A guide to labeling homebrew, and how to easily remove existing labels from bottles.
Originally Posted Sept. 28, 2020
Table of Contents
Intro
There are many reasons why homebrewers label their bottled brews. Labels can help you keep track of which brew is in which bottle. They can also help you keep track of bottling dates. This is especially important if you want to experiment with aging your brews.
Listing ingredients can help you compare different versions of the same brew that has been bottled. Including the type of yeast can help you know what you’re dealing with if you like to harvest yeast from old bottles. Similarly, it can help homebrewing buddies of yours do the same.
And of course, labeling can make your brew more aesthetically pleasing. Using a free label design app can lend a more professional look to your brews. If you or a friend are of an artistic bent, you can give your brews a truly personalized look.
Removing Existing Labels
One way to save money on bottles is to reuse commercial bottles. Chances are that you want to remove the existing label cleanly and quickly before applying your own. You’ll probably want to remove your old labels when reusing your own bottles for a more professional look as well.
I’ve tried many ways of removing labels to find out what the quickest/easiest were. One article I found online tested out steaming, ammonia, baking soda, and probably some others as well. I tested out a few of these methods myself, and the two winners were the ammonia and the baking soda.
However, if I had to choose between the two, I go with baking soda. Baking soda isn’t a noxious or caustic as ammonia; I usually keep a window open when using ammonia. You also don’t need to fear accidentally mixing it with other cleaning products and potentially poisoning yourself. Baking soda also works nearly as quickly and thoroughly as ammonia does.
Process
- Fill a sink or other basic with the hottest water your tap can produce.
- While it’s filling, sprinkle some baking soda in (I’ve never actually measured the amount, but I would say 5 Tbsp. based on eyeballing it).
- Place bottles into the basin while it’s filling. Holding them down with some insulated gloves helps get most of the air out so they’ll stay submerged under the solution (I like to use insulated BBQ gloves).
- Soak for at least an hour or two, or overnight if you wish.
- Scrape labels off bottles using a razor blade. If you’re doing wine bottles, the razor can also easily cut off the foil at the top of the bottle. If there are any stubborn bits of label or glue, use some kitchen steel wool or a Brillo pad. Or let the bottle soak a little longer after most of the label has been peeled away.
- Warning: Razors are sharp and can cause injury. Be sure to wear protective gloves when scraping labels off bottles.
- The same insulated BBQ gloves I use to handle the bottles in hot water also provide protection and excellent grip when scraping labels off.
Note: When doing this process with commercial bottles, I’ve had the easiest time with wine bottles. I’ve noticed that the method works really well with beer bottles from some breweries, but is still really difficult with bottles from other breweries.
Labeling Brews
Early Labeling
When I first started labeling my bottles, it was strictly to keep track of what was inside and what the bottling date was (for aging purposes). I hand wrote all my labels on cheap address label stickers. After a while of doing to several 25 – 30 bottle batches, I got tired of my hand cramping up and decided to start printing labels.
Upgraded Designs
Since I had already decided I was going to print all my labels, I figured I might as well give them some nice designs while I was at it. I researched some free label design apps and decided on using Canva. Canva is a mostly-free app that lets you choose from a large library of pre-made labels (some cost a buck or so to use) and modify them as much as you want.
You can also use Canva’s vector art to create your own labels from scratch. You can also upload your own design as a vector to be used on the label. I printed my first Canva-designed label on my original batch of Mango-Habanero Mead. I was new at using the app, so I used one of their free designs without modifying much other than the text.
Waterproof Labels
Around this time I noticed that the older address book sticker labels were a little difficult to remove using the baking soda and hot water method. I could scrape off most of the label but had to scrub hard with steel wool to get stubborn glue off. I decided to research better quality labels, which lead me to Dashleigh label stickers.
The Dashleigh labels are vinyl-based and waterproof, which means they’ll stay looking nice after a longer time in contact with water. This is more important with brews like beer that you might keep in a cooler, but I still use them on all my brews. They’re a breeze to scrape off bottles after soaking in baking soda solution.
Ease of Use
The only downside to Dashleigh labels is their higher price (around $12 for a 10-pack vs around $6 for a 30-pack of other brands). However, my favorite feature of Dashleigh labels makes them worth the added cost to me: all Dashleigh label packets include instructions for finding downloadable templates.
I keep saved copies of their wine and beer label templates on my desktop for use in all my labels. Outlines representing labels are included in their templates as background watermarks, showing exactly how to position and resize your artwork so it’ll fit perfectly on the label. You just need to remember to remove the watermark before printing.
