Hey y’all! If you bottle your homebrew with caps, this one’s for you. A good bottle capper, like this FastRack Red Baron bottle capper, made my bottling days so much better.
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Number one on my list
When I wrote 5 brew tools you should own, a good bottle capper kicked off the list. These tools have saved me tons of time and made brewing better overall.
The starter kit capper is fine, for a while
If you bought a starter kit or got one as a gift, there’s a good chance it came with a simple bottle capper. That’s fine. You can get started with it. But in the long run you’re going to want to invest in a better one. If the one from your starter kit lasts longer than that, kudos to that brand.
My experience
Before I upgraded, I broke two of the basic bottle cappers that come with most starter kits. When they work, they get the job done, but I found mine super finicky and not very user-friendly. Worse, I broke several bottles full of freshly brewed beer. Beer all over the place (party foul!) and one less tasty homebrew for me to drink.
Do you even need one?
In my cost breakdown I mention that regular glass bottles need to be capped, so you’ll need a capper and caps. Another option is swing-top bottles, which save you from buying a capper and caps and from capping each bottle. But if you’re going the cap route like me, a solid capper is worth it.
Worth the upgrade
Whatever you choose, upgrading means fewer broken bottles and a much smoother bottling day. You can brew it!
Read more: 5 brew tools you should own, Brewing with kits cost breakdown: how much will it cost?