Using a dish washing machine to remove beer labels (it's as easy as it sounds)

If there's one thing that's a pain in the ass when bottling beer, it's removing labels from the bottles. 

Some days it feels like some bastard at the local craft brewery has said,

"Hey James let's get the most gnarly and sticky glue ever invented and use it with our bottles. And while we're add it, lets add a second layer of the world's second strongest glue. Just to be sure."

At least that's how it feels.

Now I've bitched about this before but I recently came across the best way to remove labels from beer bottles.

Use the dishwasher to remove sticky beer labels!

Seriously.

Just run them through the hottest cycle in your dishwasher and that glue becomes unstuck.

The labels can then be easily peeled off in one satisfying motion.

Here's the proof.

I have pair of Panhead and Garage Project bottles prior to going into the dishwasher:

And here's the after photo removal of the Garage Project Bright Side:

And here we have the shot of the Panhead Culture Vulture fresh out of the dishwasher and the too easy removal:

So that's that.

Probably the easiest tip you'll come across for when getting your bottles ready for bottling. Remember, you will still need to sanitise your bottles before filling them with glorious beer, unless you are filling straight from the dishwasher.

If there is some residue glue left on the bottle, the best time to get it off is when the dishwasher has just finished its cycle and the glue is still warm. Run the bottle under HOT water and give it a good scrub, that trick usually works wonders. If the glue is cold, it can be a challenging exercise!

Leave a Comment garage project, panhead, removing beer labels from bottles

If a craft brewery 'sells out' do they still make craft beer?

Sell out?

Craft beer, this, craft beer that.

You can't escape the word these days. Craft beer is all the rage.

But if craft beer is so popular and widely sold in supermarkets and bars, is it still craft beer?

If a craft brewery 'sells out' do they still make craft beer?

Craft beer apparently accounts for 10 - 11 percent of the American beer market. I suspect the numbers for New Zealand are getting up there.

Further, if the larger, more traditional breweries are buying up boutique beer companies and breweries, are they still making craft beer? 

Well, it all depends on your definition. If your definition of a craft brewer is a beer brewer that is small, independent, and traditional then their produce can be called craft beer. 

Sometimes they are known as microbrewers as they produce limited production runs of beer.

So basically then, craft beer is made by small (!) beer enthusiasts who own and run their own show.

By that definition, Wellington NZ appears to be craft beer capital of New Zealand. 

It feels like you can't cross over to a street corner without passing by a brewery. Which is a good thing actually because Garage Project do some of the best beers I've ever tasted and there's a Panhead bar just down the road from work. 

Speaking of Panhead...

A couple of month's back a rising star of the beer brewing scene in Wellington was purchased by a traditional brewing company, Lion Nathan (famously known for brewing Steinlager). The local guys were Panhead, who in a space of a couple of years had made a fine name for their themselves both locally and the wider country. Their Supercharger is one of the finest beers around.

Supercharger

There was a minor uproar at the purchase. 

'Sell outs!' cried craft beer lovers. 

'They'll change the beer!'

'They'll stop making new beers!'

First up, let's not begrudge the Panhead owner, Mike Neilson his success . While they and other brewers are here to make good beer, they are also there to make a buck. 

Like every other man and his dog, they have mortgages and family to look after. If they can cash in, I say go for it, I know I would!

The cries of concern about craft breweries selling up are fair in that good established beer brands could no longer be made with 'the love' that the original owners put in. 

The new owners could fail to innovate or experiment. After all, a traditional hallmark of craft beer and craft brewers is innovation.

Look how often Garage Project come up with new beer style. Craft brewers are often found interpreting historic beer making styles and offering unique twists and styles. Or they completely innovate. 

So how dare the big breweries ruin good craft beer?

The answer is, they've learnt their lesson. In the case of Panhead beer, the former owner Mike Neilson was retained by Lion Nathan to stay with the company and he said:

"It will be business as usual, I will hand over the running of the company to business people. The best part is I will get back to brewing."

So will he still produce craft beer? 

Arguably Supercharger will still be Supercharger under his watch. Does the fact Lion Nathan who is in turn owned by one of the largest beer companies in the world (Kirin) mean that Panhead no longer makes craft beer?

Based on our definition they do not but to misuse a Billy Joel line, it's still rock and roll to me.

Panheads's APA beer is so popular that people have started to clone it - here's the Supercharger clone recipe.

Leave a Comment craft beer, garage project, panhead, supercharger

Panhead Supercharger APA Clone Recipe

Panhead Supercharger APA Clone Recipe

Panhead's Supercharger beer is one of the best new beers to come out of Wellington and indeed New Zealand in a fair while. Indeed, their range is pretty handy - we suggest you try their hoppy Vandal or APA. 

But back to the Supercharger, the beer that won the New Zealand Best Beer award in 2015. 

It's an absolutely drinkable beer and one that has few pretensions about it - its popularity is so much so that beer brewers are starting to clone it. 

Here's the best Supercharger Clone Recipe we could find. 

We found it at Wagon Brewing Co who sells a clone kit of the beer. 

Te Aro Valley also do a pretty handy copy of the beer too (check out their Obligatory wort while you are at it).  

This clone recipe is intended for your standard 23 litre beer batch.

Malts for the Supercharger clone

4.6 Kg - Gladfield Ale Malt (All Grain Option)

200g - Gladfield Light Crystal Malt

250g - Gladfield Toffee Malt



or for the Extract with Partial Mash option:



1x Black Rock Amber Extract 1.7kg Can

1x Black Rock Light Extract 1.7kg Can

200g - Gladfield Light Crystal Malt (Steep)

200g - Gladfield Toffee Malt (Steep)

What hops does the Panhead need?

10g - US Simcoe Pellet @ 13% AA for 60 minutes boil

10g - US Centennial Pallet @ 8.5% AA for 30 minutes boil

20g - US Simcoe Pallet @ 13% AA for 10 minutes boil

10g - US Centennial Pallet @ 8.5% AA for 10 minute boil

30g - US Centennial Pallet @ 8.5% AA for 1 minute boil

30g - US Citra Pallet @ 13.9% AA for 1 minute boil

20g - US Simcoe Pallet @ 13% AA for 1 minute boil

70g - US Citra Pallet @ 13.9% AA Dry Hop @ 7 days

50g - US Simcoe Pallet @ 13% AA Dry Hop @ 7 days

50g - US Centennial Pallet @ 8.5% AA Dry Hop @ 7 days

Phew, that's a lot of effort!

Panhead's yeast: 

Use the standard and very reliable Safale-US-05.

Panhead describes their own beer as "being an all-American show with Centennial, Citra and Simcoe overwhelming your nose, kicking you in the taste buds and departing with more bitterness than a Palm Springs divorce."

So that's the challenge for you as the home brewer, can you brew to match to Panhead's lofty claim?

Keen for a Steinlager recipe clone?

Leave a Comment beer brewing, clone recipe, panhead, supercharger