damdaman
Well-Known Member
If the bottle is quality, i.e. a brown, non-twist-off bottle from a local microbrewery, can I save these bottles and use them to bottle my homebrewed beer?
(newbie question) Can you reuse store-bought beer bottles for homebrews?
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Clonefarmer
Well-Known Member
Yes. Soaking in Oxyclean or PBW will remove the labels.
Absolutely! My favorite bottles come from Sam Adams. The only downside is the raised lettering on them, but they work great!
TipsyDragon
Well-Known Member
oh yes. just clean and remove the labels.... i would say a good 99% of people on here use or have used commercial beer bottles with no ill effects.
That's where ALL of my bottles come from!
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Yup, yup, and yup. I use bottles from Deschutes Brewery to bottle from a keg. As for removing the labels, I just use hot water and soak them.
Telix
Member
I routinely get underfills from my buddy at Great Lakes Brewing, and they never get labeled in the first place. A great supply of bottles. 
captainjay
Well-Known Member
Mine, too. While I generally try to stick to non-twist-off style bottles, I also have used twist-off cap bottles with great success. I haven't had one lose its carbonation yet. Maybe using a bench-capper helps with this?
Jay
bionicbrew
Well-Known Member
that's where all my bottles have come from too (various commercial beers). I love the Deschutes bottles because of the raised hops vine design around the base of the neck.:rockin: but i have almost every brand represented except BMC types. I even have a couple Coronas, though I'm not sure why.
khiddy
Well-Known Member
Just a question for those of us submitting brews to competitions. When the rules say no identifying marks on the bottle, but "raised letters are OK", does that mean that I could submit a brew in a Sam Adams bottle, or a Deschutes bottle with the hop vines on the top, or something similar?
+1 to Cdbrews. Paying for beer bottles sans beer is just wrong. Just make sure, as you note, not to use twist off bottles. The tops are thinner and more prone to chipping. It is also a little harder to get a proper seal on it.
ecojack
Well-Known Member
Yes! Be careful with those Sam Adams ones though...they tend to break on me...
If you have any german restaurants around, make friends with the mgr and get all those great 1/2 liter bottles. They are the best. ( Unfortunately, I just threw away/recylcled hundreds of them since I don't bottle anymore).
Yep, 3 of my 4 breaks are Sam bottles.
Sierra, Founders, Boulevard, Firestone all have easy-off labels (and fit in the top dishwasher rack!)
1975brewer
Well-Known Member
I also have never had a problem with a twist off bottle. That was all I had 15 years ago. 2 years ago I drank about 8 beers (4 different styles) that were 10 years old. My neighbor & I really enjoyed them. I also think the bench capper helps. I'm replacing them slowly as I give those bottles away. I favor Great Lakes Brewing bottles these days. 5 years ago I couldn't get the labels off of them but for the last year or 2 they seem to float right off in oxy clean.
1977Brewer
Free Dan Hess.
I know clear bottles are a sin and make Jesus cry, but man does beer look pretty in there. Plus Modelo bottles are just pretty. Guinness Draught bottles are super easy to delabel ktoo, just slice it off. Also a pretty bottle, and great for gifts because no one knows you shorted them an ounce.
kristiismean
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I am still new to brewing, but so far have found that Corona's are not good for my capper (the two handled (red) one) I have had problems with those.
And I cannot use most mexican beer bottles. Mondello, XX, because the lug is to close to the top of the bottle and it will keep the capper from exerting enough pressure.
other than that I love Bombers, and think it's funny using inkjet printed bottles. But the grolsch bottles are some of the best, and no capper needed
And I cannot use most mexican beer bottles. Mondello, XX, because the lug is to close to the top of the bottle and it will keep the capper from exerting enough pressure.
other than that I love Bombers, and think it's funny using inkjet printed bottles. But the grolsch bottles are some of the best, and no capper needed
hockeybrewer
Well-Known Member
So it seems that oxy clean is the best way to de-label bottles. Any other cheap methods?
drainbamage
Keep HBT weird.
Hot water and steel wool.
All my breaks are on SA bottles. Just had one while capping last week. It is always up at the crown.
hockeybrewer
Well-Known Member
Thank you
burninator
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Yes. I'm all for "craft" brewing, but I draw the line at making my own bottles.
1977Brewer
Free Dan Hess.
Well, I started out as a home brewer, but that balloned out to glass blower, barley and hop farmer, the yeast lab was pretty expensive...don't even ask about the steel mill.
burninator
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Bro, do you even drill and refine your own propane?
Kirkwooder
Emperor of all things nobody cares about
Yeah, but you can't really be considered as serious until you have your own rain cloud to harvest water from!
drainbamage
Keep HBT weird.
Did the hop extract thread bleed over into this one?
Hot water, let them soak and peel the labels off.
1977Brewer
Free Dan Hess.
Did the hop extract thread bleed over into this one?
If you don't carry your water from a stream into your village on your head you aren't a craft brewer.
drainbamage
Keep HBT weird.
Bro, not only did I build my house with my bare hands over an aquifer, I also built a RO filtration plant for when I don't want minerals in my beer. Whut.
