empty bottles

how many do you have??

Wow just started cleaning bottles this afternoon and did not realize how fast they accumulate. just starting out in the hobby and I have 200 already I am sure this is not a lot for some but seems like enough for 4 batches of beer need to start brewing more often.

I have a team of faithful alcoholics/friends who provide me with hundreds of the things. Still, they will work for homebrew so they are cheap labour at least. There are uncounted bags of them in the cupboard. God knows how many.

I just got home from a cross race, and deschutes is a series sponsor. So, i took a lap afterwards and got a good case or two of bottles. added to what I have already... I could prob bottle three batches.

I have about 150 22 ounce and 40 12 ounce. Just sort of picked them up over the last 3 years. I usually bottle my batches in both 22 ounce and 12 ounce so the variety comes in handy.

Two days ago I had 8 cases of empties. After an extended bottling session this weekend I am down to 4.

I have nearly 250 22 oz bottles... huzzah for one day kegging

I think we have somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-20 cases.....I think I probably can stop saving new empties now.:cross:

hundreds

I have about 175 12 oz beer bottles and between 150 and 175 wine bottles - some full some empty. What is kind of sucky is that will all the wine and beer that will need to be bottled in the coming month, I need more - especially wine bottles.

Not nearly enough: I have around 90 22oz bottles (plus 4 cases of 12oz) and with the batches I have now fermenting and the ones I have planned for the Christmas season, it's not enough. Plus I have a Winter Warmer on deck that will need several months of aging, so that takes away bottles for a prolonged period of time.

I really don't want to bottle in the 12 oz because it takes longer (I'm lazy) and they are Carlsberg bottles with the logo etched on them (so it looks kind of ghetto when you bring them out of the house or serve them to others)... They're also green wich doesn't help either if you bottle dark beers, but for something like the girlfriend's witbier and for personal consumption, it'll be okay.

I got rid of most of my 12 oz bottles and just kept my 22's and most of my heavy duty 16.9 oz bottles (mostly from Fuller's ESB and 1845). It took me several weeks to recycle the 400 or so 12 ounce bottles that I had.

5 gallon cornies are so much more convenient than 12 oz bottles.

I have probably near 300+ 12oz bottles. It is funny but I am just about done with bottles FOREVER. While I did not loathe bottling as much as some of the others here, I had some excellent Craigs List finds.

I have totally skipped the corney kegs and now use sankey, growlers and "home draft" dispensers for 95% of all my beers! I will continue to bottle a few from every batch but these are for the archives, gifts and competitions; until they are gone!

I probably have about 250 12oz bottles and assorted 22oz'ers.. But I'm most proud of my 60+ Belgian 750ml bottles. I collected them from friends, personal consumption, one new case of 12 and a few trips to a bar near where I work. They have been thoroughly cleaned, and will be doubly-sanitized before my bottling day this weekend.

Zamial said:

I have totally skipped the corney kegs and now use sankey, growlers and "home draft" dispensers for 95% of all my beers! I will continue to bottle a few from every batch but these are for the archives, gifts and competitions; until they are gone!

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What size sankey kegs are you using? I thought about using the slim quarters or the 1/6th barrel kegs, but the cornies were a lot cheaper.

Yeah, aside from the cool flip top bottles I still have, I gave all of my bottles away when I went to kegs. About 300 of them.

Bottles SUCK. I can always fill them out of the keg if needed.

I have what I like to call 'not enough'.
Have almost a full batch worth of flip-tops, need more.
The rest are all plastic bottles, or a handful of pop-top bottles, but I don't have a capper yet.

billtzk said:

What size sankey kegs are you using? I thought about using the slim quarters or the 1/6th barrel kegs, but the cornies were a lot cheaper.

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I have:
1 - 1/6th
1 - tall 1/4
1 - black rubberized short 1/4
1 - 1/2

so far...I got them all from CL with the exception of the short 1/4 a friend gave me and ideally would like to double this amount - the 1/2. (lets face it 1/2 bbls are pretty unruly to work with and move around full.

I have paid between $30-50 each. I just got the 1/6 and the 1/2 with an old working 70's era Kenmore keg-o-rater that came all set up for sanke kegs and I had bought some other CO2 stuff for sanke's from a rummage sale this summer. I am pretty sure I can get 1 - 1/2 bbl in the keg-o-rater or 2 - 1/6th and 1 tall 1/4. I do need to do some work on the tower as it only has 1 tap ATM.

I am SUPER patient when it comes to getting these items. I have been slowly acquiring these items as I go and I would guess have $200 invested so far...(I am currently using the equipment...so I am operational)

I am also going to be delving into the TAD/miller/coors home draft systems pretty hard. I was able to empty 1 into cooking and have some friends/family also helping me out. I have 3 total empty ATM and a known 4th on the way. I will use these for my "mobile" / "party" beer and for some sparkling apfelwein. (I will also be using the short 1/4 for apfelwein as well.)

I think if I did not find such good deals on my equipment and have a TON of patience, I would be in the hole $500 more than where I am now at least and have all brand new kegging equipment as well...lol. Unfortunately, I have more time than money...

I just want to add that either my old bottles will be slowly phased out or if they get in they too much I will post up a "free for the taking" and put them by the curb vs. recycling them.

Sounds like a nice setup you are building, Zamial. If I were ever to convert to Sanke, I'd go with the 1/6th barrel (or 20 liter) all the way just because of the weight when you have to lift them over the edge of the keezer. Anything bigger and I'd have to rig a hoist.

billtzk said:

Sounds like a nice setup you are building, Zamial. If I were ever to convert to Sanke, I'd go with the 1/6th barrel (or 20 liter) all the way just because of the weight when you have to lift them over the edge of the keezer. Anything bigger and I'd have to rig a hoist.

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True except I can get 1/2 barrels for the price of (2) 1/6th barrels. Gotta have a sanke tap on hand. With a little help, I can get them in there.