In this tutorial I will show you the way that I de-label my used craft beer bottles so that they are clean a ready to use for my home brewed beer. I will use only three tools- Hot Water
- Razor Blade (Brand new) (Do not use an old blade)
- Wet Rag
Yes. De-labeling bottles sucks! But, unless you want to pay ridiculous amounts of money for case of empty bottles, then this is a necessity for home brewers.
I've tried this many different ways, but the procedure that I detail below (and in the video) is the best, most efficient way that I've found.
- Fill your sink with hot tap water (While at the same time filling your bottles).
- This allows the hot water to make contact with both sides of the label as well as weighs down the bottle so it doesn't float.
- Once all of the bottles are filled, fill the remainder of the sink with hot water until all of the bottles are covered sufficiently.
- I can usually fit about 12-16 bottles in my sink.
- Allow the bottles to soak for at least 10 minutes
- Longer with yield better results.
- Peel the labels off then re-submerge for another 10 minutes (or so).
- Use this time to put the rag in the water. You want the rag nice and hot.
- Carefully, use the razor blade to scrape the glue off.
- Use the wet rag to wipe off any residual glue.
- Place the bottle upside down to drain and dry.
Pointer:
Be aware that some craft beer companies use different glue types. And because of this, the difficulty of removing the label and glue can range from super easy to nearly impossible.
For Example:
- Sierra Nevada and New Belgium are super easy.
- Thomas Creek is probably one of the most difficult. It's almost like they use super glue to put the labels on. But if you have some patience and a sharp razor blade then you will get them clean.
