Beer caps and cappers, how and what to use when bottling beer
Keep every link and image. Cleaner layout. Same advice.Once I was bottling beer I got about 10 bottles into capping them and I remembered that I hadn’t added any sugar for carbonation.
I quickly opened the beers and added the sugar and got back to it.
But what if I had forgotten to add the sugar?
That’s a beer bottling horror story right there.
NE how, this is a nice point to talk about what kind of bottle caps you can use to put on your carefully crafted home brew.
The answer is that you can use pretty much any crown seal on your beer but you just need to remember that some crown seals are better than others.
In my experience is best to go with a branded bottle cap rather than the cheapest you can find. I've found the cheaper ones tend to be less forgiving when using a bottle capper and they are more prone to being rendered unusable if you make a mistake.
The ever-popular beer company, Mr Brewer has a handy pack of 144 crown metal caps for a fair price. There is actually plenty of caps to choose from on Amazon, compare the prices and options.
What do I use to cap beer bottles with?
You need a beer capper. Beer cappers come in two forms, being the hand held wing tool and the bench capper.
The wing hand held capper
The hand held capper is a popular way to cap your beer. Often called wing or universal Rigamonti cappers or Red Baron, they are pretty handy and durable to use.
Sometimes they are called the Mad Millie or the Emily. Mad Millie reminds us of an old girl friend but we digress.
They do have a couple of draw backs, they can sometimes be hard to separate from the capped bottle if you've applied too much pressure and if you do apply to much force, then you can break the glass bottle. This happens fairly often in my experience or the bottles have been reused too much and they final succumb to the pressure.
Overall, they are pretty good units to use. It's actually very satisfying getting a cap on a bottle properly, there is this sudden thump moment when the crown bends down and forms the seal.
Most US beer bottles take a 26 mm crown cap, most others take a 29 mm cap. The jaws on the red capper can be pulled out and reversed to crimp size 29 caps. They can be lodged in quite tight, but they are easy to pull out with a pair of pliers.
Can get a bit tiring on the arms after a while, so you might want to consider using a:
Using a Bench Capper for capping brews
| Step | What to Do | Why It Matters | Tips and Checks | Wing vs Bench |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Prep bottles, caps, and priming sugar | Clean and sanitize bottles. Measure and add priming sugar to each bottle or use a priming solution in a bottling bucket. Place clean crowns in a small bowl. Sanitizing caps is optional if they are clean, many brewers soak in sanitizer for full coverage. | Sanitation prevents infections. Priming sugar ensures carbonation. Organized prep keeps your rhythm tight. | Double check you added sugar before capping. Use 26 mm crowns for most US bottles, 29 mm for larger European bottles. | Works for both. Bench cappers suit high throughput and mixed bottle heights. |
| 2. Seat the crown on a filled bottle | Fill to about 2.5 cm below the lip. Place a crown squarely on the mouth. For bench cappers, the magnetic bell will hold the cap in place. For wing cappers, stabilize the bottle with one hand. | A centered crown and consistent headspace give reliable seals and predictable carbonation. | Wipe drips from the lip so nothing interferes with the crimp. Keep caps dry on the outside so they do not slip. | Wing needs a firm, level surface. Bench uses the post height to handle varied bottles. |
| 3. Crimp smoothly with steady pressure | Wing capper, pull both arms down in one smooth motion until the crown bites and you feel the thump. Bench capper, pull the lever down in a single, even stroke until fully crimped. | A single smooth action forms a uniform crimp. Stop bottle damage. Stop partial seals. | Do not twist during the crimp. If using a wing capper with 29 mm crowns, reverse or swap the jaws to the 29 mm setting per your tool’s instructions. | Wing requires controlled force and a stable base. Bench needs correct bell height and a firm pull. |
| 4. Release, inspect, and spot fix | Lift the capper straight up. Inspect the crown skirt for an even crimp all the way around. Press the cap lightly with a thumb to confirm no rock or wobble. | Early checks catch loose caps that would leak CO2 or let in oxygen. | If the cap is uneven, re-seat and re-crimp once. Do not over-crush. If glass chips or cracks, discard the bottle safely. | Both tools are fine. Bench cappers reduce stuck bell issues and speed re-tries. |
| 5. Date, store, and condition | Label the batch. Store bottles upright at 18 to 22 °C for 10 to 14 days for carbonation, then move to cooler storage to clarify and mature. | Warm conditioning activates yeast for CO2 production. Cool storage polishes flavor and improves stability. | Use oxygen absorbing crowns if desired. Keep a few spares handy. If carbonation lags, give another week warm before chilling. | N A |
Helpful Notes
- Crown quality matters. Branded crowns tend to crimp cleaner than the absolute cheapest options.
- Wing capper drawbacks include occasional sticking and the chance of breaking tired bottles with excess force. Bench cappers offer a smooth one hand lever and quick repeatability.
- Many bench cappers include a magnetic bell and a self adjusting spring mechanism, which helps with mixed bottle heights.
- Sanitize bottles without compromise. Caps can be sanitized by soaking, or used clean and dry if your process is tight.
- Most US bottles use 26 mm crowns. Some European bottles use 29 mm. Set your capper jaws or bell accordingly.
We'll leave with this final tip:
Do I need to sanitize the bottle caps before capping the bottle?
As always, before capping your beer, the bottle caps could to be sanitized before doing so. The best the best way is to soak them in sanitizing solution. That way the whole cap gets sanitized.
But, I'll tell ya the truth, I never actually do this tip, as long as the caps are clean, there should be no problem. And I don't think I ever ever had one.
You can use a Star San solution or some sodium percarbonate to kill the bugs.
Beer caps which absorb oxygen from the bottled beer are also a popular thing.
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