One Oskaar didn't think of...

[GntlKnght]

I am so excited! ;D I have discovered something to rate commercial Meads that Oskaar does not use! Everyone has read examples of Oskaar’s finely tuned palate, nose and observations, but here is one that he has missed! Are you ready for it? The drum roll please…

The new category for rating commercial Meads is “reuse of bottles”. Yes, that is right! I noticed a distinct difference in how easily labels come off and what type of bottles are used! I suppose this would not matter much to the average mead drinker, but no one here is average (but I won’t say if we’re above or below!).

So, here are the brands I was playing with –
Pirtle (Blackberry Mead & Raspberry Mead) – the labels come off EASILY in warm soapy water. They use a standard wine bottle, so it is easily reused. The only downside, if you consider it a downside, is that the bottles are clear.

Redstone (Juniperberry Mead, Raspberry Nectar &Sunshine Nectar) – the labels were inconsistent. Two came off in one sheet after soaking in warm soapy water. The other came off in layers and the gummy layer is still being worked on! Even with that downside, they use the very cool blue E Z Cap bottles. The nectars are 500ml and the mead is a 1L bottle.

Rabbit’s Foot (Sweet Mead) – The bottle is unique. In some ways that is good. In other ways that is not so good. They fit in my floor corker, so that is not a problem, but they are wider than the average wine bottle. So, it won’t go in the cheap wine rack that is barely big enough to hold a standard 750 ml bottle. The labels are tough to remove though.

Desi Dew (Sweet Mead) – Desi has the wax seal covering the top of the bottle. This seal cuts off easily. The labels come off fairly easily too. They use standard clear bottles.

Honeyrun (Elderberry Mead) – This is the toughest label I have ever had to remove. If the stuff inside weren’t so good, I don’t know that would keep buying it! The after soaking the bottles overnight, they still have to be scraped off. Then soak them again and scrape again. Then soak again and scrape again. I had to use Gumout to get the rest off!

 

[Oskaar]

Oskaar <------------ Tents his fingers Monty Burns style. "Excellent!"

 

[irishoneme]

if you throw the whole lot in the tub with some vinegar, you won't have any problems with labels at all, thus rendering your theory moot. but I do have to admit... since brewing I have never looked at a wine bottle the same.

 

[toolboxdiver]

I even go as far as to not buy a wine if I don't like the bottle style for use later...lol

 

[Geoffrey Johnson]

Another great way to get the labels off is to run them through the washing machine. Granted, you'll have to explain to the Mrs. exactly why you thought it was a good idea; you'll spend five times as long cleaning paper scum out of the interior of the machine (if you don't clog all the drains); you'll wonder why you didn't fill a bucket with hot water and soap and get the labels off the old fashion way; you'll probably never do it again. But it does work ;D ;D

if you throw the whole lot in the tub with some vinegar, you won't have any problems with labels at all

I don't know....I have run across several bottles which refuse to let go of their labels. I have tried bleach baths, vinegar baths, b-bright baths and they still retain control of their markings. Not too many are this resiliant, but I have had a couple.

Another nice thing about shopping for beverages based off of bottle size/usability, apart from an eclectic bottle collection, is that you get to taste things that you would never have thought to buy before....and probably somet that you will make sure that you never buy again :-X !!

 

[jaysbrew]

After all else fails, scrape off what you can with a knife, bottle opener, whatever. Then use an SOS pad on the gluey residue. You should get any label off this way.

After all that work, you'll wonder why you didn't just buy new bottles, though....


Cheers,
Jay