paper with a laser printer at work. Cut the labels out carefully with scissors. I took a basting brush and and sauce cup filled with 2% Canadian milk I did a wet coat on the back. The edges tried to curl back, so I grabbed it and stuck it on the bottle. Smoothed the label with some paper towel to blot the excess milk that comes out. At this point I just put the bottle in my holding cabinet. Today I pulled one out and it was quite firmly attached. By that I mean I could not even get a corner to peel, handed it to my fiancé and she couldn't scratch it easily.

So it seems to work. I would advise to use enough but don't soak it to avoid excess bottle grime. And after it's dry you can clean up any remaining dried milk.




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[cbrewcrew]

I'm glad it worked out for you. They look awesome ��

 

[WoodlandBrew]

Milk has worked great for me. Skim, 2%, whole, cream, lactaid. it doesn't seem to matter. The easiest way I have found to apply it is to poor some onto a sponge on a small plate. Then press the label onto the sponge to get it a little bit damp.

 

[Cadensdad16]

Are you ppl just using regular copy paper or something different? In theory this technique just seems like it would look like crap. But im printing some out and trying it tonight.


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[Oginme]

I use regular 24 lb bond. I have used 20 lb bond before, but I like the 24 lb better, it has more opacity. BTW, you can cut out really nice shapes and stuff, but I've found that the 8-1/2" width of the paper makes a great full bottle wrap with just a little overlap to help seal the ends.

 

[Cadensdad16]

The milk worked awesome.

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[NTexBrewer]

It is possible to use a regular inkjet printer and plain paper. I also use a corner cutter that I borrow from my daughter. This seems to prevent edges from peeling and I like the look. I just use a paper towel to put the milk on the back side of the label. It will start to curl outward but then I use another paper towel to press the label and hold for a few seconds and it adheres.

Both are using a Canon Inkjet printer. The first is using plain copy paper. The second is using glossy presentation paper.