One for the bottle cappers out there

[prodigal2]

Thanks to DaaBs suggestion I have used these reusable caps on my beer bottles:


so far I have used them on 2 batches of ale(ZDO, and stunner) and 2 batches of TC and they have performed faultlessly and I am also in profit compared to crown caps.
And the deal clincher, they are so much easier to use than crown caps, and save time on bottling day. They seem to hold the pressure well on my TC which is well carbonated(30ml AJ per 500ml bottle). As yet I am unsure of long term storage with these, but my one batch I have laid down(THA) I did not want to commit my store of these caps for such a long period, so I crown capped, but I think I need to get another 100-200 so I can be free of CC for most of my batches, appart from the beers I wish to give away(well I don't want to waste them )
Price £1.48 from H&G for 40, they are also available from Leyland, but the price is not as good.

[Curious Brew]

Ooo I like the look of those.

Much cheaper than a capper and blanks.

[prodigal2]

They are the mutts-nuts as they say. I keep pre-boiled water in glass bottles in the fridge capped with these, very handy. They are great for capping bottles after bottling from a corni too.
I also keep a tub filled with antiformin (beer line cleaner) on the window sill in the kitchen (bleach would do), in there are taps, air locks, bungs, grommets and a load of these caps so they can be quickly rinsed and used at a moments notice. A much better alternative to swing tops

I use my old oxi pots to keep the used ones in and when I do the bottle bleach rinse thing on bottling day I just bung them in, and once rinsed I sit them in a bowl of sodium met solution till I pop them on the bottles.

I actually hate crown capping more than rinsing and cleaning bottles, so these have been a boon, ta DaaB for the recomendation. And they are one less thing to get shipped to my house and make sure I have adequate stock of.

[prodigal2]

Mind you, at £1.48 for 40 you wouldn't be out of pocket if you chucked them away after each use and ordered fresh with each batch of ingredients.

Very true, but for me it means its one less thing I have to rely on suppliers for, and because they are recyclable they give me a "hug a hippie" moment.
I will in the near future use them on a longer maturing batch and see how they hold up.

[CrownCap]

I actually hate crown capping

No, no, that's the best bit! (Then again I would say that)

Seriously though, I love that "shhhhh" as you crack open a crown capped bottle. Makes all the effort worth while IMO

[prodigal2]

I actually hate crown capping

No, no, that's the best bit! (Then again I would say that)

Seriously though, I love that "shhhhh" as you crack open a crown capped bottle. Makes all the effort worth while IMO

I must admit that is very satisfying Though you get the shhhhhh with these caps, its not the same experience

If you are a bottler like us chaps, you have to find a way of making the job as fluid and enjoyable as possible, and these caps for me fit the bill, and mean I don't put of bottling or just use 2L PET bottles because I have been let down again by a shipment.

[iowalad]

Intersting caps - Had a look around and didn't see any on the websites for my homebrew supplies.

A new homebrew store is opening up in town on October 1st - hopefully will provide decent service with competitive prices.

[anomalous_result]

A much better alternative to swing tops

But they don't look as good.

(I've just bought enough swingtops for 5 gallons so my opinion may be based on the fact that I don't want to feel like I've wasted my money)

[prodigal2]

Bit of a update here all.

I have had my brambling beauty in some bottles for just over 4 months, and yes they only held a cask level of carbonation, BUT they have been well preserved, and drink well.
So if your a bottler and looking for low carbonation, these are defiantly the ticket, and they also are reusable. But if your looking for normal bottle levels of carbonation don't use these type of bottle caps.

[booldawg]

They certainly look an attractive alternative to someone like myself who tends to rush brews out of primary and end up with beer slightly more carbonated than I can give half a teaspoon of sugar per bottle for Yes, there is something aesthetically pleasing about crown caps because they look and feel like the real deal, but guess I'll soon change my opinion when a bottle blows on me!