To all the bottlers!!!

[barley ben]

I was just wondering how everyone tells the difference between brews when they overlap. I'm just now beginning to brew continuously enough that I'm not done drinking a batch before the next one is ready. I don't have much storage space to seperate them. Don't really want to get into label making. Not a big deal, kinda just was in my head and thought it would make a good thread.

[mmmBeer...]

I use a permenant marker on the cap with and abbrevaition:

HB honey brown
TA Trappist ale
RA raspberry ale...etc

[YamahaXS]

i used those little colored dots that you can buy at office max.

[S.F.B.]

I will usually use a sharpie on the cap. If you can write small there is enough room for an abreviation and the bottling date.

I have also used paint markers on the bottle itself. This allows you to get a little more creative. I do this when bottling a batch for gift giving.

[atxf4i]

I use the Avery address labels. Cheap and easy, and you can keep covering the old ones, when you make a different batch.
I like to know what I brewed, when I did it, and when I bottled, and the alcohol content.

[croc4]

I mark a number on the cap, this number then refers to a spreadsheet that contains all the info (recipie, time of brewing, etc) for that batch
________
Carolinne (http://camslivesexy.com/cam/Carolinne)

[Beerconnoisseur]

I use the little colored dots, myself. You can even write on them, as needed.

[paul84043]

I started out with Croc's idea, but quickly realized that I'm far too lazy to maintain a database...
I use masking tape. Put a strip on the cutting board (sometimes it's a bit tricky to get it to stick), write a two to four letter abbreviation 20 or 30 times with a fine tip sharpie, score with a paring knife, peel and stick on bottle.
It actually stays on really well, but when you rinse the bottle out and the tape gets wet, it peels right off with no residue at all.

[sallad]

i just buy plain gold caps and put a couple letters on them representing an abreviated name. i keep track of all my stuff on a website (recipes, brew date, OG, etc) and its not too much work to maintain it- usually less than 20min of effort per batch.

for the few swingtop bottles in my collection, i just use half an address label sticker with the same abreviation on it. these come off easily when washing up bottles for the next batch!

[wortchillergoal]

I use different colors of nail polish. You can put it in a cooler full of ice and it won't come off. You need to keep track of what color goes with what. I also will have two or three different caps on hand to help with identification. Worse comes to worse, grab bag suprise can be kind of fun. BEER CAN BE FOOD BUT FOOD CAN NEVER BE BEER.

[ray m]

I do the sharpie on the bottle cap method.

[Aleman]

I use the Avery labels. 10/sheet. Half (or less) of the fun of brewing is naming your brew and designing graphics for the label. Nothing fancy .jpg and font stuff.

[barley ben]

I guess I'll add to my thread. I usually put letters on the caps of the leftover batch and leave the new batch blank till the next batch comes around. It's getting more often now thought. Before I would only have like a 12 pack left when the new batch was ready but now I'm starting to brew more constantly.

[hemogoblin]

Sharpie/Bottlecap. I name all my brews after birds and include the batch number, so my Titmouse Tripel was TT7, Bittern Bitter was BB5 etc.

Making labels is great - I use Averys with a template in Photoshop, but only label a few for "presentation" purposes. I'd post one but I am at work :-/ Maybe later ....

[sullydavid]

I use the super generic Avery mailing labels to track Name, Bottle Date and ABV. Labels come off very easy when wet and they are very cheap. Come 30 to a sheet so 2 sheets covers a batch to include a couple labels on the boxes so digging through the beer storage is easier.

[quantum24]

i usually go with letters on the bottle caps...but if im enthusiastic about a batch or brewing for an occasion i make labels on adobe photoshop

[michaewa]

Here (http://hbd.org/uchima/misc/caplabels.html) is a template you can download, I tried this on my first batch with the Avery labels you can buy at Office Max.

A little hard to line up with my printer, but good in theory. I like that it goes on the cap so you don't have to mess with anything you will re-use.

[dillen]

I use colored dots, You can write on them as well

[Asahikun]

Sorry this thread is so old but..........I couldn't help wondering...........why doesn't anyone just use different colored caps????? Then note down which color corresponds to which brew in your "beer book" - if you have one.

[Brownbeard]

My wife does scrapbooking, and has a sticker maker. I simply have her run a scrap of colored paper through the sticker maker and use a paper punch to make dots. Cheaper than buying colored dots. The sticker makers are available at any craft store and they are cheap too. Scrap construction paper works fine for the labels, and they scrape right off when you are done.

[fuji6100]

why doesn't anyone just use different colored caps?????

I don't know if others are in the same boat, but I can only get silver or gold colored caps from my HBS, and it's always at random. So I also use the sharpie marker method.

I usually put the date bottled and a 1-2 letter abbreviation on the cap.

[kevin]

I have been trying to fine some caps with Santa on them for my holiday brew but no luck. I have found caps that are red with stripes, and blue with stars. I use the red on my Amber but I don't know what I would use the blue to represent.

For all others I just use the colored dots and write on them.

[Asahikun]

Wow I'm really surprised. One because I thought there would be all kinds of caps in your guys' neck of the woods and two, because, considering that homebrew is not that popular here, they certainly have a fair range of caps.
I've currently got 5 batches waiting for a buddy, all with their own colored caps; red, blue, green, yellow and some really cool black and gold ones with "malt and hops" written on them.

[Tweek]

I just use the cheapes caps I can find. MAny times my local will have some sort of amusing caps, like the puzzle ones. I dont know if you have seen these but they will have a bunch of pictures on em and you guess what the phrase is. Anyway they are always more expensive and even though it is only a slight expense I spend WAY to much money on this hobby so I try to sequester the funds to ingredients and propane for my burner.

[bierboy]

I use address labels also. They are cheap, easy, and you can put on whatever info you want. I also soak all of my bottles in oxyclean to make sure they are really clean. It also soaks off labels real quick.

[wortchillergoal]

The owner of my LHBS buys up over runs on special order capss(custom). Or he buys custom for himself and orders a ton so he will have extra. He then sells these in his shop. This makes it easy for me to have a variety of caps. He had stars and strpes at one time, they were cool.