Folks favorite bottles...12, 16, or 22 oz?

I'm sure in the end it's not a huge deal here. I've read that some folks prefer the 22 ounce bottle because you have to sanitize less which means less work. Also you might "waste" a little less because there are fewer bottles to leave a little in the bottom for the yeast. What do people prefer?

Well I bottle nearly everything in 12 ounce bottles. But my FAVORITE are the three cases of 1970s era pints I got really cheap a couple of years ago, they are really thick and heavy, and many of them have those great bottling line marks on them from back in the day when bottles were returned and re-used over a few times.



I just like them 'cause they are cool, but I don't have preferences in what bottles I use. Though I do tend to save these for English style beers.

I like any bottle that has beer in it. Big bottles, little bottles ponys, kegs. etc... Empty bottle piss me off.

Really I would rather use 22 oz, because there is less to do. Less caps, less storage, fewer bottles. I usually drink two beers at a time any way.

Revvy said:

Well I bottle nearly everything in 12 ounce bottles. But my FAVORITE are the three cases of 1970s era pints I got really cheap a couple of years ago, they are really thick and heavy, and many of them have those great bottling line marks on them from back in the day when bottles were returned and re-used over a few times.

Click to expand...

Those are AWESOME! I usually use only 12oz because I'm rarely sharing a bottle and don't want to pour a whole 22oz at once (although I do have some, currently occupied by apfelwein). I'd love to bottle into 16oz bottles all the time. I'm pouring it into a pint glass (usually) after all.

Any idea if any commercial brews come in bottles like that these days?

I really like odd bottles and sometimes buy beer just because it's in an interesting bottle that i want to reuse. So I have an odd mix of regular 12oz bottles and a bunch of Orval bottles, stubbies, and various other bottles I've gotten from imports.

Personally I like the 12 oz. bottles because it makes me feel like I have more beer...yes I know that its the same amount of beer whether you use 50 twelve oz. bottles or 28 22oz. bottles, but I just like the thought of having 50 beers vs. 30.
Is that just me?

I've been working on my collection of 500ml European bottles, like the ones most Ayinger and Weihenstephanen beers come in. They perfectly fill my nice Samuel Smith glass and are thick enough to carb beers to 3 vols. or so without worry, like a Hefe or a Saison needs. I'm about halfway enough for a batch. Gots to drink more.

chibrew said:

Personally I like the 12 oz. bottles because it makes me feel like I have more beer...yes I know that its the same amount of beer whether you use 50 twelve oz. bottles or 28 22oz. bottles, but I just like the thought of having 50 beers vs. 30.
Is that just me?

Click to expand...

Oh and that too.

JuanKenobi said:

Any idea if any commercial brews come in bottles like that these days?

Click to expand...

Sadly I haven't seen any in large quantities. I have picked up a few things like Sam Smith Taddy Porter bottles that seem close, but nothing in a large commercial quantity, like in a cool heavy cardboard box like those.

I exclusively use 22 oz bottles, unless I'm making a very strong barleywine, then I'll use 12 oz bottles since 22 ounces of a 12 percent beer is just too much.

Also, since barleywine has to age for so long, I don't want to have all those 22 oz bottles out of circulation that long.

Even better, however, are Sierra Nevada's 24 ounce bottles.

Sometimes I'll bottle using two growlers, about 24 22 ounce bottles, and then one 12 bottle if there's an odd amount left over during bottling.

Interesting bottles are the best. I have about a dozen of these...

ChshreCat said:

Interesting bottles are the best. I have about a dozen of these...

Click to expand...

Didja ever narrow down what beer came in it?

Revvy said:

Didja ever narrow down what beer came in it?

Click to expand...

Yes! Someone else on here found them for me on a collector's site. They're old Heidelberg bottles from the 70's. Makes sense. It was a big brand around here before the national breweries took over.

I only had a few bottles larger than 12 ozs.

But I'm getting some 22 ozers and 16 ozers from shecky next week.

I think having a mix of 12 ozers and larger bottles in each batch is the way to go. You can choose the appropriate size to suit your quaffing mood.

I plan to do 12-18 beers in 12oz for samples and competitions, etc, and just finish the batch with bombers....

I like 12oz beacuse the tall ones will fit 25 to a milk crate, but I bottle in whatever I have. Usually a mix of 22&12.

Yes! Someone else on here found them for me on a collector's site. They're old Heidelberg bottles from the 70's. Makes sense. It was a big brand around here before the national breweries took over.

Click to expand...

Yeah, the ole Heidelberg flu!

My favorite is the solid 12 ozers with out any markings or special shapes that many micros use. 12s are my perfect serving size.

Just bottled my second batch and have been using a mix of the 12oz and 22oz from my LHBS. Starting my collection of others though to use in the future like the 11oz Radeberger.

Drinking : Coopers Mexican Cervesa
Bottle Conditioning: Coopers Ausie Pale Ale
One Deck : Brewers Best Kit (Pilsner I'm thinking)

I've been using about a case of 12 oz, a case of 22 oz, and a few euro's for each batch. My favorites are the short fat Sierra Nevada bombers, because they fit perfectly in the bottom of my fermentation fridge, and on the top shelf of my home fridge. I attended a Sierra Nevada tasting recently, and talked the store manager into letting a case and a half of the big bottles come home with me at the end of the event.

At first I was using a lot of 22s because I just don't like bottling...
but since a buddy and I have been brewing almost exclusively big Trippels, Imperial Stouts and Barleywine, I've been trying to use mostly 12 oz bottles so that I can still walk the dog after drinking one or two, with a few 22's each batch to set down in my "archive."

I pretty much keg everything these days and I have a couple cases of 500ml swing tops and 12 or so 750 swing tops that I use when the keg just won't do. I might pick up some aluminum bottles for when glass just won't do but so far I haven't needed to and since I don't have a bench capper, I'm in no hurry.

I prefer to bottle in 12 oz bottles, I like not having to drink as much at once if I dont want to. I also feel like I have alot more when I look at it in 12 oz bottles.

That being said, I do have a large selection of 16 oz bottles as well. They are kind of the middle ground and I really enjoy them aswell. You get a nice sized glass of beer, but its still generally one portion of beer, while I would argue 22ozs of beer is a little more then that

Pivot said:

I prefer to bottle in 12 oz bottles, I like not having to drink as much at once if I dont want to. I also feel like I have alot more when I look at it in 12 oz bottles.

Click to expand...

Plus your girlfriend can't do her trick in the avatar with a 16 oz. bottle.

hahahahaha i was definitely considering mentioning the picture, but thought better of it.. lol

Unfortunately that is not really SWMBO, but im sure the real SWMBO could do it too haha.
I have a quest this weekend..

LOL!!!

My favorite swings (!) between 16oz. brown fliptops from Germany and Fullers ESB bottles. The Fullers are great, but removing the labels? Back label slides right off just looking at it, but the front and neck labels take a hammer and chisel!

yes the fullers bottles are really awesome to use, Im a big fan too. and yea I agree about the labels. the back just fall off like nothing. the front ones come off fairly easily, but they leave behind some kinda gunk that is really tough to get off.

Pivot said:

the front ones come off fairly easily, but they leave behind some kinda gunk that is really tough to get off.

Click to expand...

I find that soaking the bottles in Oxyclean for an hour with a few knife scratches on the labels loosens the top layer of paper. You can then peel most of the label off, leaving the fiber layer and glue. 15 minutes more, and the fiber peels off, then a 3M scrubby rub for a few seconds takes the glue right off. But for $0.10 per bottle, it's worth the work for such heavy duty bottles!

I have a good supply of these from some Air Force Pilots brought from Germany.


]

I have some short, heavy, blocky bottles I bought a long time ago at an antique place. I think they are only 10 oz bottles or something. I was cleaning out a bunch of bottles the other day, and I poured the water from one of those bottles into a 12 oz. The water level just made it to the bottom of the neck of the 12 oz bottle. They're kinda cool. I've never used them, and I hope they cap ok.

Mostly I use 12 ozers, but I've picked up a few 22's lately. I figure they'll come in handy for sharing at club meetings.

I have two 25 centiliter-bottles. That is 8.5 oz. Only problem is that it was that belgian cherry ale with aspartam that I really can't stand that came in it. I like the bottles, so maybe I will buy the beer for my father who likes sweet stuff...

/matti

i have a collection of about 10 1-liter fliptops, i usually use two per bottled batch and dont usually give them out to friends. if im giving them out i usually give a sixer of 12s

I have 12 & 22 oz. bottles that I use. I like the 12oz. bottles because if someone doesn't particularly care for it, or just doesn't finish it, then it is not such a waste. I drink the 22oz.'s when I know I will be having a beer or 10.

I also don't care to give samples of my brew in the 22's because sometimes people forget to return the bottle and then your out a 22oz. bottle, its alot easier to replace a 12oz. bottle.