Growler cap recs needed

[11bcollins11]

Growler cap recommendations? All I have tried so far is Amazon (US) with the plastic polyseal that wore out in about a year, and a metal replacement which is paper thin and did not stay tight which led to a flat brew. I bottle/carbonate in 32 and 64 ounce growlers. Thanks for the help!

[bpgreen]

I could be mistaken, but I don't think growlers are designed for long term storage. I think they're really only supposed to be used for bringing kegged beer home to drink in a couple of days.

If I were you, I'd use bottles designed for the use you want.

[mashani]

If you got some that were re-used, lasted a year, and held carb, and you have growlers that don't explode under carbonation pressure, then I would just say to buy more and use those again. Plastic caps for bottles are reusable, but they also need to be replaced eventually, the seals will not last forever. Same with those growler caps you had. I don't think you will find a cap that will last much longer with repeated use.

At least for bottles, if there is a "squish" feeling at the end of tightening and/or if you let them sit for 10 minutes and you can tighten them more after, they are still good. As soon as they feel like when you tighten them and they just "stop" and if you try again in 10 minutes nothing happens, those caps are nearly dead in my experience.

BP is correct thought that most growlers are not really designed to handle and hold carbonation pressures, but are more for storage. I would actually like to know what kind of growlers you have that do work, hold pressure for extended periods, and don't explode, as I wouldn't mind some 64oz "bottles".

[11bcollins11]

Thanks for the cap tips. I am a little surprised at the surprise of bottling in growlers. I just use growlers sold at my local breweries, and the top rated couple of brands on Amazon... all held well over a year through many carbonation processes during COVID. One burst one time but I thought it got bumped in a crowded cabinet, because I was careless and packed them in tight. I honestly thought home brewing is why they are for sale in large quantities; who brings 6 or more growlers in for a refill? Now I am questioning everything.

[HerbMeowing]

At least for bottles, if there is a "squish" feeling at the end of tightening and/or if you let them sit for 10 minutes and you can tighten them more after, they are still good. As soon as they feel like when you tighten them and they just "stop" and if you try again in 10 minutes nothing happens, those caps are nearly dead in my experience.

That's odd.
My experience is exactly the opposite.

If they have any travel in them after the initial tightening then they're shot.

[mashani]

You must be able to put more torque into twisting them then me to get them all the way down the first try. I do bet there is a "squish" feeling at least as you are tightening them near the end, at least with the caps I use (bulk caps I got from AIH I think). In my case if I had more torque, then I would say if they stop and have no "squish" feeling just before they stop, IE they just go from twisting to dead stop, then they would be shot. FWIW, the Mr. B/Coopers caps (black colored with thick lock rings) start out with less "squish" and wear out much quicker then the bulk caps I am using now (white colored, deeper cap with a very thin lock ring). Also being thicker, the Coopers caps lock ring is much more of a PITA to get off the bottle later, so I don't use them anymore.