Question about beer bottles

[SerScot]

Since Mac is running a microbrewery, it could be that they're pop-off tops that aren't sealed incredibly tight.  Mac seems prone to pour workmanship.

...

See what I did there?  Huh?  Huh?  Muahahahahaha!

You're going to the punatentary for that one.

[Maz]

Coming from a home brewer, you cannot actually have caps that are not tight.  You bottle after fermentation (your recipe might call for primary only or primary and secondary fermentation or something even more  elaborate).  You add a bit of sugar (primer) to the beer and then seal it air tight.  The yeast eats the sugar and produces carbon dioxide, which is how you get carbonation in your beer.  If the seals weren't air tight and strongly on, you'd have a blow out - the caps would be shot off and the beer ruined.  Even if they didn't pop off, your beer would get contaminated.  One of the most critical aspects of brewing is absolutely cleanliness - bottles, caps, all your brewing equipment will be cleaned and sanitized, usually using a combination of things such as an oxygen cleaner and/or food acid type disinfectant.  Any strain bacteria could instead eat the sugar otherwise and that would lead to skunky, nasty beer. 

[Talby16]

I think the trick is to vice grip the cap and twist/pull the bottle. If you have a good grip on the cap the metal should not be tearing at the fingers.

[SerScot]

Talby16,

I think the trick is to vice grip the cap and twist/pull the bottle. If you have a good grip on the cap the metal should not be tearing at the fingers.

See, Maz's post.  That is next to impossible if the beer has been properly sealed.

[Talby16]

Should have prefaced my comment with "I can count on one hand the number of drinks I've had in my life."

[Griffyn612]

Coming from a home brewer, you cannot actually have caps that are not tight.  You bottle after fermentation (your recipe might call for primary only or primary and secondary fermentation or something even more  elaborate).  You add a bit of sugar (primer) to the beer and then seal it air tight.  The yeast eats the sugar and produces carbon dioxide, which is how you get carbonation in your beer.  If the seals weren't air tight and strongly on, you'd have a blow out - the caps would be shot off and the beer ruined.  Even if they didn't pop off, your beer would get contaminated.  One of the most critical aspects of brewing is absolutely cleanliness - bottles, caps, all your brewing equipment will be cleaned and sanitized, usually using a combination of things such as an oxygen cleaner and/or food acid type disinfectant.  Any strain bacteria could instead eat the sugar otherwise and that would lead to skunky, nasty beer.

The suggestion was really just to set up the pun.   

[Slowpool]

The suggestion was really just to set up the pun.   

  Conspiracy to commit pun?  That's an extra 50 years.  You really should talk to your lawyer before admitting something like that.

[Griffyn612]

  Conspiracy to commit pun?  That's an extra 50 years.  You really should talk to your lawyer before admitting something like that.

I guess I better hope I can survive the... punishment.

[Slowpool]

I guess I better hope I can survive the... punishment.

  Bailiff, break that man's kneecaps.

Coming from a home brewer, you cannot actually have caps that are not tight.  You bottle after fermentation (your recipe might call for primary only or primary and secondary fermentation or something even more  elaborate).  You add a bit of sugar (primer) to the beer and then seal it air tight.  The yeast eats the sugar and produces carbon dioxide, which is how you get carbonation in your beer.  If the seals weren't air tight and strongly on, you'd have a blow out - the caps would be shot off and the beer ruined.  Even if they didn't pop off, your beer would get contaminated.  One of the most critical aspects of brewing is absolutely cleanliness - bottles, caps, all your brewing equipment will be cleaned and sanitized, usually using a combination of things such as an oxygen cleaner and/or food acid type disinfectant.  Any strain bacteria could instead eat the sugar otherwise and that would lead to skunky, nasty beer. 

  Considering Mac's stuff is neither skunky nor nasty, yet apparently is also not on tight enough to prevent casual opening, it seems there's more than a little sugar and spice in the brew.  Probably something to protect it from contamination.

[Dashkull]

Coming from a home brewer, you cannot actually have caps that are not tight.  You bottle after fermentation (your recipe might call for primary only or primary and secondary fermentation or something even more  elaborate).  You add a bit of sugar (primer) to the beer and then seal it air tight.  The yeast eats the sugar and produces carbon dioxide, which is how you get carbonation in your beer.  If the seals weren't air tight and strongly on, you'd have a blow out - the caps would be shot off and the beer ruined.  Even if they didn't pop off, your beer would get contaminated.  One of the most critical aspects of brewing is absolutely cleanliness - bottles, caps, all your brewing equipment will be cleaned and sanitized, usually using a combination of things such as an oxygen cleaner and/or food acid type disinfectant.  Any strain bacteria could instead eat the sugar otherwise and that would lead to skunky, nasty beer.

I think Mac's operation is a LITTLE bigger than that. He likely does not brew in individual bottles, he makes way too much of the stuff. He probably brews elsewhere and pours it into bottles then seals it.

In any case, I dont remember anyone other than Mac and the lady bartender in Curses (who is also not human) doing it.

[Slowpool]

I think Mac's operation is a LITTLE bigger than that. He likely does not brew in individual bottles, he makes way too much of the stuff. He probably brews elsewhere and pours it into bottles then seals it.

In any case, I dont remember anyone other than Mac and the lady bartender in Curses (who is also not human) doing it.

  Jill?  Did she even make her own brew?  I thought they were drinking Mac's stuff.

[SerScot]

Slowpool,

  Bailiff, break that man's kneecaps.
  Considering Mac's stuff is neither skunky nor nasty, yet apparently is also not on tight enough to prevent casual opening, it seems there's more than a little sugar and spice in the brew.  Probably something to protect it from contamination.

I hate the "it must be magic" explanation.  Why can't Mac just be an exceptional brewer?  This sounds like Jim Butcher didn't know how craft brewed bottle caps worked.

[Maz]

Just to clarify... EVERYONE uses individual bottles... if the beer is in a bottle

Whatever the beer is to be served in or stored in, the final step of brewing is done in.  Cans.  Bottles -12 oz, 22 oz, 16oz. 64 oz Growlers / half gallon jugs. Kegs. 

So if I'm making a Keg, my final step is a keg.  My primary and secondary fermenter are these GIANT (6 or 7 gallon?) glass carboys.  Microbrewies use small vats the size of a room and Budweiser?  Well, I imagine they just have TONS of those vats and they're even bigger.  That's fine for primary and secondary fermentation.  However, the final step puts pressure on the liquid.  If Budweiser is making bud and the final stage is a can, the final step is done inside the can.  It has to be. 

For the homebrewer like me, I like to use a 32 oz glass bottle with a grolsch cap. If I know the drinking habits of my end-user and I want to save time, I can do this   but its still a bottle... just a bigger bottle and grolschs are way easier to open than standard bottle caps but they're not very cost efficient on small bottles.  If I'm bottling a 7 gallon batch into individual bottles, I prefer to recruit some help but I'm also not a brewer by trade like Mac.  If that's all he does, he could handle it just fine.