Rebottling beer

[Jake]

I don't know if this is the right forum to ask this question. Can you open a bottle of beer and pour it into another bottle and recap it using what home brewers use to cap their bottles, would that beer be ok?

[Grog]

Why would you do this?

[ontap78]

I really don't know the answer to that one. Sounds like a practical joke in the making to me. One time I over boiled my caps and some of the rubber in the caps got disfigured so a couple weeks later opened each bottle to see if they had sealed. The ones that did I recapped and those that didn't I added a couple of priming tablets to. They all turned out okay. Not the best of carbonation on the ones I added tablets to, but there probably wasn't enough residual sugars to charge them up decently. I guess my answer would be probably yes, if you do it right away and give it a bit of a shake before you open it and pass it off as something else as I suspect you are doing. Good luck with your little trick.

[Jake]

I realize that seems strange, but I wanted to put beer in a dark root beer bottle to disguise what I was drinking. Please don't ask me why I want to do this because its a long story and its for only one prolong occasion.

[Grog]

Must be going to a dry wedding reception!

[Jake]

no no I can go a few hours or days without a good beer, I'm talking about a 2 1/2 week period. I need to keep the beer from spoiling.

[Grog]

Even at a wedding reception?! I hate those things. When is the excursion?

[Jake]

July. I'm wondering if you would lose some carbonation doing this. Also there is sanitation of the root beer bottles.

[BluesHarp]

Your in-laws are Mormon? sorry.......anyway -

This is just a wild idea, but...if this is homebrew or a good craft beer; could you add a prime tab and a couple grains of dry yeast to each bottle?
I'm not sure what the oxidizing factor would be, but you might stand a chance of re-carbonating.

I would do one trial bottle a couple weeks before hand and open it outside, though...:eek: ...just to be on the safe side.

[zoom6zoom]

One word.... Krylon.

[gallowd7]

If you need them in July, why not just brew another batch?

Back when the rugby team travelled a lot, several of us would brew dark beers and bottle in plastic Coke bottles. Every one could bring two or three on the plane ride.

[Jake]

I did not make this clear at the beginning, but I'm not talking about homebrew. I'm talking about store bought beer. Opening them up and pouring them in a dark root beer bottle and recapping them.

[danno]

Jake, the answer is, yes, you can do it, but you're setting yourself up for oxidation and the eventual cardboard flavor in your beer. I'd go ahead and do it, but do it a day or two tops before your event...

Krylon? you spray painting something?

[Fast_Eddy]

What danno said.

You can slow down the oxidation by keeping the beer VERY cold. Also you can help prevent some of the CO2 breakout by transferring the beer while it's very cold.

[chazwicke]

Why not just put root beer labels on the beer bottles. let the bottles sit in cold water until the labels come off and then make up some fake root beer labels on the computer.

[Grog]

Originally posted by chazwicke
Why not just put root beer labels on the beer bottles. let the bottles sit in cold water until the labels come off and then make up some fake root beer labels on the computer.

Brilliant!

[Bruno_78]

And that's why he's the boss!

[fretlessman71]

Or, go ahead and soak some root beer bottles at the same time (I'll bet one of the Michigan breweries bottles a root beer), and when they're soaked off, simply slip a root beer label around a freshly "shorn" beer and allow it to dry while laying on its side. If anyone asks you why they're wet, tell them you had previously chilled them down and just never drank them. ;)

[Jake]

That is brillant! I'm going to try that. Do any of you who homebrew ever make labels for your own beer? Is it hard to do?
I could makeup any name because I'm from Michigan going to North Carolina. They would not know that root beer did not exist

[chazwicke]

I recommend calling them Chazwicke's Brilliant Root Beer. :D

[BluesHarp]

haha...You should register that trademark and then lease the rights to Bruno...;)

[SoxyinMO]

Your in-laws are Mormon?
No, Bluesharp, that would be me :rolleyes:

And Jake, it's not hard to make your own labels. If you have power point or publisher you can do them. I've started using publisher, but they don't always print all six. If you're not familiar with power point and start now, you should have it figured out by July (if you're as computerly slow as I). Let me see if I can attach one, okay?


Well, apparently I can't right now and I have to take my dog to be spayed, so I'll try again later, but yes, you can. You can even do it on word, but it's much, much harder.

ps : that's actually one of mine at the left, not that you can see it well. Brewzhound World Series Red Sox Ale (with pic of Jason Varitek in Keith Foulke's arms -- love those man hugs)

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by BluesHarp
haha...You should register that trademark and then lease the rights to Bruno...;)

Well I'm actually lobbying for his brewery to be called Human Head.

[SoxyinMO]

Okay, let's try this again!

[woo hoo! it worked. This is the prototype for the mead]

[BluesHarp]

Originally posted by chazwicke
Well I'm actually lobbying for his brewery to be called Human Head.

I meant the name for a beer (root)...:) Sounds very "exotic"

[HogieWan]

soxy, what kind of labels do you use? Is there a certain brand that works well on the bottles?

[SoxyinMO]

Hogie, I use regular printer paper and craft glue sticks.

I used to get label paper, but found it was trickier to wet the back (and make sure you got it right side up in the printer). AND it was much more expensive.

Now I just use regular paper. The Red Sox Ale I did on white, because it fit the label, but don't forget there are all types & colors of paper to use! I did a raspberried california common label on a pale raspberry colored paper and it was great -- a London Porter on a foggy grey paper, etc. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE LIMITLESS!

I make six labels to a page and that's just about the right size. I print them and cut them (sometimes with wiggly scissors) and when it's time to bottle, I go around the edges (get those corners!) and an X in the middle with the glue stick and slap it on.

If the glue dries, just moisten it and it will go on.

For a while I was spraying the full sheet on the picture side of the labels with acrylic spray from the hardware store, and I'm told that this will help the colors hold, but I've never soaked mine in ice and have never had a running problem, so I don't bother with that any more.

Also, drop the empties in warm water, give it about 10-15 seconds, and the labels slide right off.


[Remember, this is an example of one piece of paper though it looks kinda wacky on the attachment]

[chazwicke]

I like that label much Soxy. Good job. Now I'm pining for a proper pint in a proper pub.:(

[SoxyinMO]

It's toooo perfect, isn't it? My daughter took that pic in London when she was visiting her fiancé.

Sorry to make you pine, but I know what you mean! Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand taste buds!

[Jake]

I'm coming clean and confessing what I was up to. My family and I were going to meet up with other family members and camp at this Privite Family Campground on the Atlantic Ocean. I love everything about the ocean, the sound of the surf, the smell, sand,sun and to top it all off with a the great taste of good beer.

I been to Myrtle Beach many times and seen were alcohol has spoiled a family atmosphere, so its understandable for this campground not allow alcohol. My thinking was since I always use self control what would it hurt if I had my cake and ate it too. I have since changed my mind on this idea. Besides it not being the right thing to do I run the risk of ruining the family vacation by getting kicked out.

There I feel so much better now:)