How do YOU store bottles?

I have nearly 100 bottles saved, some used and some awaiting 12oz. of kickass. They are taking up a lot of space and I need to do something about it. I do not have the ability to set up a dedicated area where I live and due to the fact I move a lot I'm always packing up my bottles into a crate and heading out.

Is there an easier way I can store these bottles when traveling or some sort of container that is designed for bottles like you would buy in the store?

I have been unable to find anything of this sort unless I'm just looking in the wrong places. Help, my beer bottles need a safe, sturdy and overall, not cheap (crate) home to live!

Thanks!

Don't bad mouth crates, people here live by them. Personally, I just reuse empty 12packs

Empty cases from stuff I have consumed...

Milk crates hold about a case.
Not sure what to do about dividers.

I built wood cases for my 16oz flip tops. I used 1 x 6s for the sides and 1 x 3s for the rest. They look pretty sharp too. I will try to gt a pic.

We bought at 40 gallon rubbermaid sweater box (the cheap plastic ones from Kmart, Walmart, Etc). When it comes time to soak a load of bottles, we just dump the oxyclean in and fill it up with hot water. For bottle storage, we just use 6 pack and case boxes from the liquor store. I'm sure where ever you go for your commercial beers you can get a few extra case boxes from them for free. This was a cheap solution and works for both cleaning bottles and storage... Also, we can fit about 250 bottles or more during the cleaning process.

Best idea I've seen on here...



https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/my-newly-discovered-bottle-storage-unit-90478/

I am a big fan of Rubbermaid storage bins like this:



They are just the right height for most bottles, they stack nicely, the lids close really tightly to prevent anything from getting inside, and they are very inexpensive. They also make nice tubs for soaking bottles/gear and for water baths for fermenters.

I store my empties in the cardboard cases they came in, but I use wooden wine boxes that I get free from my local wine merchant to store and age my homebrew. I can fit a 5 gallon batch of 12 oz. bottles in one wine box and they are easily stackable. I'm sure to be a little cautious with the bottom when moving them around full, but I've never had the bottom fall out.

cardboard case boxes, stuff 6 pack containers in there if you get them without dividers.
free! Stackem!
I like the file cabinet trick....

Revvy said:

Best idea I've seen on here...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/my-newly-discovered-bottle-storage-unit-90478/

Click to expand...

Cooooolllll... I wonder if one could refigerate one of these???? that would be really cool... "What beer would you like, i mean i could check my files"....(opens draw with smile)

Cheers

BrewinJack said:

Cooooolllll... I wonder if one could refigerate one of these???? that would be really cool... "What beer would you like, i mean i could check my files"....(opens draw with smile)

Cheers

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If you made a cold closet (there's some plans on here for them) and had that in there, wouldn't that be awesome in it's metallic badness????

I don't know about the states, but in Mexico when you buy a 24 pack of beer the box it comes in is heavy duty and super-reusable (because you return your bottles in the same box, of course). If you can score some of those boxes you'll be set.

In these...

Hey there. I'm tearing apart old pallets and making antique-looking crates for my bottles. I'll post pictures when I finish. The old wood makes it look sharp! For dividers I'm going to cheat on the antique a bit and put a grid of elastic bands in there.

For six packs, I make holders that are a bit of the same style as the old tool boxes. 1x8 pine works great for that with 1" diameter dowels for the handle. Again, when I take a picture I'll post (along with measurements, if I'm sufficiently motivated )

Cheers

I bought a ton of bottles from a lady getting out of brewing. She had them all stored in banker's boxes. They have handles and stack well.

on a plastic shelf, in the garage.

I can fit 14 six packs per shelf. Plus the shelves have holes, allowing me to fit about 60 bottles in the shelves upside down the holes.

i just use 4x6 cases from beer i get from the brewery. last apfelwein i brewed i got lazy and didnt take the labels off so my dad had a couple surprises, expecting some UFO or IPA and getting a mouthful of apfelwein instead, haha

homebrewer_99 said:

In these...

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I couldn't help but notice the mini kegs on the shelves. Are you recycling those as HB dispensers?

I use the EZ-cap box's for my EZ-Caps, and a set of parts bins for the 12oz. bottles. They are like the ones at your local hardware store for nuts and bolts, only bigger. They came out of a auto parts warehouse. Got 'em for free!

Bottle tree + some empty closet space. I have bottles everywhere. I'm going to donate a bunch of them to some friends who are just getting started with the hobby.

I second the empty cases. I also have recently stopped collecting bottles since I keg. They accumulate FAST!

I keep them in Boxes

SkewedAle said:

I couldn't help but notice the mini kegs on the shelves. Are you recycling those as HB dispensers?

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I refill them also.

Most of them have built-in gravity taps so a tapper is not required although I do have 2 CO2 tappers.

homebrewer_99 said:

I refill them also.

Most of them have built-in gravity taps so a tapper is not required although I do have 2 CO2 tappers.

Click to expand...

sorry...

When I first started homebrewing three or four years ago I really wanted to do that (reuse mini kegs). I wasn't aware if it was hard to do back then (i didn't look too far into it) is it a complicated process?

also, but....
this might help on your mini keg question.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/experiences-fass-frisch-report-them-here-82638/

SkewedAle said:

sorry...

When I first started homebrewing three or four years ago I really wanted to do that (reuse mini kegs). I wasn't aware if it was hard to do back then (i didn't look too far into it) is it a complicated process?

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Not at all. The hardest part is getting them clean inside. I use a mini-mag light to look inside for any leftover scum, etc.

I have about 15 of them that I've refilled numerous times...more than the 6 times "suggested" by some members here.

I put mine in the cardboard cases I pulled them out of, each one holds 24 bottles. If you need them to be a bit more sturdy, a little duct tape does the trick

I have also gone to liquor stores and asked for their cardboard boxes when I have random 6 packs lying around. Last time I picked up 4 cases and just slipped the sixers of empties right in the box, closed it up, and stacked it in my closet. Worked like a charm.

Revvy said:

Best idea I've seen on here...

Click to expand...

ditto

10chars

StoutFan said:

also, but....
this might help on your mini keg question.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/experiences-fass-frisch-report-them-here-82638/

Click to expand...

homebrewer_99 said:

Not at all. The hardest part is getting them clean inside. I use a mini-mag light to look inside for any leftover scum, etc.

I have about 15 of them that I've refilled numerous times...more than the 6 times "suggested" by some members here.

Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks, I remember reading that if you prime with sugar you get some sludge going on in the first beer or two. But its still worth the effort and seems like a cool solution to bottling and kegging.

At the advice of someone on this board, I use the boxes that office paper comes in....holds a case of bottles. Works for me, and supply is endless...I also have a couple of plastic milk crates too.

Has anybody ever seen or heard of anyone making reusable plastic 6-pack containers? I'm imagining something made of plastic that folds flat like a regular cardboard sixer, but one that would stand up to being wet during bottling, then be easy to wash and reuse batch to batch.

I just bought a 4-pack of these beer crates. Check em out:

http://www.cwcrate.com/

Plastic milk crates work great for me. You can fit 25 bottles/crate and they are stackable. I keep a couple 12 pack and 6 pack cardboards around if I ever want to transport smaller batches but other wise the milk crates are king.

I hold onto the 12-pack cases and at our local craft beer/wine place they have TONS of boxes free to take as many as you'd like. So I stock up on wine boxes for 22 oz bottles and wine bottles and grab the 24-pack beer cases that comfortably hold 4 6-packs carriers.

Nail said:

milk crates are king.

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I have about 12 milk crates lying around my house. At least half of them are full of bottles. It's defiantly my favorite way to store bottles

My wife got this old steamer trunk from her great grandparents that was taking up a bunch of space in my office. I call it the pirate chest. We used to have some junk in it. Since I started brewing I gave the junk away and turned it into my beer bottle pirate chest. It looks pretty sweet and I've seen them restored and they look really cool. I dont have a pic of it but heres something similar. It holds 4 cases, 2 bomber cases, and 2 12 packs. I keep them all in their original cardboard boxes and put them in the trunk.

That's awesome, Acoma!!

Catt22 said:

I just bought a 4-pack of these beer crates. Check em out:

http://www.cwcrate.com/

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EXACTLY what I was looking for! (Okay, not exactly, but better!)

Revvy said:

Best idea I've seen on here...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/my-newly-discovered-bottle-storage-unit-90478/

Click to expand...

Clever idea. I think I know where to put my hands on an empty file cabinet. thanks.