FAQ-Caps & CappersQuestion: How do I sanitize my bottle caps?
Answer:
For any of the standard, non-o2 absorbing caps, you can either boil them in water for 15 minutes or soak them in One Step or Star San for 5 minutes.
Use Iodophor or Star San to sanitize oxygen-absorbing caps, since they, unlike One Step, don’t need free oxygen to sanitize. Sanitize only the amount of caps that you will use. Wetting them will render the caps useless in terms of absorbing oxygen for any batch after the current batch being bottled....Click to Read full Answer
Question: My beer has a stale, cardboard-like flavor to it. Someone told me this is oxidation. What is oxidation, and how can I avoid it? Can my beer be fixed?
Answer:
Oxidation results in a stale, cardboard-like taste in your beer. If you are experiencing this, there are a couple of possibilities. If you have been storing your beer for an extended period of time, the beer may have become oxidized. While the bottle cap does provide a nearly airtight seal, air may seep into the bottle over time. If you plan on aging your beer in the bottle for an extended period of time, this is where those oxygen absorbing bottle caps will come in handy. The other possible cause of oxidation is the beer being exposed to high temperatures. If you store your beer at room temperature, and you don’t have air-conditioning, it is possible that your beer may become oxidized during the warm summer months. To avoid this, you can store it in your basement on the floor, where it may be much cooler, or simply refrigerate it. Once your beer has become oxidized, there is unfortunately no way to fix it....Click to Read full Answer
Question: What are Oxygen Absorbing Bottle Caps?
Answer:
The only time Midwest suggests using these is if you plan on leaving a beer sit for an extended period of time. This would include high-gravity ales and lagers, as these need to sit in the bottle for a long time to properly condition. The oxygen-absorbing caps absorb the oxygen left in the headspace of the bottle, reducing the chance of oxidation....Click to Read full Answer
Question: How often do I need to replace the rubber gaskets on my Grolsch-style swing-cap bottles?
Answer:
Each rubber gasket should last 5 or 6 uses....Click to Read full Answer
Question: What are the bottle capper differences?
Answer:
The reason Midwest includes the Red Baron with all of our equipment kits (except the Master System) is quite simply that we think it is the best to start out with. The Black Beauty is almost as nice, but we think the Red Baron is a little more durable. As far as the bench cappers go, these can be the best solution for the homebrewer that does a lot of bottling. Either the Bench Capper or Super Agata are easily adjustable for bottles of varying heights, and can be mounted to a workbench....Click to Read full Answer
Question: What equipment do I need to bottle?
Answer:
1) Be sure you are using the non-twist-off type of beer bottle if you are going to be capping standard 12 or 22 oz bottles. A 5 gallon batch of beer will require about 48 -54 12 oz. bottles or 26-30 22 oz. bottles.
2) Caps- All our caps will fit any standard non-twist-off variety bottle. The caps will not properly seal if crimped onto a twist-off bottle. The only difference in our caps is the print, except for the oxygen absorbing caps. These are only really required for long-term storage beers to prevent oxidation and staleness due to oxygen’s presence in the headspace of the bottle.
3) A capper is needed....Click to Read full Answer
Question: How to prepare corks
Answer:
If you are using a high quality, iris- jawed floor corker there is no need to soak or sulfite any of the corks that Midwest sells. Simply insert them dry.
If you are using a small, hand-held corker (plunger, single or double-lever types) you may need to prepare your corks by soaking them in warm water for 20 minutes. If you have trouble getting corks to pass through your hand-held corker, you may want to try adding 1 cup glycerin to every four liters of warm water that you use for soaking. This ensures that the corks get enough moisture to lubricate their passage through the corker, not so wet that the corks will crumble apart....Click to Read full Answer
Caps & Cappers
18 Item(s)
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Prices starting at $2.50These Oxygen Absorbing Caps absorb the oxygen left in the head space of the bottle. Oxygen absorbing caps are recommended for low gravity beers, beers that will be aged for a year or more, and any beer you wish to protect against oxidation and its staling effects. More Info... -
Prices starting at $2.25Complete the look of your bottles with a simple silver cap with a black B from Brewer's Best. More Info... -
Plain Gold Caps- 144 Count
$2.95The Plain Gold Cap allows you to mark the top with the beer that you made. These are also the perfect cap for entering your beer into competitions as usually no markings are allowed on the bottle or cap. 144 Count. More Info... -
Prices starting at $1.95These Grolsch Gaskets are a standard size and will fit either the 32 ounce or the 16 ounce EZ Cap bottles. Each gasket should last at least 5 or 6 uses. More Info... -
29mm European Bottle Caps- 100 Count
$4.9529mm European Bottle Caps. Do you have bottles from Europe and can't seem to get your caps to clamp tightly? European bottles can be slightly larger at the opening than American bottles, so you will need to use these caps. More Info... -
Plain Red Caps- 144 Count
$3.50Plain Red Caps make finding the beer you want a breeze. You can use the different colored caps for different styles of beer for easy recognition. 144 Count. More Info... -
Plain Green Caps- 144 Count
$3.50Plain Green Caps make finding the beer you want a breeze. You can use the different colored caps for different styles of beer for easy recognition. 144 Count. More Info... -
Plain White Caps- 144 Count
$3.50Plain White Caps make finding the beer you want a breeze. You can use the different colored caps for different styles of beer for easy recognition. 144 Count. More Info... -
Plain Yellow Caps- 144 Count
$3.50Plain Yellow Caps make finding the beer you want a breeze. You can use the different colored caps for different styles of beer for easy recognition. 144 Count. More Info... -
Red Baron Bottle Capper
$15.95Red Baron Bottle Capper: This is the highest quality hand capper that we have found. Very durable plastic construction. Features a magnet to hold the bottle cap in place, and spring-loaded arms that make crimping a snap. More Info... -
Black Beauty Bottle Capper
$12.95The Black Beauty Bottle Capper is basic but a dependable capper that has a magnet to hold the cap in place while you crimp the cap to the bottle. More Info... -
European Bottle Capping Bell Housing- Red Baron Capper
$2.50Do you have some European bottles that you just can't cap with standard caps? The European Bottle Capping Bell Housing- Red Baron Capper works with the larger 29mm caps that some Champagne and Belgian bottles use. More Info... -
Super Agata Bench Capper
$37.95The Super Agata Bench Capper features a self-adjusting spring-mounted capping mechanism, making it much easier to adjust for different size bottles on the fly. More Info... -
Bench bottle capper
$32.95The Bench Bottle Capper features an adjustable spring-mounted capping mechanism, making it easy to adjust for different size bottles on the fly. More Info... -
Prices starting at $9.95Reference corks used to seal 750ml Belgian Beer bottles for those special brews. They measure 25.5mm x 44mm long. An Italian floor corker is required to insert the corks into the bottle. More Info... -
Belgian Wire Hoods - 60 count
$11.95Fasten Belgian Beer corks to 750 ml Belgian beer bottles after they've been inserted. More Info... -
Plain Black Caps- 144 Count
$3.50Plain Black Caps make finding the beer you want a breeze. You can use the different colored caps for different styles of beer for easy recognition. 144 Count. More Info... -
Plain Dark Blue Caps- 144 Count
$3.50Out of stock
Plain Aqua Blue Caps make finding the beer you want a breeze. You can use the different colored caps for different styles of beer for easy recognition. 144 Count. More Info...
18 Item(s)
