Tips for bottling?

[trogdor447]

I just finished bottling everything last night - unfortunately as my first batch i couldnt really enjoy a home brew while bottling....

regardless - i looked ateverything today and 2 of the bottles had a little bubbles in them. So i tipped the bottle and it dripped just a smidge, Looking at the two the caps were tilted just a little bit.

The rest appear to be entirely fine - Now i know next time to pay more attention? The second bottle didnt have a leak but was on crooked. Do you think this was my novice or perhaps a potential issue in the capper?

 

[MaxStout]

What kind of capper did you use?

In the beginning it takes a few bottles to get the right "feel" for a proper crimp. Maybe those 2 bottles were among the first you capped.

 

[trogdor447]

Likely they were in the first batch - Umm.. the brewers best - i have a couple packs of brewers best caps, i purchased a pack plus some others that dad had left over.. I'm not sure the 'brand' capper its got 2 arms that swing on the side and pull down - you can see when its 'right' as the 2 slots go up through the grove i guess - that is how i was looking at it lol

thats very possible - i guess ill improve with time perhaps to swing tops

 

[Potamus]

I use the same type of capper. I put the cap onto the magnet and lower it onto the bottle, then gently move it around to ensure it's flat before pulling down the levers. Making sure everything's level will also help you avoid cracking bottles when crimping, which I did a few times early on.

 

[Beergazzi]

I usually crimp twice, once, then rotate a little and again.

Also, once you acheive the initial pressure around the bottle, do not push down on the handles / down on the bottle, think of breaking a pencil, and use that motion to lift the bottle into the cap instead.

 

[unionrdr]

I always dunk my o2 caps in Starsan before resting them on top of the filled bottles. The take the capper to them. You have to get those wing cappers on there as level as possible bnefore crimping. That always helped me get'em on straight.

 

[perkowskyf2]

what type of bottles do you have? are you reusing pop top bottles that you previously drank beer from or were they purchased from your local brew supply store?

 

[BigFloyd]

Certain bottles seem to do better with the wing cappers than others. Ones with a wider collar below the ring where the cap sits/seals tend to do well. The ones with the narrow collar can be a problem to seal well and I've had a few crack even when being very gentle.

One of the best bits of gear I got for the bottling process (next to the Vinator) is an Agata Super Bench capper. I like it much better than my old wing capper.

 

[trogdor447]

so many different techniques all seem to work - heck i ahve no idea what kind of bottles... I got em at the local home brew store - i guess ill pay more attention from here in

 

[perkowskyf2]

just asking about the type of bottle because we have reused store bought bottles such as sam adams and also bought bottle from our local brew store. We noticed that we have had a few brand bought bottles such as stella and Abita that would give us capping issues. Never had a problem with the brew store bottles. If your using the wing capper like me just make sure you are applying even pressure on both sides when you are capping. if you are still having trouble it would be best to invest in a decent bench capper like bigfloyd had mentioned.

 

[BinghamtonEd]

+1 on the Abita bottles, I stopped using them. The little lip below the mouth interferes with the capper. I've used them a couple times, and never had issues as far as leaking or undercarbonation, but the cap never really seems to sit just right, so I tossed them.

 

[KepowOb]

just asking about the type of bottle because we have reused store bought bottles such as sam adams and also bought bottle from our local brew store. We noticed that we have had a few brand bought bottles such as stella and Abita that would give us capping issues. Never had a problem with the brew store bottles. If your using the wing capper like me just make sure you are applying even pressure on both sides when you are capping. if you are still having trouble it would be best to invest in a decent bench capper like bigfloyd had mentioned.

I used some Stella bottles in my last batch and it was a nightmare. I thought I figured out a trick to them eventually while I was doing it, but I've run into a couple now that didn't cap properly and came out flat... won't be using them again, heh.

Guinness and Leffe bottles are my favourite store bought ones so far, though Heineken work fine as well. Being in Canada (maybe only in Quebec??), the craft beer companies here all use twist-tops, only the imports seem to be pry-tops .