lamensterms Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Hey guys, I've got a bunch of flip top bottles bought from Clever Brewing that I've had beers in for quite a few months (6-12 months). Of the few that I have opened lately... most have been flat, no hiss, no head, no carb. I had read about this being an issue, but didn't pay it much credence at the time, I figured the wires on the Clever Brewing bottles were pretty stiff, and would seal OK... didn't turn out to be the case. I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to mitigate this issue in the future? My initial thoughts were to only bottle short-term-strorage beers in these bottles. Then I got to thinking that maybe keg lube or something around the seals might help, but I really don't know. So, my questions... have you guys had this issue in the past, and did you find a solution or did you find a way to 'work with it'? The beer is not quite wasted, it's flat and a shame, but I will still drink it. The biggest bummer is I was saving 6x740ml bottles of stout, to age. These are about 12 months old and are now probably flat. Not asking how to resurrect these beers, rather how to prevent or work with the issue in the future. Sorry for the long post, little buzzed & verbose haha. Thanks for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farls Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 That's a shame mate. If the bottles are getting a bit old the rubber seals may need to be replaced (eg. Getting a bit hard or lined/creased from use). If they're not that old (and by the sounds of things they're not, as wire is still stiff) then maybe take extra care when bottling that rubber seal is centred before you close them. If they're a bit off centre they won't seal properly. Also if by chance you are priming with sugar or similar (as opposed to bulk priming or carb tabs) make sure nothing is left around the rim of the bottle as any sugar or similar matter on the rim could prevent a good seal. I have a bunch of swing tops too, and initially loved them, but eventually the seals go, the wire loosens, and you get flat beers. Now I most use crown seal long necks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graculus Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 I don't put much beer in swing tops. I generally use them for cider. I too have had some go flat, even with new seals. I bought the silicone seals. I probably read somewhere that they were better. Recently I was thinking of buying some new rubber seals to see if that made a difference. The wires appear to be OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoppy81 Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 I've got the exact same bottles and after 12 months i was finding all the bottles were flat as well. I replaced all the Silicone Seals but i no longer use them as i scored myself 170 Pickaxe longnecks. Cheers, Hoppy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealthing691 Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 50% Of my beer is in flip lock bottles they are old Flensburg bottles which aldi sell them once a year full of wheat beer or pilsner never had a issue with them so far cheers Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graculus Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 I'm going to buy some rubber seals before I brew some more cider. Bulk prime & bottle in some silicone & some rubber seals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 I used to use a lot of grolsch bottles and had the same problem. The solution for me was easy - I just centred the lid and pushed down on it as I secured the latch. Never had a flat one after that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerveja Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 Never had a problem with commercial flip tops bit the 2 dozen the wife and kids bought cupla years ago from a brew shop were hopless. I say give away to a mate that brews kombucha (I did) and stick with crown seals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 I use Grolsch bottles too. I find the original gaskets seal the best, and yes, you do have to be careful to centre the properly. I won't replace a seal until that particular bottle starts to go flat. I have found that the silicone seals last longer than the rubber seals, but neither last as long as the original seals. The original seals appear to be silicone. Cheers, Christina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graculus Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 I use Grolsch bottles too. I find the original gaskets seal the best' date=' and yes, you do have to be careful to centre the properly. I won't replace a seal until that particular bottle starts to go flat. I have found that the silicone seals last longer than the rubber seals, but neither last as long as the original seals. The original seals appear to be silicone. Cheers, Christina.[/quote'] I thought the original seals were rubber. At least the Grolsch bottles I've seen in Australia. They are all a sort of dark pink type colour, whereas the silicone ones are orange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamensterms Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share Posted March 4, 2018 Thanks a lot for all the tips guys. When bottling in these swing tops I never really took much care in making sure the lids were centred, but it makes perfect sense. I'll definitely take more care next time around and see if that helps maintain the seal. The seals on the caps are orange, does this mean they are silicone? Graculus - please post the results of your tests. I'll try get some rubber seals for mine and test the same. Thanks again guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 The rubber seals on these types of bottles are prone to drying & cracking over time, thus eventually not sealing very well. They look pretty, & are easy to use, but not very durable through brew after brew without some regular lubrication maintenance on the rubber seals above what is required with standard crown seal bottles. Just my 2 cents. Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 In Canada the original Grolsch seals are red, and replacement silicone seals are white (or at least the Brewcraft brand my LHBS carries are). They have the same texture as the original seals, similar to those silicone oven mitts that are popular these days. The rubber seals here are pink, and you can immediately tell because they have a different texture: like a rubber band / elastic. Lusty, what are you using to lubricate rubber seals? Never heard of doing that. It is not necessary to lubricate silicone seals. Cheers, Christina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graculus Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Thanks a lot for all the tips guys. When bottling in these swing tops I never really took much care in making sure the lids were centred' date=' but it makes perfect sense. I'll definitely take more care next time around and see if that helps maintain the seal. The seals on the caps are orange, does this mean they are silicone? Graculus - please post the results of your tests. I'll try get some rubber seals for mine and test the same. Thanks again guys.[/quote'] I'll let you know what I decide to do. I'm debating, do I ....... Get rid of the swing tops. Try again with the silicone making sure the tops are on straight. Buy rubber seals that I really don't need as an experiment. I think I might try making some cider and trying again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graculus Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 I have a cupboard I keep my beer in. Generally a batch is kept together but when it gets down to a few left they can get mixed up. Anyhow I was looking for something to drink earlier in the week and there were 6 bottles at the back of one shelf labelled 43. So on Thursday I tried one. Very nice. Looked up 43 to discover it was a Coopers Amber Ale that was made 10th March 2017. That was a crown top. Last night I opened another. This time a swing top with silicone seal. Flat as something that is extremely flat. The lid appeared to be on straight. I don't see that I could have put it on any better. I'm thinking I might get some rubber seals next and see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamensterms Posted March 20, 2018 Author Share Posted March 20, 2018 Thanks for posting back Graculus. Sorry to hear about your flat beer - my condolences. Shame about the bottles, we'll have to remember that they might only be good for short-term storage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gag Halfrunt Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 If you've had a bad experience with these bottles, why use them at all? I reckon its not worth risking a brew if unsure of seals. Personally Id chuck em and use regular bottles with crown seals, never had a problem in many years of brewing. (Although I mostly keg now) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graculus Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 At the weekend I had a look in the beer cupboard and picked four bottles at random to put in the fridge. Three with silicone seals were flat as. The one with a really old rubber seal was fine. Just to see what would happen I put a bit of dextrose in the three flat ones and put them in the brew fridge @20c. Funnily enough I bought some rubber seals on Friday and I'll bottle some cider in bottles with rubber seals this time. The bloke in the shop reckons loads of people use them with no problem. We shall see. As you say Gag Halfrunt it might be better to chuck them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graculus Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 Right, so I bottled some cider in swing tops. A couple using the silicone seals I got off ebay. And half a dozen with the rubber seals that I got from the local health food store, where I buy most of my beer making stuff. Bottled in April, so plenty of time to carb up. The ones with silicone seals are flat. Maybe a bit of of carbonation, but not much. They taste a bit off too. Oxidized maybe? The ones with the Mangrove Jacks rubber seals are great. Plenty of carbonation and taste fine. I think I"m going to make a few batches of cider to have on store for the summer. I won't be using the swing tops for beer, I don't think. Therefore my conclusion is........ doesn't anyone want some silicone seals, cheap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 Who's gonna want them if they don't work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graculus Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 2 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said: Who's gonna want them if they don't work? So you're not interested then? Free postage..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 I don't have any swing top bottles anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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