Brewing beer isn’t that hard. All you need is a good kit to get you started—one that has, for starters, a funnel, stopper, airlock, tubing and thermometer. One tool that’s often lacking from these kits, however, is a bottle capper, which is integral for sealing and distributing your homemade brew.
Most bottle cappers are easy to use. They resemble a large clamp that fits over the lip of the bottle—just a quick squeeze and it’s completely airtight. Often the cap itself is held in place by a magnet, which helps ensure accuracy and a strong seal. Nor are cappers limited to beer: You can just as easily use them to bottle soda or kombucha.
However you choose to use them, if you’re looking to bottle beer, you’ll obviously need the bottles themselves—plus caps—as well. Some bottle cappers come with these as part of a package, but for those that don’t, make sure you’re not picking a bottle with caps that will be too large or too small for your clamp to accommodate. Here, four of the best on Amazon.
1. Aipasi Tech Manual Bottle Capper Tool
Aipasi tech’s bottle capper is about as straightforward as it gets. A magnet keeps the cap in place as you adhere it to the bottle, which is as simple as pushing down on the wings. Another bonus, especially for beginners, is that this bottle capper comes with 144 bottle caps. You can also use it for soda bottles, as well as home-brewed beer.
Amazon
2. Craft a Brew Deluxe Bottling Kit
There are plenty of beer brewing kits out there, so it makes sense that there’s a beer bottling kit as well. Craft a Brew’s has all the bells and whistles you’ll need to get to bottling, including 10 bottles, a clamp and 30 plus caps. It’s designed to pair with a 1-gallon beer kit, as it has enough resources to bottle three gallons worth of beer.
Amazon
3. G Francis Manual Beer Bottle Capper Tool
G Francis’s beer bottle capper may look like any other—albeit a bit greener—but it’s actually made very differently. Rather than the standard plastic, this capper is made of nylon, which gives it more flexibility and durability. It works for 12, 16 or 22-ounce long-neck bottles, but keep in mind that no caps or bottles are included with purchase.
Amazon
4. FastRack Colt Strong Bench Capper
While most bottle cappers resemble a large clamp, FastRack’s is a bit more sturdy, and is best used when attached to a workbench. Its height can easily be adjusted to accommodate bottles of different heights—it’s about 21 inches tall on its own. Adjusting it may be a pain if you’re capping bottles of different sizes, but, because of its design, it requires much less effort to use.
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