Sterilized, Clean, and Ready To bottle beer bottles

I was thinking. A friend of mine (me) was wondering what cheap commercial beer is out there that has the bottle opener caps and not the screw tops. If there is a cheap beer out that can be recapped using your bench capper then would you have to sanitize or clean the bottles. Im wondering if those beer bottles with the beer still in them would be ready to go if you just uncap them and throw out that nasty crap they call beer, quick rinse and then bottle your beer. That would be a short cut and a half if you could do that. Has anyone tried it. I have to bottle my pumpkin beer i made and shipping on bottles to guam is killer. I wouldnt have to clean them, sanitize them, just quick rinse, its like a homebrewers dream come true.

I'd worry about it picking up an after taste from the previous resident.

I don't know what is available in Guam, I know about the shipping though. I bet you could find a couple guys who'd be willing to dump the bottles out (they can keep the contents) they just have to scrub, bleach and rinse the bottles for you.

I'd still soak in bleach. More to sanitize the outside to prevent contamination.

I was buying Becks when I wanted to stock up my bottle supply. I like the beer and got to keep the bottles. Usually $10 per 12er at my store. Those being the green variety. Not sure about Guam though . Most cheap beer uses the twisties so I figured buy something that is drinkable and you get to keep the bottles...

catfish said:

I bet you could find a couple guys who'd be willing to dump the bottles out (they can keep the contents) they just have to scrub, bleach and rinse the bottles for you.

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I'm sure he could...especially if he's buying!

Why don't you just ask your friends to save any unscrew-type bottles for you? Know anyone who owns or works at a bar?

Find a beer store that sells returnables . . . .$1.20 a case here

As far as my beer picking up the taste of another beer, im really not that worried because glass doesnt retain odors, But do you think that the inside of the bottles are sanitary? If so then i would be able to use them right away. I dont think that I could get an infection from a commercial beer because of there standards they have to go by.

There has got to be a better way for you to obtain bottles. Local bars? Local drinkers? How about kegging, or is that not a viable alternative? What do you do in Guam, besides sweat and try not to get malaria?

What's so wrong with twist offs? I use them for most of my 12 oz bottles. If you have a bench capper they seal tight. In fact I often have to use an opener to get them off.

Denny's Brew said:

What's so wrong with twist offs? I use them for most of my 12 oz bottles. If you have a bench capper they seal tight. In fact I often have to use an opener to get them off.

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Do you have carbonation problems with twist off's some times? leaks?

AHammer16 said:

There has got to be a better way for you to obtain bottles. Local bars? Local drinkers? How about kegging, or is that not a viable alternative? What do you do in Guam, besides sweat and try not to get malaria?

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Yeah but beer already bottled commercially is sterilized. I have a keg, but I like to bottle and have a few every once in a while. I only keg for party's. Im a Marine, Its 86 degrees all year long, and I eat malaria for breakfast!!!

usmcruz said:

Do you have carbonation problems with twist off's some times? leaks?

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Since 1992 (1st year brewing), not one problem.

My cappers cap really tight, I'm guessing some bench cappers cap tighter than others. It's hard to get the twistoff's off by hand.

Denny's Brew said:

Since 1992 (1st year brewing), not one problem.

My cappers cap really tight, I'm guessing some bench cappers cap tighter than others. It's hard to get the twistoff's off by hand.

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I just poured some soda in a beer bottle with a twist off (miller light) and pressure tested it and it held. I soaped the sides and no co2 leak. I capped it with that red plastic hand capper that came originally with my beer kit from back in the days. I ordered the colonna bench capper a week ago, and it should be here soon. Does the colonna bench capper do a better job than my plastic hand capper at capping twist off's?

I also bought 2 cases totalling $39.10 of samuel adams boston lager for bottling my pumpkin beer. I figure that the bottles are already sanitized, clean, and all i would have to do is pop the caps, pour out the beer, rinse and bottle my beer. Pretty easy huh. I wish bottles already came ready to bottle. I know i could of ordered 2 cases of bottles but that would of cost me about $28 plus shipping here to guam, but for $39 there ready to go, no cleaning or sanitizing and saving me about 2 hours on bottling day. Id say thats quite a deal. Tell me what you guys think

usmcruz said:

I just poured some soda in a beer bottle with a twist off (miller light) and pressure tested it and it held. I soaped the sides and no co2 leak. I capped it with that red plastic hand capper that came originally with my beer kit from back in the days. I ordered the colonna bench capper a week ago, and it should be here soon. Does the colonna bench capper do a better job than my plastic hand capper at capping twist off's?

I also bought 2 cases totalling $39.10 of samuel adams boston lager for bottling my pumpkin beer. I figure that the bottles are already sanitized, clean, and all i would have to do is pop the caps, pour out the beer, rinse and bottle my beer. Pretty easy huh. I wish bottles already came ready to bottle. I know i could of ordered 2 cases of bottles but that would of cost me about $28 plus shipping here to guam, but for $39 there ready to go, no cleaning or sanitizing and saving me about 2 hours on bottling day. Id say thats quite a deal. Tell me what you guys think

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i think your crazy to waste all that beer when you going to have to sanatize them anyway...but thats just my opinion...

I use coppers bottles (twist tops) never had a prob