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Leaking grolsch style caps
Hi all,
I have been using Grolsch style bottles for a while now. Lately my beer has not been carbonating very well.
I have changed the gaskets on the caps, to no avail.
Is there a way to remedy this problem or do I just replace the caps.
Thanks
Have you made any changes to your bottling conditioning routine?
Are you using the same amount of priming sugar?
How long are you letting your bottles carbonate before cracking one open?
With it being summertime, are your bottles in an air conditioned room that may be a little cooler than normal?
I only have a handful of flip top bottles so I haven't run into this problem myself but I've heard others use a little bit of keg lube on the gaskets to get a better seal. It's just food grade silicone and you can pick it up at any homebrew shop for a few bucks.
I have used the same amount of priming sugar, I have recently changed from table sugar to corn sugar. The room temps are the same, I condition for 3 to 4 weeks in the basement( around 70 degrees). I have heard of people tweeking the metal wires that hold the lid on, but i am unsure which ones to tweek.
I have had this issue myself. The wires that hold and tension the caps get "sprung" after a while and should be replaced. They are usually around $7.00 per dozen. I have tried to tighten the seal by bending the wires slightly but have had limited success. If you get them too tight, they can slip off of the sides of the bottle and if the wires have lost some of their spring it really won't help. Best to replace them.
Good Luck!!
beerbellyboy wrote:
I have used the same amount of priming sugar, I have recently changed from table sugar to corn sugar. The room temps are the same, I condition for 3 to 4 weeks in the basement( around 70 degrees). I have heard of people tweeking the metal wires that hold the lid on, but i am unsure which ones to tweek.
Well all that seems well and good. I just looked at a couple flip top bottles and as for tweaking the wires I think you might be able to mess with the longest wire that loops from side to side and runs through the cap. I think you might be able to tighten up that wire by curling up the ends that hook into the wire that curves around the neck of the bottle. If you can curl up those ends even more with a set of pliers it'll apply more pressure to the cap when you lock it down. Maybe your swing tops are getting a little loose after some wear and tear.
greatogre wrote:
I have had this issue myself. The wires that hold and tension the caps get "sprung" after a while and should be replaced. They are usually around $7.00 per dozen. I have tried to tighten the seal by bending the wires slightly but have had limited success. If you get them too tight, they can slip off of the sides of the bottle and if the wires have lost some of their spring it really won't help. Best to replace them.
Good Luck!!
$7/doz....
Doesn't it seem like in the long run, brown bottles from beers you drink commercially and buying single use caps still comes out cheaper as far as a consumables cost in the home brewery?
How often do folks replace the gaskets too?
Crown caps are definately better in my book. I only use the grolsch bottles for special occasions - gifts etc. The novelty wears off pretty quick when you go to bottle. Since I sterilize the caps and gaskets seperately, it's kind of a pain. $7 is cheaper than the embarrasment of giving someone a flat beer in my book though. :-)
A few years ago I went an entire summer drinking nothing but Grolsch, to capture the rewards. I was also buying back empties for a nickel apiece at 2 local redemption centers. After having to bring half of the recycles back because they had cigarette butts and nastiness in them, I stuck to pounding my fresh ones and stocking up. I now own about 9 cases of de-labeled once used grolsch bottles. I do not like them as much as I thought I would. After switching to kegging, I bottle maybe 10% of it all, usually for comps-trades-or gifts. I still have some BW in a few grolsch' from awhile back, but I wont use them anymore. Now they hang out in my shed- beyond the brewery graveyard!
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