Crown corks 26mm are standard-size metal bottle caps that seal homebrew beer, soda and milk bottles with a proper airtight finish. These are Brewferm caps — 100 pieces per pack, plastic-lined, pasteurisation-safe, and available in four colours so your bottles actually look like something you'd proudly hand a mate instead of a stripped-label science experiment.
Why Brewferm crown corks make your homebrew look professional
A good cap is the difference between "this is my friend's garage beer" and "wait, you brewed this?" The Brewferm 26mm crown cork is the same standard size used by roughly every commercial brewery in Europe, which means any bog-standard capper (bench-top or two-handed) will crimp these down properly. The plastic lining inside the cap creates the airtight seal — no oxygen sneaking in, no CO2 leaking out during bottle conditioning.
The coloured finish is the fun part. Brewing four different batches? Use black for your stout, gold for the tripel, silver for the pale ale, blue for the wheat. No more scribbling on bottle necks with a marker or printing labels you'll have to soak off next time. From our counter: homebrewers who colour-code their caps save themselves a lot of "wait, which one is this?" moments six months into a cellar.
Which colour crown cork should you pick?
All four colours perform identically — pick by aesthetic or by batch-coding system. Here's how we'd think about it:
| Colour | SKU | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Black | HS0050 | Stouts, porters, dark ales — classic look |
| Gold | HS0048 | Tripels, barley wines, strong ales — festive feel |
| Silver | HS0049 | Pale ales, pilsners, lagers — clean and neutral |
| Blue | HS0047 | Wheat beers, witbiers, saisons — or just your "house" colour |
Specifications at a glance
Crown corks 26mm are the standard European beer-bottle closure — here are the numbers that matter when you're matching caps to bottles and cappers.
| Brand | Brewferm |
| Diameter | 26mm (standard crown) |
| Pack size | 100 pieces |
| Lining | Plastic (PVC-free liner) |
| Pasteurisation | Suitable |
| Compatible bottles | Standard beer, soda, milk bottles with 26mm crown finish |
| Colours | Black, Gold, Silver, Blue |
| Capper needed | Bench capper or two-handed (hand) capper |
How to use crown corks 26mm properly
Capping is easy once you've done it twice. The first bottle always feels awkward, the next 99 are muscle memory.
- Check your bottles have a 26mm crown finish — most standard European beer bottles do. Champagne-style bottles often need 29mm caps, so confirm before you start.
- Sanitise the caps. Soak them for 10-15 minutes in a no-rinse sanitiser like StarSan. Don't boil — boiling can warp the plastic liner and ruin the seal.
- Fill your bottle, leaving roughly 2-3cm headspace at the top.
- Place a cap on the bottle opening, centred.
- Position the capper, press down firmly (bench capper) or squeeze the handles together (two-handed). One smooth motion — don't half-crimp and try again.
- The cap should sit flush with a clean crimp around the bottle lip. Give it a gentle tug — it shouldn't budge.
- Store bottles upright at cellar temperature (12-18°C) for bottle conditioning. Two to three weeks minimum for most ales.
Pairs well with a Brewferm bench capper or two-handed capper for fast, consistent crimps, and a bottle of StarSan for no-rinse sanitising. If you're bottling champagne-style strong beers in 750ml bottles, grab a pack of 29mm crown corks instead — the 26mm won't fit that rim.
What to watch out for
The honest limitation: crown corks are single-use. Once crimped, they're done — you can't re-cap a bottle with the same cap. Budget accordingly. A 100-pack covers roughly 4-5 batches of 20L homebrew in 330ml bottles, or 3 batches in 500ml bottles.
Also — make sure your bottles are actually crown-finish bottles. Swing-top (Grolsch-style) bottles and screw-cap bottles won't work with crown corks. If in doubt, a standard brown 330ml beer bottle from any European brewery is almost always 26mm. Champagne and some Belgian strong-ale bottles use 29mm — different cap entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bottles will 100 crown corks cap?
Exactly 100 — one cap per bottle, single-use. For a standard 20-litre homebrew batch, that's roughly 60 x 330ml bottles or 40 x 500ml bottles, so one pack covers almost two full batches.
Can I reuse crown corks after opening a bottle?
No. Once a crown cork is crimped and then pried off, the metal skirt is deformed and the plastic liner is compromised. Reusing them will leak or fail to seal. Always use fresh caps.
Do 26mm crown corks fit all beer bottles?
They fit standard European beer bottles with a 26mm crown finish — which is most of them. Champagne-style bottles and some Belgian strong-ale bottles use a 29mm crown instead. Check the bottle lip diameter if you're unsure.
Are these caps safe for pasteurising?
Yes. Brewferm's 26mm crown corks have a plastic lining rated for pasteurisation temperatures, so you can heat-treat filled bottles without the seal failing. Useful for soft drinks, kombucha, and higher-risk fermentations.
Do I need a special capper for coloured crown corks?
No — a standard bench capper or two-handed hand capper handles all 26mm crowns regardless of colour. The coloured finish is purely cosmetic; the crimp mechanics are identical to plain silver caps.
Should I store bottles upright or on their side after capping?
Upright, always. Storing on their side puts the beer against the cap liner, which can affect flavour and, over long periods, stress the seal. Upright storage also lets yeast sediment settle cleanly at the bottom.
Last updated: April 2026
