Bottle labeling

[hockeynut]

Greetings Dudes and Dudettes,

I am looking at labeling a batch of brew and am wondering what is the best (easiest on and off) methods that you all have found. I tried self-adhesive labels (BAD IDEA!!!) so now I am looking for suggestions that have worked in the past for you and are easy to get off the bottles later.

My wife and bottling partner has designed the label and I believe we will use the handy inkjet printer to mass produce the labels but what for adhesive?

Any ideas?

~GO Bluejackets~

[gone_fishing]

I used Avery labels... I think they are 3.3 x 4 inches. They came off quite well in my oxyclean soak. My printer doesn't have waterproof ink, so after printing them I sprayed them with satin dinish clear "stuff".

[mookow]

Originally posted by hockeynut
Greetings Dudes and Dudettes,

I am looking at labeling a batch of brew and am wondering what is the best (easiest on and off) methods that you all have found. I tried self-adhesive labels (BAD IDEA!!!) so now I am looking for suggestions that have worked in the past for you and are easy to get off the bottles later.

My wife and bottling partner has designed the label and I believe we will use the handy inkjet printer to mass produce the labels but what for adhesive?

Any ideas?

~GO Bluejackets~

I have heard, but not tried, that wetting the backs of paper labels with milk and then sticking them to the bottle (possibly after letting them start to dry a bit) will reliably stick a label on the bottle, but said label can later be removed with just a short hot water soak.

Personally, I use adhesive letter address labels, and am quite happy. They stick well (as long as they dont get wet), but can be removed by briefly wetting them and then using your thumb to wipe the label off the bottle. No muss, no fuss. But no coolers filled with ice, either.

[HogieWan]

I've found the avery labels to come off rather well. I have used a glue stick on standard paper with great success. The glue comes right off with a little water.

[corkybstewart]

I have used the Avery labels, and I hated them. I have some that have been on bottles for years and I still can't scrape them off. I guess I just haven't used the right stuff, but last month I soaked some with 5Star PBW overnight. It didn't touch them. I've been told to use ammonia, vinegar, clorox. the list goes on. I've used milk on wine labels and they work great, but if you used them for beer the instant you put bottles on ice they'll fall off.

[SoxyinMO]

I have used a glue stick on standard paper with great success. The glue comes right off with a little water.

That's what I use, too.

[hockeynut]

Thank you, everyone!

I am frustrated by the labels that we used on the first batch and I believe that we are going to go with the trusty "Glue Stick" method. Better safe than sorry and sounds like pluses and minuses for the Avery Labels, not to mention cost.

Some days I just have to remember: "Relax and have a homebrew"

[gone_fishing]

Corky, did you try Oxyclean? That stuff took them right off for me. My new delabeling setup is oxyclean in warm water in a small cooler. That water stays warm for a long time and the combination worked very well with original and Avery labels.

[corkybstewart]

I'll give Oxyclean a try.In the interestofresearch and the need to aquirebottles so I can resume bottling I've emptied a lot of bottles lately. I've got a wide assortment of bottles so I'll see how it does. Thanks

[toneyc]

I think Avery uses a couple of different kinds of adhesive. There's the kind they use on their "Remove 'em" labels and there's the permanent kind and I *think* there's an in between kind. The buggers.

:)
Toney.

[corkybstewart]

I always got the permanent kind. It almost seems to fuse into the glass. But I've got a whole bunch of new bottles to soak so I'll try the Oxy clean. Does anybody know how to get the direct print labels(think Arrogant Bastard) offf?

[gone_fishing]

I think I saw the removable kind when I bought mine, but I didn't get them.I got the permanent kind. Oxyclean took them off no problem.

[Goban]

You can always use the Stout family’s ghetto bottle-labeling system. I just used MS paint and made a label, printed it on regular printer paper and used clear 2” packing tape and taped the label to the bottle.

Easy, huh? I haven’t tried to remove one yet, but I’m guessing it won’t be too fun. :)

[hockeynut]

LMAO~! I am so amused, not by your possible frustration with getting the label off but with your wit. Thanks for the advice and humor. After battling with the stove all afternoon to get my first batch of non~kit beer done, it was a well needed laugh.

Not surprisingly, I had considered that route but was looking for a more refined look for presentation. Who knows, might start a new trend in bottling that AB or some like that might follow. :D

[mookow]

Originally posted by corkybstewart
I always got the permanent kind. It almost seems to fuse into the glass. But I've got a whole bunch of new bottles to soak so I'll try the Oxy clean. Does anybody know how to get the direct print labels(think Arrogant Bastard) offf?

I dont think you are going to get the arrogant bastard labels off with anything less than a sandblaster.

If you really want a 12-pack of bombers, I could probably scrape together a case worth of non-labelled bombers and send it to you a box for $5 + actual shipping.

[corkybstewart]

Thanks, but I can use the ones I have for personal use. I don't have that many of them. I was just wondering if there was a simple way to clean them up.

[Chubber]

Printed paper with good old Elmers glue on the back. A quick circuit around the edge, an X in the middle and onto the bottle. Best part is that the bottle doesn't have to be super dry for it to work, and the glue dries perfectly clear. 5 minutes in warm water and it comes right off.

[cluckk]

For my Chistmas Stout which I gave out as gifts, I used labels bought off the net at http://www.myownlabels.com .

They were a bit pricey, but look real good. They stick on hard but I remove them with the same method I use to strip commercial beer labels--2 cups ammonia added to a couple gallons of hot water. Soak the bottles for about 30 minutes and most labels just fall off in the water.

[SoxyinMO]

Originally posted by cluckk
For my Chistmas Stout which I gave out as gifts, I used labels bought off the net at http://www.myownlabels.com .

They were a bit pricey, but look real good. They stick on hard but I remove them with the same method I use to strip commercial beer labels--2 cups ammonia added to a couple gallons of hot water. Soak the bottles for about 30 minutes and most labels just fall off in the water.

My LHBS sells labels as well, but they are so much more expensive than regular paper and you must put them in the printer the right way (glue side not getting printed) and then dampen them...I've found that the glue stick method on regular paper is much easier.

[Halgarmeister]

For permanent labels, use waterslide paper (clear plastic decal sheets for modeling ) and your printer. These should last well for putting brewery labels on.

For just labeling the beer type, regular Avery labels. To remove, soak in hot water and fabric softener, the fabric softener acts as a surfactant and allows the water to penetrate the paper (I use the same to remove wallpaper ). If the glue remains, then a little lighter fluid usually takes it right off.

I had a neighbor that used colored dots on the caps of his beer. He would either write a code on the cap to indicate the beer or just keep a log of which color was used for what beer. Caps are tossed anyway, so no label removal required.

[Dextolen]

I have had a lot of success with using Avery 5164's, but when I remove the label from the backing I affix a precut 3 x3.5" pice of paper to the sticky back and then label the bottle. It basically leaves a 1/4" rim of sticky around the edges of the label. It holds up just fine and when times comes to remove the label, all you have is a very small 'frame' of sticky stuff to remove after tearing off the label.

I soak the bottles in warm water for 15-30 min. and use a bit of steel wool and it's off in no time.

[zoom6zoom]

Useful information.

Here's the label I designed for the stout I just bottled. I tried putting a cherry stem on the red sun down in the corner, but couldn't get it to look right to my satisfaction. Colors are a bit muted due to compressing it for web use...

[cluckk]

Looks great!