Re-using commercial beer bottles

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Cool Hand

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There is no need to go out and buy new empty bottles is there? Would there be a problem in re-using bottle such as Bass or Sam Adams as long as they are the pop top kind right?
 
Yup yup. That is what I do. Just clean them really well the first time, soak them to remove the labels and you are good to go! I refer to it as "playing my part saving the earth one homebrew at a time" :mug:
 
Most of my bottles are old commercial bottles. Just clean then and sanitize them. rinse the bottles out as you empty them, this helps out a lot.
 
Very nice! The standard cap sold at LHBS is right for the job as well?
 
Yeah, all the caps at my LHBS are the same standard size. $1-$2 a bag.
 
One thing a lot of people dont realize about non screw on cap commercial beer bottles is that there are 2 types. The multi use and the single use. The multi use bottles are a bit heavier and more sturdy and the single use are thinner and a bit weaker. Both work just fine BUT if you are trying to reuse the single use bottles be carefull so as you dont break the neck.

If you can find a store that sells cases of returnable beer bottles those would be your best bet. I normally get mine for $1.20 a case and all they need is some cleaning up.
 
Good point Pumbaa. I forgot to mention screw-tops. I stay away from this type of bottle altogether.
 
I use nothing but used bottles. Just switched from drinking cans to bottles for 6 months and now have about 15 cartons of them :drunk:

...mine are nearly all screwtops but I am starting to collect (they are getting rarer) the non-screw tops for my beers that I am going to be storing for a while (barley wines - looking to keep for a couple of years, if not more).
 
So you can use screw tops, huh? Cool, I thought you had to use pop tops only.
 
Cool Hand said:
So you can use screw tops, huh? Cool, I thought you had to use pop tops only.
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Some people do, some people don't. I have not had a problem with them but I may just have been lucky. The two probs people are talking about are the necks not being as thick and liable to break (never happened to me) and the seal not being as airtight as the non-screw.
 
beer4breakfast said:
Check to see if your capper will make a good seal on a Bass bottle, or if it will even grab the neck below it. Bass bottles have a slightly different configuration at the top than a Sam Adams bottle does.

Most of the non-screw top US microbrews, most 500ml German beer bottles, and most of the English ale bottles work great. I have only bought a couple of cases of bottles, and that was because I wasn't drinking commercial beers fast enough to accumulate them. 90% of my bottles, though, are re-used commercial brew bottles.
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That's kinda why I asked this question, I test capped a Bass and it seemed like the cap was sitting more on top of the lip rather that having a full grasp of it around the base. When I uncapped it there didn't seem to be enough resistance as well as that welcoming PPPHHHFFFTTTT! I'm used to hearing. :D
 
I've heard bad things about Bass bottles and some other European beer bottles, I think they use a slightly different cap. Sam Adams bottles work perfectly (and their labels come off pretty easily, too).
 
Damn, I got 2 1/2 cases of bass bottles I just de-labeled. Guess I gotta get some Sammy. Hey atleast I found this out prior to bottling day!
 
It *might* just be a matter of adjusting your capper - I don't know for certain. Play around with it ahead of time, I wouldn't give up. You also *might* need a diffferent bell (is that the right term?) for the capper. In any case, don't toss the bottles yet.
 
the_bird said:
I've heard bad things about Bass bottles and some other European beer bottles, I think they use a slightly different cap. Sam Adams bottles work perfectly (and their labels come off pretty easily, too).
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I've had problems with Heineken bottles, it seems like the capper doesn't have quite enough purchase to seal the bottle properly.
 
Cool Hand said:
There is no need to go out and buy new empty bottles is there? Would there be a problem in re-using bottle such as Bass or Sam Adams as long as they are the pop top kind right?
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Another trick is to check with your local bottle depot to see if they have any Grolsch-style bottles. These bottles are imports with swing-top caps that can be resealed. The bottle return depots here generally can't do anything with these bottles because the local breweries don't want them. I picked up 400 for $60. I had to replace the seals on some bottles, but the seals are cheap and can be purchased from most homebrew supply stores. Most bottles were actually pretty clean, but I saved some elbow grease by soaking them all in TSP and bleach, and then putting them through an old dishwasher (my wife wouldn't let me use the one in our kitchen after she found the first cigarette butt).

The only problem with the Grolsch bottles is that they are green and don't block light very well. Otherwise, I find these to be excellent bottles for homebrew.
 
Sam Adams bottles seem a bit heavier than some others, too. I've tried all kinds of bottles, from Corona (clear) to Pilsner Urquell (green). The Urquell has a funny lip, like Bass, so they don't work. My favorite bottles now are Grolsch bottles. They're green, so I have to keep them out of the light, but that's not a problem. The Grolsch are EZ cap bottles with ceramic caps. Otherwise, it's mostly Sam Adams bottles, and a few 22-oz bottles I've picked up commercially. I like the 22 ouncers, and wish I had more. That's about the right size to split a beer with my husband in the evening, and much less bottling! I've never bought new bottles, and I have several hundreds around. When people know you brew, beer bottles start appearing on your doorstep.

Lorena
 
Tell people that you're happy to give them beer, but they need to start saving you Sam Adams bottles (and you need to get the ones you give them back). I don't mind giving beer away at all, I actually enjoy sharing it, and it means that I get lots of bottles back. I've bought a couple cases, but shouldn't have to ever again.
 
I use all store bought bottles. I pour into a glass and rinse the bottle immediately, so my mouth never touches the bottle. Then I still wash and sanitize them before bottling. I have not had a bad bottle in 11 batches.
 
Hehe, that reminds me of what I did the day after New Years, I went over to see the neighbour across the street with my buddy and I noticed that they were throwing away some crown and mac bottles away (brown non-screw tops). At first I thought that it was only a handfull, but it ended up being a whole plastic bag full - about 20 bottles, so I grabbed them. It looked pretty desperate tho, lol, and my mate gave me a bit of stick for it too, he thought I looked like a hobo, sorting through peoples rubbish.
 
In regards to using commercial bottles, I'd stay away from New Belgium Brewery and Pete's Wicked. I've broke the tops off of both these kinds. But I was also using the cheap two handle push down capper rather than the single lever type (which I now have)!
 
I've just bottled my first batch, amongst the bottles are 1 bass bottle and 1 Pilsner Urquell, also a Red Stripe, and a couple of samuel smiths. Are these brews going to be ruined? I used a winger capper and some elbow grease.
 
I've collected a little over 100 12oz bottles and several 22ozer between me and a friends purchases over the last few months. I did purchase my first set of bottles, 16oz EZ-Cap bottles, for my first brew. Haven't used them since. Use mostly the 12oz commercials I collect and the 22's. I did purchase a case of 12 22oz bottles at my LHBS for around $7. Was a good price and couldn't pass it up.
 
Samuel Adams bottles are real good bottles. When i buy store bought beer thats what i buy. Plus the beer is pretty good too. I want to get more 22oz bottles, it looks like it would be alot faster come bottling time.
 
When I was purchasing my equipment and ingredients for my very first batch, the guy at my LHBS said I didn't need to buy any bottles from him, it was more fun to go and "collect" them yourself. So I went out and bought a case of beer and drank it... ;)
 
Pumbaa said:
One thing a lot of people dont realize about non screw on cap commercial beer bottles is that there are 2 types. The multi use and the single use. The multi use bottles are a bit heavier and more sturdy and the single use are thinner and a bit weaker. Both work just fine BUT if you are trying to reuse the single use bottles be carefull so as you dont break the neck.

If you can find a store that sells cases of returnable beer bottles those would be your best bet. I normally get mine for $1.20 a case and all they need is some cleaning up.
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Yup, I just made a real good hook up on empty returnables. 1.50 a case and I get first crack at all that comes into the local distributor. They will call when they have 5 cases in and I can pick them up. I told them I will take all they got @ 1.50 a case. So as soon as I have my full, I will pass the savings on to someone that wants to pay shipping!
 
4 Peaks Brewery is literally in our back yard, and they sell a case of their beer there, for $22. We sell a case of brand new (empty) bottles for $13. Looking at it this way, the beer is only 9 dollars a case.

Boss doesn't care, bottles have the highest shipping, take up the most room, and have the lowest mark-up. He'd rather tell people to buy full bottles. Before I started working there, he almost refused to sell me 500ML swing-top bottles, because his price was the same as Grolsch. (His were empty, Grolsch bottles were full!)

steve
 
ive been drinking alot of harp lagger and saved the bottles in anticipation of brewing my first batch of beer. the collar on this bottle is too close to the the top. on a practice run with my capper i noticed that the capper levers "bottomed out" before there was full pressure on the cap. instead of wasting 2 cases worth of bottles, i modified my capper. pried of the red plastic feet and put a small spacer between them and the heavy guage sheet metal portion of the capper, thus reducing the required space between the collar and the top of the bottle. seems to put a cap on he bottle much tighter than before, but i wont know for sure untill im done lagering(about 2 months from now).
 
I have never bought any bottles from my LHBS. In Austin Tx we have a recycle center and they have big bins separated by clear, green and brown. I have probably a hundred Newcastle clear, a couple dozen Beck's green bottles and about 200+ brown bottles. I scored another 50 today even though I am up to my neck in bottles. I also have about 150+ Grolsh, EZCap brown and other flip tops including about 25 Fischer 22 oz flip tops. Then if that isn't enough, I have about 120 22oz bombers.

My preference is to bottle 50/50 16 oz swing tops & clear Newcastle for my own use at home, a dozen or so brown 12 oz for give aways and 2 22 oz bombers for our monthly homebrew club meeting. I also Bottle a few Beck's green of some of my brews for company because they are so classy looking. Those are usually a cream ale or other thing for the BMC company.

I have bottles for all occasions and needs. Sweeeet!:rockin:
 
Unfortunately, Sam Adams and Bass both have their names raised in the glass. Some contests do not allow bottles to be entered with such features. Just something to think about.
 
l3lackEyedAngels said:
Unfortunately, Sam Adams and Bass both have their names raised in the glass. Some contests do not allow bottles to be entered with such features. Just something to think about.
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I think, in the spirit of the Lobuck competition, we might give BONUS POINTS to people who submit obviously recycled bottles!!! :drunk:
 
Prowler 13 said:
I have never bought any bottles from my LHBS. In Austin Tx we have a recycle center and they have big bins separated by clear, green and brown. I have probably a hundred Newcastle clear, a couple dozen Beck's green bottles and about 200+ brown bottles. I scored another 50 today even though I am up to my neck in bottles. I also have about 150+ Grolsh, EZCap brown and other flip tops including about 25 Fischer 22 oz flip tops. Then if that isn't enough, I have about 120 22oz bombers.

My preference is to bottle 50/50 16 oz swing tops & clear Newcastle for my own use at home, a dozen or so brown 12 oz for give aways and 2 22 oz bombers for our monthly homebrew club meeting. I also Bottle a few Beck's green of some of my brews for company because they are so classy looking. Those are usually a cream ale or other thing for the BMC company.

I have bottles for all occasions and needs. Sweeeet!:rockin:
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Dang, and I thought bottling was already more work...
 
prowler13 (or anyone else from austin),

If you dont mind me asking, what austin recycling center do you use? I have looked around a bit and cannot find anything promising around. There seem to be a lot of private recycling outfits around town but nothing really official looking.

I just realized the other day that the three batches ive got in secondary are going to need bottles eventually -so any help would be appreciated.
 
I save all my New Glarus bottles. (I like their Fat Squirrel Ale). The bottles look identical to the ones I have purchased from my LBHS. I don't know how widely they distrubute their beers, but if you can find it, I recommend it.
 
It is located on 9th and IH 35 downtown. http://www.ecology-action.org/

You may have to make two or three trips. Some days you may have bad luck and arrive just after they have dumped the bins and some days like Sunday when I was there and scarfed up on about 60 bottles.

If you are in a bind, I have several cases of 22oz bombers already cleaned I would let go of for $5.00 per case. I live on the North side. PM me if you need them.
 

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