Labels For Bottles

[RichLum]

Hi guys,

what do you guys use to label your bottles?

I have been using the printer friendly labels that come in 16 per sheet.
They go on alright but trying to get them off is a pain as they never peel off in one piece and leave gummy stuff on the bottle

thanks,
Rich

 

[Ol'Wobbly]

Labels on bottle annoy the hell out of me because no matter how neatly you write they always look amateurish and, as you say, it's a bugger trying to clean them off.

I scour all labels off my bottles when I first get them and, when I bottle, I just write the brew number on the cap with a felt pen. I keep all the brew details in my brew book.

 

[RichLum]

I print the labels out on the PC so they look neat and kinda look nice.

Only problem I have is when I rebottle I have to either scrub all the gummy glue off or stick the new label over the top of the old one (which looks dodgy)

I've started writing on the bottle caps for about half the batch but it's good to have labeled bottles for when you want to hand out to friends (I don't know that they'd know what "A3 5/12" means...) or whaterver

Rich

 

[Batz]

A lot of us do lables for special bottles , xmas cases , comps. , give aways etc.
Do a search on this site there are lots of examples.

Avery do make a removable lable that peels off , I use the cheaper ones myself , as I said most are give aways , so it someone elses problem


Batz h34r:

 

[Backlane Brewery]

At Backlane we soak all our new bottles in mild bleach solution for a couple of days to remove labels, and give them a quick scrub with a plastic scourer to remove any glue left behind. Some are easier than others- Boags, for instance, are a real pain.
We came up with a standard format label, just need to choose colours/pictures & fonts as appropriate. After much artistic & creative agonising we print the labels on a PC, get 8 to an A4 sheet. After cleaning the bottles again, we use a spray adhesive to attach them. If you spray a thin coat and wait a minute or two they will stick well but are easy to remove, with no soaking.
We usually only label a few from each batch, and make a point of keeping the best looking one on the mantlepiece (which is getting very crowded)
We mark caps in felt tip too, have a master list of codes somewhere so we know what's what, but clean these off when the bottle is labelled.
For what it's worth, we think naming and labelling can really "make" a brew, especially if you are giving it to someone. Handing someone a sparkling clean bottle of "Happy Otter" with a label on it seems to go down better than just giving them a dirty bottle of anonymous brew.

 

[Tony M]

I use this simple word doc which gives me enough labels for a brew. I just clear the frame then put in details of the latest brew.
I print it on plain paper, guillotine it up then dip the back of each label into a solution of about 10% PVA glue and water. When you rinse the bottle, the label washes off in a few seconds. It wont pass the "float in the Esky" test but otherwise works well and the few extra minutes reqd to prepare the labels is a lot less than the tedious removal of them. (and its cheep cheep cheep)

View attachment Label_blank_33per_page.doc

 

[RichLum]

Soaking in some napisan did the trick. Thanks.

Kinda dissolved most of the glue and then could just rub the rest off or scratch it off with fingernails

Rich

 

[NRB]

Some are easier than others- Boags, for instance, are a real pain.

I've always found Boags come off without a problem by simply soaking in water. I use a strong solution of Napisan (Sodium Percarbonate) for any stubborn labels.

Some people swear by Sodium Hydroxide (Draino), but I'm concerned about getting caustic burns from it.