brockettbrews
Well-Known Member
plastic bottles will always work right??? went to my homebrew store and they told me that the plastic bottles wouldnt work..
plastic bottles
- Thread starter brockettbrews
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This is a very broad question. Are you talking about brown PET bottles? or are you talking about your leftover mountain dew bottles?
Plastic bottles will work, but it is an overly-broad question...
- Brown PET will definitely work just fine, but I've heard it said that you can't get them too hot. Rinse with cold water. I'd probly buy some Coopers if I could rinse them with hot water. This bit scares me when it comes to sanitizing.
- Clear bottles will skunk your beer if they're not hidden in a VERY dark place.... such as within 2 paper bags and a box, in a basement.
Light kills the hops!!
- Water bottles can potentially work, but you'd be best off sticking to the 20oz, 1L, and 2L soda bottles, since those bottles are, indeed, designed for carbonation. Plastic bottles can hold twice as much pressure as glass bottles.
-- I tried half gallon Ocean Spray bottles and they worked OK. They "blew up" in terms of volume, but they didn't explode or leak. I would use these again if it weren't for the bottom "blowing up" too, so it doesn't allow it to sit perfectly flat.
-- After looking at the Ocean Spray bottles, I noticed a 32 oz Gatorade bottle has a much more rigid and "supported" bottom. I think these will work out just fine. I actually saw some off-brand "sport drink" at my local grocery for $70 cents a piece after tax and might go get 10 or so to test out... if and only if their bottoms look to be as rigid as the Gatorade bottles I'd seen.
Only 20 (32 oz) "sport drink" bottles would be needed for 5 gallons of beer. And no need to purchase caps or "cap" at all. Seems like it's worth a shot to me.
- Brown PET will definitely work just fine, but I've heard it said that you can't get them too hot. Rinse with cold water. I'd probly buy some Coopers if I could rinse them with hot water. This bit scares me when it comes to sanitizing.
- Clear bottles will skunk your beer if they're not hidden in a VERY dark place.... such as within 2 paper bags and a box, in a basement.
Light kills the hops!!- Water bottles can potentially work, but you'd be best off sticking to the 20oz, 1L, and 2L soda bottles, since those bottles are, indeed, designed for carbonation. Plastic bottles can hold twice as much pressure as glass bottles.
-- I tried half gallon Ocean Spray bottles and they worked OK. They "blew up" in terms of volume, but they didn't explode or leak. I would use these again if it weren't for the bottom "blowing up" too, so it doesn't allow it to sit perfectly flat.
-- After looking at the Ocean Spray bottles, I noticed a 32 oz Gatorade bottle has a much more rigid and "supported" bottom. I think these will work out just fine. I actually saw some off-brand "sport drink" at my local grocery for $70 cents a piece after tax and might go get 10 or so to test out... if and only if their bottoms look to be as rigid as the Gatorade bottles I'd seen.
Only 20 (32 oz) "sport drink" bottles would be needed for 5 gallons of beer. And no need to purchase caps or "cap" at all. Seems like it's worth a shot to me.
brockettbrews
Well-Known Member
brown pet bottles.
brockettbrews
Well-Known Member
i will try and get some 2 liter bottles then. i put everything in a closet or fridge.
I have my first Hard Cider almost ready to bottle and I have some Skeeter Pee about a month behind my Cider. I am just giving them a shot and figured they would be nice drinking at the lake this summer. The problem is I Keg my beer and only have a handful of swing tops that I used for the stuff that doesn't fit in the keg.
Long story short, will I be able to bottle my Cider and Skeeter Pee back into the bottles they came in? I mean the old apple cider and lemon juice bottles? Will I need different caps or will what they came with work?
Long story short, will I be able to bottle my Cider and Skeeter Pee back into the bottles they came in? I mean the old apple cider and lemon juice bottles? Will I need different caps or will what they came with work?
Cpt_Kirks
Well-Known Member
PET bottles work great for carrying homebrew around. I fill them from the kegs.
Mountain Dew bottles are great for "stealth" homebrew.
Mountain Dew bottles are great for "stealth" homebrew.
Unless you put a 1/4 inch of liquid nitrogen in them and leave them in the sun. Then they "blow up real good".
About two years ago, I made a batch of apfelwein that I put into PETE plastic bottles...some that the apple juice was in, and some empty 2 liter soda bottles. The soda bottles worked out just fine...including re-using the twist-off caps. The juice bottles had molded "hand-holds" on the side which popped out from the pressure of the carbonation, but otherwise worked just fine. I bottled the batch and put ALL the bottles in a plastic tub with a lid, just in case they decided to "blow." None of them did.
glenn514
glenn514
I just ran a successful test refilling a 1 liter Club Soda bottle. Bottled a Pale Ale 3 weeks ago in one. Tucked it away in the back of a closet (in a bucket in case of leaks). Bottle carbed up nicely. Served it up this past weekend when some friends were over. Worked perfectly.
The test was in prep for the summer. Looking for an easy way to take the homebrew places where bottles aren't welcome such as the pool or beach.
I'll be running some more tests in a day or two with a first batch of Centennial Blonde that's ready for bottling.
The test was in prep for the summer. Looking for an easy way to take the homebrew places where bottles aren't welcome such as the pool or beach.
I'll be running some more tests in a day or two with a first batch of Centennial Blonde that's ready for bottling.
