Brewing Master

Question:

What is the best way to apply labels so that they WILL be easy to remove?? Also, On my second batch I used a starter of 1pint of (boiled and cooled) water,dry yeast, and about 1 tablespoon of Corn sugar. I shook the hell out of it and let it set for about 2 hours before pitching. Good or Bad??? Thanks in advance for any info,,,Have a great day…Scott

Scott, When i visited my friendly hombrew supplier recently, we got to talking about labels.  He mentioned that the best method of putting labels on was to make photocopies, so that the inks wont run when they get wet, and then to dip the back of the label thru some milk.  this apparently works like a very mild glue, keeping your label on the bottle until you immerse it in water, and then it just slides right off… as for the priming, dont have a clue as to wether it’ll work or not. i’m planning to rack to secondary tommorrow, and hope to pull a sample of yeast to add to some hopped malt extract (about a pint), then adding that at the height of  fermentation for carbonation. Good luck and good brewing… — Corwyn ‘Life is deja-brew… We have all been beer before.’ – C. Papazian

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I am on my second batch and am looking for beer label clipart that I can use for creative labels to comemorate special batches. I plan to label only a couple due to the less than joyus task of cleaning bottles. Which brings me to a second question. What is the best way to apply labels so that they WILL be easy to remove?? Also, On my second batch I used a starter of 1pint of (boiled and cooled) water,dry yeast, and about 1 tablespoon of Corn sugar. I shook the hell out of it and let it set for about 2 hours before pitching. Good or Bad??? Thanks in advance for any info,,,Have a great day…Scott

I hope you have a computer. I use "PRINT SHOP" and use a "shipping lable templet. To remove labels soak in ammunia and they fall off. To glue labels put label in skim milk then apply to your bottle hope this helps tom

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Here’s my take on the beer labels debut.  I use Print Shop Deluxe to make my labels.  I print them out as mailing labels(which prints 6 per page) and then I use glue sticks to attached them to the bottles. Make sure the glue stick says removeable on it and the labels will peel right off.  in most cases it doesn’t even leave any residue.  The one downfall with this method is that the paper falls apart if it gets very wet and the ink also runs.  but if the plan is to keep the bottles refrigerated then this works really great! Jim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am on my second batch and am looking for beer label clipart that I can use for creative labels to comemorate special batches. I plan to label only a couple due to the less than joyus task of cleaning bottles. Which brings me to a second question. What is the best way to apply labels so that they WILL be easy to remove??

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Another great way to get labels to stick is to use a glue-stick. I started using it because I was too lazy to brush labels with milk, and it comes off again when you soak the bottles in bleach. The only problem is that it doesn’t protect the ink, but isn’t there some art fixative that you can spray on them to keep the ink from running? Sheena

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i have found the best thing to put labels on and the easiest to remove is rubber cement, believe it or not milk works pretty good to.   -Herman "theHop" Head

A while back someone posted a recommendation that I’ll second. Get some standard nonfat dry milk.  Mix 1 part of the dry milk with 3 parts water.  Now, there’s one tweak I discovered — warm it until it starts to get a little gooey.  I do this with a skillet on a low burner.  Now brush onto the back of your labels with a basting brush and slap them on the bottle.  You can just float the labels in the milk if you want but it tends to get them wetter than they need to be.  Also, if you print them on an inkjet or the like soaking them will run the ink.  The solution is to inkjet runs is to print off just one and then make photocopies, that ink won’t run.  Adjust the position, then use a soft cloth to press out and wipe away the excess. Once dry, they are *on*. Even in a wet, icy cooler they’ll stay stuck as well as commercial labels.  For a really professional look go to an art supply story and get some semi-gloss colored paper, or use spray-on fixative (before putting the labels on the bottles).  The fixative will also work if to protect inkjet-printed color labels. Yes, it’s a lot of work.  I don’t bother most of the time, but if I’m giving away bottles as a gift or otherwise want to make an impression, I’ll do up enough to label a couple of six-packs. cm — — "I must go now," said the guide,  "otherwise it will be too far to go alone." He smiled and held out his hand fading in the alien air.                 —William S. Burroughs, Feb 5, 1914 – Aug 2, 1997

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We use Avery type labels bought from an office supply store.  Can’t remember the size, but they’re beer label equivalent, have 6/page.  They can be printed on from any laser or inkjet printer directly.  In fact, MS Word has a template already designed for these labels.  Then, we cut and paste our graphics from Corel or any other graphics software. Works great and these labels stick, baby.  Some of our finest labels are on the web site listed below, if interested. Never tried the fixative mentioned to protect them from ink running. We’ll try that on our current brew. — Herr Flugenmeister — Visit the Flugenmeister Brewery’s homepage http://www.pipeline.com/~rock_lobster/flugenme.htm

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i have found the best thing to put labels on and the easiest to remove is  rubber cement, believe it or not milk works pretty good to.   -Herman "theHop"  Head

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I am on my second batch and am looking for beer label clipart that I can use for creative labels to comemorate special batches. I plan to label only a couple due to the less than joyus task of cleaning bottles. Which brings me to a second question. What is the best way to apply labels so that they WILL be easy to remove?? Also, On my second batch I used a starter of 1pint of (boiled and cooled) water,dry yeast, and about 1 tablespoon of Corn sugar. I shook the hell out of it and let it set for about 2 hours before pitching. Good or Bad??? Thanks in advance for any info,,,Have a great day…Scott

Response:

I am on my second batch and am looking for beer label clipart that I can use for creative labels to comemorate special batches. I plan to label only a couple due to the less than joyus task of cleaning bottles. Which brings me to a second question. What is the best way to apply labels so that they WILL be easy to remove??

I use Corel draw to make my labels and genearlly use the clip art that came with it or the clipart that I bought in one of those 125,000 clipart packs. I generally label all my bottles and the hardest part is cutting out the labels.  I have tried a number of ways to attach them but the glue stick way is by far the easiest and fastest.  I keep a 5 gal bucket in the kitchen with a weak beach solution in it and when I finish a bottle I rinse it, then imerse it in the bucket.  By the time I fill the bucket up, the labels are laying on the bottom and the glue is gone. you can see the labels I have created at my web page below. Also, On my second batch I used a starter of 1pint of (boiled and cooled) water,dry yeast, and about 1 tablespoon of Corn sugar. I shook the hell out of it and let it set for about 2 hours before pitching. Good or Bad???

Can’t tell you about the corn sugar but I use dry yeast and a couple tablespoons of extract (usually the dregs of the can/bag). Thanks in advance for any info,,,Have a great day…Scott

Your welcome, Mike — Mike and Mellissa Pensinger http://www.hrfn.net/~dolphinz Man can not live on bread alone,         There must be a beverage ***WARNING*** Pursuant to US Code of Federal Regulations Title 47 Section 64.1200, any and all unsolicited commercial E-mail sent to this address is subject to a download and archival fee in the amount of US$500.  Criminal penalties may also apply. E-mailing denotes acceptance of these terms.

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