Bottles Needed- Session Beer Will Be Purchased

As the title says, I need bottles, as I'm bottling my first batch next Friday night after work...That means that I need to go out and get some beers to drink and bottles to save.

I need something that I can drink a bunch of, that's delicious, that will literally be MY bottle for MY homebrew.

Suggestions welcomed...

i bottle all of my beers in 22 oz bottles. they are no good for competitions, and i do hate buying empty bottles, but they have no labels to scrub off and bottling takes less time.

Kirkland beer from Costco. $18 for 24 bottles (IPA, Pale Ale, Amber & Wit I think) and their not bad. I wouldn't suggest dumping beer, but this stuff is inexpensive enough to do so if your in a real pinch.

I get dos equis bottles at the mexican restraunts

Airplanedoc said:

I get dos equis bottles at the mexican restraunts

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Brilliant!!!!

+1 on the Kirkland beer. Leaves you with a decent cardboard case to store them in too. Costco also sells the Mexican coke in 12 oz bottles that are cap-able if your in a pinch. They use those in the coke machine at work, so I raid the recycle bin in case of emergency.

I like the Anchor Steam Bottles, Fat Tire, and Amstel Light.

Tell all your beer drinking friends to try some good beer at the store, and have them save the bottles for you. Before you know it you will have bottles brought to you every day you see them. Soon you will be keeping the ones you want and recycling the rest. I have about 10 cases right now and more are coming every week!

I tell ya im having same problem too so soda is being drank everyday plus they are 16 oz so thats my option i have some glass bottles too but until i fill the void soda bottles will have to do and two liter soda bottles if i need to. Eventually i will have enough beer bottles. Just dont rush yourself drinking for beer bottles that liver gonna struggle! lol The bottles i like its 8.5% and those lil farts stacked on miller(my guzzling beer) makes my eyes shake in my eye sockets! lol What im trying to say is dont rush it. You dont want to be another Bon Scott story and i know you can handle your beer but i KNOW we all have "that story" thats says PLEASE GOD I WILL NEVER DRINK AGAIN I PROMISE!!! HAHAHAH! Seriously though if not enpough bottles dont push yourself

The best bottles are amber and of these the most interesting looking bottles are:

1. Guinness Draught

2. Red Hook

3. Hoegaarden

If you like Pale Ale (like most home brewers) then Sierra Nevada is awesome and has cool little fat bottles that work well and fit snuggly in 6 packs.

Sam Adams, Dogfish Head, Spaten, and Left Hand bottles. The labels come off fairly easy with a hot rinse of Oxyclean.

Stay away from Tommy Knocker. Their labels are on there for life.

I buy whatever is on sale

i have been going with sam adams light. Usually find it on sale for 12 bucks a 12 pack. Good bottles, i just drink a couple every day. Before you know it you have a bunch of bottles waiting for ya.

D_Ranged_Eskimo said:

Stay away from Tommy Knocker. Their labels are on there for life.

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same with smuttynose...

New Belgium bottles sometimes break when capping, I have lost 3 so far. I am designatting them as giveaways for now and plan to phase them out as my collection grows.

Those redesigned Redhook bottles are cool.

Been saving my Spotted Cow bottles from the New Glarus brewery. They look the same as the ones I would buy for 12.00/24. Also look the same as Sam Adams. I am newbe and have yet to bottle. One week into my first batch. Good luck!

If you're actually looking to buy beer to harvest bottles from, just jump in your car and drive to Keystone Homebrew Supply instead:

Keystone Homebrew Supply
599 Main St Main St Commons Bl
Bethlehem, PA 18018
610-997-0911

This is 16 miles from Stewartsville, NJ, you can get a case of brown pop tops for 12 bucks, no label peeling, no extra work. Take the money you saved, stop by the liquor store on the way home, and get yourself a coupe bottles of tasty beer to enjoy with all the time you just saved.

http://www.keystonehomebrew.com/sho.../bottles/12-oz-amber-beer-bottle-24-case.html

I am a new brewer as well and thought I was going to keg, but the cash for my corny fell through at the last minute. I hopped on Facebook and asked all my local friends to drink pop-tops and save me the bottles. I had enough for my 1st batch in 2 weeks. Thankfully, I have a few guys that drink a lot of 22's. Got a lot of Rogue and Stone bottles (painted label) but I figure I can use those as giveaways and replace along the way. I know you said you're in a pinch but if your friends are like mine, you may be able to make a big dent! As a side note, my favorites to drink for the bottles right now are Ninkasi from Oregon.

I will second any of the Redhook beers. The labels remove easily and their IPA isn't too bad. Winterhook was tasty also.

Am I a bad guy for 1. Using CLEAR glass bottles that are 2. 25 oz and 3. have screw tops? I got my first kit as a gift and didn't have a chance to source a capper but needed to bottle my stuff so I went and got some spring water bottles. dumped the water out of them into a larger pitcher and used them. I know dark bottles are supposed to be better for beer but if your storing it in a dark place it doesn't matter right??? I like the idea of being able to see the look of the beer through the bottle

Easiest thing to do is go to a bar (beer bars even better) and raiding their recyclable. I did this and have gotten a lot of cool bottles. Im always on the hunt for Delerium Bottles.

spokaniac said:

Costco also sells the Mexican coke...

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I have to reiterate, Sierra Nevada labels come right off. However, mixing them in a case with long necks gets a little squirrelly.

40watt said:

I have to reiterate, Sierra Nevada labels come right off. However, mixing them in a case with long necks gets a little squirrelly.

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Not if you save your SN case boxes and store them in those.

guinness draught. shrink wrap label comes right off, they look cool, they come in sturdy 12 pack boxes.

+1 to Sierra Nevada bottles. They're the best. Labels come right off and there's molded into the glass, so you never have a bottle of your own beer that says "New Belgium" or some other such thing.

Jsmith82 said:

If you're actually looking to buy beer to harvest bottles from, just jump in your car and drive to Keystone Homebrew Supply instead:

Keystone Homebrew Supply
599 Main St Main St Commons Bl
Bethlehem, PA 18018
610-997-0911

This is 16 miles from Stewartsville, NJ, you can get a case of brown pop tops for 12 bucks, no label peeling, no extra work. Take the money you saved, stop by the liquor store on the way home, and get yourself a coupe bottles of tasty beer to enjoy with all the time you just saved.

http://www.keystonehomebrew.com/sho.../bottles/12-oz-amber-beer-bottle-24-case.html

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Thank you all for your suggestions, but I decided to go this route. I've been to this place 3 times already and made friends with the guy who runs the store. He even gave me a glass of beer while we were talking. Anyway, it makes sense to buy a case of bottles for 12 bucks, so I just bought a 6 pack of Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale for tonight...Not a bad night

JeffoC6 said:

I just bought a 6 pack of Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale for tonight...Not a bad night

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Great beer, I dig their Double Dog as well.

By removing labels and saving bottles you do technically earn yourself a discount in a way, you pay for a case of micro beer but in turn get the bottles for free. However, in the simplest terms, I'm lazy.

JeffoC6 said:

...so I just bought a 6 pack of Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale for tonight...Not a bad night

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Yummy

hnsfeigel said:

Yummy

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Yea...I'll let you know how it goes down by giving updates throughout the evening

Ya know what's funny? I was never an IPA guy, and the more and more I got into good beer, the more and more I started to "understand it." Now that I'm brewing, I even appreciate it more, and now? This IPA is dadgum delicious!

I am partial to Sam Adams just because the labels are so darn easy to get off after a short time soaking!

Mmmmmmm...Beer on a Friday night. Whose with me?

I'm drinking a black imperial ipa I brewed back in August 2011, delicious!

Cheers!

Drinking a Kirkland Belgian White from Costco at the moment. Their beer is cheap, yet surprisingly good and the bottles are tough as nails! I had an empty fall off the counter onto tile and all it did was bounce.
Bottoms up!

OClairBrew said:

Drinking a Kirkland Belgian White from Costco at the moment. Their beer is cheap, yet surprisingly good and the bottles are tough as nails! I had an empty fall off the counter onto tile and all it did was bounce.
Bottoms up!

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I've never been to a Costco, and don't even have one near me. I hear good things about this store, but never had the opportunity to grace it's presence. That's what you get for living in the styx...Come sail away...Come sail away...Come sail away with me. Lads.

JeffoC6 said:

Ya know what's funny? I was never an IPA guy, and the more and more I got into good beer, the more and more I started to "understand it." Now that I'm brewing, I even appreciate it more, and now? This IPA is dadgum delicious!

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The exact same thing happened to me. I didn't care much for the flavor of hops. Yet today when I went to a local craft brew store 3 of the 6 pack sampler I bought were IPA's. I'm drinking an Abita Jockamo IPA right now! Oh, and I'm even going to grow hops this year. Quite a change for a guy that didn't like the taste of hops!

Stauffbier said:

The exact same thing happened to me. I didn't care much for the flavor of hops. Yet today when I went to a local craft brew store 3 of the 6 pack sampler I bought were IPA's. I'm drinking an Abita Jockamo IPA right now! Oh, and I'm even going to grow hops this year. Quite a change for a guy that didn't like the taste of hops!

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Completely agree. When I went to my LHBS on Wednesday night, I bought my first grain bill. The guy told me to go in the fridge to get the hops...I opened the door and it smelled divine. I went from shuddering at the smell of hops, to completely digging it. God I love beer.