Recycling Bottles?

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Apple_Jacker

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I thought of this idea AFTER I bought a case of empty 12 oz. beer bottles from the LHBS store, but I thought of washing and sanitizing some 12 oz. brown beer bottles (NOT twist-off style) I haven't taken to the recycling center yet and use these for bottling my cider. I removed the labels and rinsed out about 3 dozen Bells Beer bottles, which are literally the exact same bottle as the empty bottles I bought...anyone here have experience with using used beer bottles?I hope I didn't waste my time!
 
Yea. I only bottled one batch the rest I legged (i still have all my bottles though) and all my bottles about 150 or more were never bought from the lhbs. Theres a lot of people who reuse bottles. In ny opinion the bottles at the lhbs are over priced. The only thing with using old bottles is some of the labels are a PITA to get off.
 
I've never purchased empty bottles! Not when you can buy Sam Adams (great bottles to reuse!) for the just a bit more than the empty bottles. DogFishHead beers have labels that come off easily, so that's another good one.

It's sad when you purchase beer based on how easy the labels come off for reusing! :D

If you really want something cool for your cider, buy a case of Grolsch with the ceramic swingtops. The beer is ok at best, but the bottles are awesome!
 
I've never purchased empty bottles! Not when you can buy Sam Adams (great bottles to reuse!) for the just a bit more than the empty bottles. DogFishHead beers have labels that come off easily, so that's another good one.

It's sad when you purchase beer based on how easy the labels come off for reusing! :D

If you really want something cool for your cider, buy a case of Grolsch with the ceramic swingtops. The beer is ok at best, but the bottles are awesome!

Grolsch with the ceramic swingtops - I LOVE that idea!!! I think I'll be picking some up soon!

:tank: This forum is awesome!
 
It's sad when you purchase beer based on how easy the labels come off for reusing! :D


This. As much as I love Oskar Blues Old Chub, it takes me a good amount of convincing myself to just buy the damn cans for the good beer. It's not easy buying commercial beer knowing I can't reuse the bottles..
 
Soft drinks and Beer was sold in returnable bottles until sometime in the late 1970's.

The bottling companies would take the returnables back, wash them and then wash again with lye water, then rinse. All of this was done with the bottle upside down on a washing conveyor.

Then the bottle was refilled. You haven't had good commercial drink until you have had one that has been bottled and kept under refridgeration until drank.

If you an find you some old soft drink or beer bottles, don't let them out of your control.
:tank:
 
More than half of my bottles were originally filled with some type of beer from the New Glarus Brewing Company, of New Glarus, WI. My daughter lives near there, and often brings a sixer...and sometimes a twelve-pack...when she visits the 'rents.

glenn514
 
Because we have a returnable law here in Michigan ... my friendly, neighborhood beer store sells me "empties" that people have returned for what they paid for them ... .10cents apiece ... regardless of brand, size or style.
 
Very good to know. I already did have leftover bottles from last year (that I didn't give away) and planned on reusing those ones. It never even dawned on me to use the bottles I already had until it was too late. And yes, they were way over priced! It was around $13 for 24 empty bottles. Last year I paid $8 for the same amount of bottles which is far more reasonable, but recycling what I already have is what I'll be doing from now on. Plus, having another excuse to crack open a beer is always a good thing! I found that the Bells Beer were for the most part easy-to-remove labels. Magic Hat must use better adhesive on their labels because they won't come completely off even after soaking them in soapy water overnight. Guess I'll be sanitizing all of my bottles in the bathtub tonight then going to town on my bottling!

@Jacob_Marley: I just moved away from Michigan. Here in Tennessee they don't do the bottle returns. It took some getting used to seeing people throw away pop cans and bottles. However, there are several recycling facilities around me and I am sure when I go drop off my recycling, I can grab a few bottles to bring back home for free.
 
I haven't tried this yet, but a friend of mine who is a serious homebrewer said he puts a cap full of ammonia in the water he soaks his bottles in. He told me it loosens the stubburn glue.
 
soaking in hot oxyclean solution works wonders inside and out for me

Yup, Oxyclean + Hot Water = Easy Label Removal

You can even get off the painted on labels from Stone if you wanna soak in a starsan solution. But that's more effort than its worth for me. Oddly, Rogue bottles do not respond the same way, they must use a different paint.
 
Getting the labels off using star-san is an interesting idea. I use a lot of Guinness 11.2 oz Drought bottles and those do have their labels painted on. I might try a spot test of star-san on one. Really the labeling on them doesn't bother me too much tho.
 
Oxyclean is doing a good job for me...

I just got need to find more sources for used champagne bottles.

Single-stream recycling doesn't help when you need to do some "shopping "...
 
Kijiji was a good source for me. You might have to pay a few bucks, but it is better then buying them new.

I just make sure to soak them extra long in the sanitizing solution...
 
With recycling, I buy them for 10 cents, like Yooper, and I get to go in the back of the beers store and choose my own!

Also, You might hang out at a bar or two and ask if they will save any brown pry off bottles for you. The place downtown saves Guinness bottles, which are VERY easy to clean and delabel! And they have that sexy hourglass shape! (The draught version, not the extra stout version...)
 
Don't ever buy empty beer bottles. They sell them for close to the same price with beer in them! I've got over 400 of them in my collection from over the years. They're good until they break!
 
Don't ever buy empty beer bottles. They sell them for close to the same price with beer in them! I've got over 400 of them in my collection from over the years. They're good until they break!

You can buy beer for just about 10 cents in MD?? Huh, just when I thought I'd never want to move there... ;)
 
I will make it a habit to save all of my beer bottles (that I like) from now on so I don't run into a shortage problem again. I bottled my cider yesterday and ended up with 68 bottles! :D

20111101225247.jpg
 
I've had great luck putting sink rinsed beer bottles in the dishwasher and instead of detergent I use a hefty amount of granular sanitizer...I leave the heated dry on and the labels fall right off for the most part! Super easy and you can do about 2 cases at once. Never had a problem with contamination.
 
My biggest problem is that my dishwasher is my right hand and my left hand lol. I've been keeping my eye out on Craigslist for one of those dishwashers you hook up to your kitchen sink though...
 
You can buy beer for just about 10 cents in MD?? Huh, just when I thought I'd never want to move there... ;)

Well I was being a little sarcastic. Montgomery County MD (where I live) is the worst place in America to buy alcohol IMHO. The county government holds a total monopoly over alcohol distribution, making everything cost about double what it costs across the river in northern VA (It's the only county in America that does this). Plus the state just added a 9% tax to alcohol and they're talking about a 15% gas tax. It's a liberal's dream! :rolleyes:
 
Well I was being a little sarcastic. Montgomery County MD (where I live) is the worst place in America to buy alcohol IMHO. The county government holds a total monopoly over alcohol distribution, making everything cost about double what it costs across the river in northern VA (It's the only county in America that does this). Plus the state just added a 9% tax to alcohol and they're talking about a 15% gas tax. It's a liberal's dream! :rolleyes:

Ahh the necessary, but criminally over-used, evil that is taxes. That is the funny thing about taxes. So many people feel we need to owe our "fair share" but if you ask me, we pay too much with little to nothing in return. Go drive down some Michigan roads and tell me where the hell all of the gas tax is going! In someone's pockets I am certain!

Here in Tennessee the alcohol laws are pretty ridiculous. Stores cannot sell liquor and wine in the same stores as beer. Liquor/wine stores actually cannot sell anything without alcohol in it, including mixers! However, they are now allowed to sell mixers in liquor stores as long as it has 1% alcohol in it....
So, it is illegal to sell a 4 or 5% beer because of the low alcohol content, but it is legal to sell mixers with 1% because of the alcohol content...Who in the hell comes up with this?!? And stores are not allowed to sell liquor/wine on Sundays, but you can still order them at a bar or restaurant. What purpose does that serve?
 
I've reused beer bottles, but I also like reusing 500 ml brown plastic A&W rootbeer bottles, holds the carbonation just fine. That way you can take them places you wouldn't want glass.
 
Well I was being a little sarcastic. Montgomery County MD (where I live) is the worst place in America to buy alcohol IMHO. The county government holds a total monopoly over alcohol distribution, making everything cost about double what it costs across the river in northern VA (It's the only county in America that does this). Plus the state just added a 9% tax to alcohol and they're talking about a 15% gas tax. It's a liberal's dream! :rolleyes:

He he... Don't get me started now. I try to stay OUT of that forum.

I probably should mention that the bar downtown that has saved Guinness bottles for me doesn't even charge me the deposit. AND they usually serve me a free beer when I work on their computers. :cross:
 
You lucky Americans with you cheap beer.
In Canada the cheapest bottled beer will run you about $2 plus a 0.10 deposit on the bottle.

Move to Winnipeg, you Vancouverites are getting ripped off! I was out there just over a year ago and almost had a heart attack at how much your alcohol costs!!! It may not be as cheap as the US, but a lot cheaper than B.C. :ban:
 
Use them till they break! I've accumulated a vast array of bottles from friends that I've de-labeled and are waiting to be filled. Now I need to up production because they're feeling empty inside and I don't want them to get depressed lol.
 
Why buy when you can recycle. A Soak in Oxiclean will remove most paper labels. As long as it is not a twist off, you are good to go.
 
I find it funny how everyone is like dont use twist off bottles...... they work perfectly fine.... at least the Canadian twist off bottles don't... not sure why there would be a difference.....I had many batches of beer through the same twist off bottles, and all have been carbonated and none have been ruined
 
I found the cheapest solution, while sacrificing a bit on the tastebuds, are the craft brewery packs at Costco. I read here that the west coast ones are terrible, but on the east coast they are palatable. They cost 75 cents a bottle, with beer in them. A 24-pack is 17.99 here. I've also enlisted my friends and family to get bottles and save them and any cardboard 6-pack holders I come across. I get a lot of Sam Adams empties from neighbors, the labels are the easiest to remove.
 
I think I have about 150 Grolsch Bottles in my collection, and I am slowly moving towards 650ml (22oz) Bombers one beer buy at a time. Just need to figure out how to get the painted labels off the Rogue bottles.
 
The 2 liter plastic bottles of A&W root beer work great for bottling beer. I use them for taking to parties, because you don't have to deal with empty bottles.
 
I buy fat tire in the 12 pack boxes and use fat tire bottles. Let them soak in hot water with oxy clean in a cooler for a few days and then the labels come right off. While they are still wet I take a scrub brush and scrub the glue off. Then I use a bottle brush to scrub them out with dish washing soap. Rinse with jet bottle washer and stick on bottle tree to dry. When it comes time to bottle I rinse again with the bottle washer to get any dust out and sanitize. Pain in the butt but it saves money.
 
imho, the easiest labels to remove are Deschutes. Just an overnight soak in water, and the labels are floating the next day. Some require a tiny scrub for the glue, but just a quick rub with a scratch pad while wet and it comes right off. Then you have great brown bottles with decorative little hop vines around the necks!
 
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