Midwest Supplies

Beer and Wine Making Supplies since 1995
5825 Excelsior Blvd.
Minneapolis, MN 55416
952-925-9854 - 888-449-2739
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FAQ-Caps & Cappers

Question:
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

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