Little Creatures Bottles

[Newb]

I'm looking at using the Little Creatures pint bottles for a brew, probably just a simple Coopers Pale. Anybody had experience with these? Are they strong enough to stand up to the rigours of re-capping etc?

Thanks

Newb

 

[argon]

I'm looking at using the Little Creatures pint bottles for a brew, probably just a simple Coopers Pale. Anybody had experience with these? Are they strong enough to stand up to the rigours of re-capping etc?

Thanks

Newb

yep they're fine

 

[TmC]

I have used Little Creatures Pale Ale stubbies with no worries, i have yet to find a bottle that hasn't been able to withstand re-capping, having said that i have only been brewing for 3 months :lol:

 

[Pennywise]

I've had no issues so far with my LC pint bottles

 

[sean_0]

Bit of advice - the labels slip off a treat if you give them a soak in napisan. They literally float off in the water. I soaked them for a week in bleach and they were still completely intact but an hour in the napisan and they were gone. I've only seen this with little creatures bottles.

And they work fine, no breakages for me after 3+ uses.

 

[mintsauce]

Likewize - I've been using them heaps, I keep the boxes too - they are a very nice size IMO,
- you can share one into small glasses with a mate
- you can drink one on your own in a pint glass
- two bottles share easily into 3 glasses

etc. I find that the 750ml bottles are not as good anymore

 

[Newb]

Brilliant, thanks guys.

sean_0 - Napisan? So that's the secret. I was wondering if I was going to have to get out the angle grinder to get the labels off! These guys are serious about their labels I tells ya.

MintSauce - They are the perfect size, and what comes out of them originally is damn fine as well so making the collection is hardly a chore either.

Wouldn't it be awful if somebody made the perfect homebrew bottle but then filled it with some crappy VB/XXXX/Fosters swill? What would we do....

 

[going down a hill]

It is the cutest bottle around. I'm slowly collecting a slabs worth for something special.

 

[Frag_Dog]

I think ANY bottle you get beer in is fine for re-capping. I've used crappy twist top VB and XXXX bottles since I started brewing in '07 without any breaking. They are pretty thin and crap but with a bench capper I've never had a problem.

If you have a bench capper you should have any problems at all.

 

[HeavyNova]

I really like the LC pint bottles - a shame 2 of them blew in my early bulk priming attempts!

I love any 500ml bottle - 750ml is too big for most of my uses, but I still have a few of thos stong Coopers ones around.

I soak my bottles in Sodium Percarbonate and the LC labels are still well and truely stuck on after 24hrs - does Napisan have something extra to get these labels off? I've found the James Squire labels are by far the easiest to get off, plus I like the shape of their bottles so most ot my brew end up in them.

 

[sean_0]

I soak my bottles in Sodium Percarbonate and the LC labels are still well and truely stuck on after 24hrs - does Napisan have something extra to get these labels off? I've found the James Squire labels are by far the easiest to get off, plus I like the shape of their bottles so most ot my brew end up in them.

Actually the stuff I use is coles own brand (white label), so maybe there's something in that? It definitely works for me, every time. I just use the dose it recommends on the label.

 

[Jarthy]

for me LC bottles take 2-3 days for the labels to slip off in napisan, squire bottles after a couple of hours. Asahi bottles take a day and Murray's bottles DON'T! They're proper stickers.

 

[tomdavis]

I soak my bottles in Sodium Percarbonate and the LC labels are still well and truely stuck on after 24hrs - does Napisan have something extra to get these labels off?

The secret with Napisan (or Aldi's own brand - cheaper), I find, is to activate it first with v.hot water. Put about 3 tablespoons into a 25 litre bucket, do not put bottles in yet. Put kettle on, and pour water when near boiling into the bucket, and carefully swill around if you wish to get it going (watch out for hot water on fingers) and then leave for 5 minutes. If you are just cleaning the labels off, then half fill the bucket with warm tap water and then place all the bottles in the bucket until submerged. Top up water until all bottles covered. Relax, have a homebrew, go back in an hour (or more if you have time) and the labels should just be floating in the water, or should peel nicely off the bottles. If you need to clean the inside of any gunk left over from the previous owner, it helps to put a pinch of napisan in each bottle before submerging (upright!) in the warm water.

I am sure others have different systems, but this has worked for me as I have rescued some pretty rancid bottles in my time. Brings 'em up lovely, it does!

:icon_drunk:

 

[Acasta]

Bit of advice - the labels slip off a treat if you give them a soak in napisan. They literally float off in the water. I soaked them for a week in bleach and they were still completely intact but an hour in the napisan and they were gone. I've only seen this with little creatures bottles.

And they work fine, no breakages for me after 3+ uses.

Brilliant, thanks guys.

sean_0 - Napisan? So that's the secret. I was wondering if I was going to have to get out the angle grinder to get the labels off! These guys are serious about their labels I tells ya.

MintSauce - They are the perfect size, and what comes out of them originally is damn fine as well so making the collection is hardly a chore either.

Wouldn't it be awful if somebody made the perfect homebrew bottle but then filled it with some crappy VB/XXXX/Fosters swill? What would we do....

Wanna know the real secret?
The hot water melts the glue which help it slide off. I de-label 'glued on label' bottles by running them under hot tap water (~50deg) for about 5 sec and it comes off easy.
But I guess the soak with a cleaning agent is good with the process for cleaning.

 

[sean_0]

Never used hot water myself, I'm sure it does help but not necessary for me anyhow.

 

[Acasta]

Really? You use cold water with the Napisan?

 

[Steve@PMF82]

Yeah the dissolving the napisan in hot water first works a treat, then it will mix through colder water pretty well.

Cant beat a good soak in homebrand napisan, fill the bottles in a tub, then fill the tub so they are submerged, i forget about them for a week and most of the time they dont even need scrubbing.

 

[sean_0]

Really? You use cold water with the Napisan?

Yes. Maybe I'm doing it wrong but it seems to work! :icon_cheers:

 

[Acasta]

If it works, it works! I don't really wash bottles anymore, all my bottles stay clean and i just sanitise them before bottling, however i used to use bleach, maybe i should have gone the napisan.

 

[tomdavis]

The cold thing is puzzling me as I have never found it as effective in cold water. It always seems to need that hot water kick-start. But as you say, if it works, it works!

Re: keeping them clean, I would hate to have to Napisan them every time!

I am only really talking about blasting them initially to remove labels or, say if you got a batch from a friend who hadn't rinsed them out or something. If you have Napisan'd them once, as long as you rinse them with clean water (no detergent) thouroughly after pouring, ensure you have got all the crap out, and leave them to dry, you should be good for bottling.

Just make sure you dunk in a good sanitiser right before you bottle, of course. :drinks: