Best Easily Available 12oz Bottles

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smata67

smata67

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So I've picked up a number of different bottles from various sources. I have the generic ones the brew places sell, and several different commercial long neck bottles. BUT, the very best is easily the San Miguel shorties I happened upon by a local guy on CL. He may have picked them up in Asia, not sure. These are HEAVY bottles. There are two sizes, one 11.2 oz, the other 12oz. The little 11.2oz is actually heavier (has more glass) than the longnecks. I also think they seal better. I got some variation in carbonation on my generics and one actually broke off when I was uncapping. The tops are very stout on these San Miguel and they have a nice, overall quality feel to them. Anyway, there is my contribution to the thread. I have a couple of sources near me that have 100+ bottled beers and I'm going to hit them up, but it would be advantageous to know which bottles to look for ahead of time. Are there any other stoutly built bottles out there I need to get my hands on?
 
Bass ale is a great bottle... my capper grabs it best out of all 12-ouncers.

I mostly use the larger pint bottles (most German wheat bottles). I literally have about 500.

Small belgian bottles are typically very strong. They have higher carbonation levels and I guess need the extra strength.
 
+1 on the German bottles. I almost exclusively use them. I have a Russian Supermarket down the block from my house that sells various imports in those bottles, CHEAP. Some of the pilseners, which are decent, are $.99!
 
smata67 said:
So I've picked up a number of different bottles from various sources. I have the generic ones the brew places sell, and several different commercial long neck bottles. BUT, the very best is easily the San Miguel shorties I happened upon by a local guy on CL. He may have picked them up in Asia, not sure. These are HEAVY bottles. There are two sizes, one 11.2 oz, the other 12oz. The little 11.2oz is actually heavier (has more glass) than the longnecks. I also think they seal better. I got some variation in carbonation on my generics and one actually broke off when I was uncapping. The tops are very stout on these San Miguel and they have a nice, overall quality feel to them. Anyway, there is my contribution to the thread. I have a couple of sources near me that have 100+ bottled beers and I'm going to hit them up, but it would be advantageous to know which bottles to look for ahead of time. Are there any other stoutly built bottles out there I need to get my hands on?
Click to expand...

I like harpoon bottles, no logos in glass, magic hat, same no logo. new castle summer ale and sierra nevada as short necks no logo in glass I NEVER send a logo bottle to competition... just me. sam bottles work for every day drinkers and give aways that I don't expect bottle back. Anchor bottles are coveted for my wheats as they have no shoulders! all the yeast gets to the glass.... I insist on getting those bottles back if I give one out!
 
If you can tweeze out the widget and peel off the labels, Guinness Draught bottles are pretty damn sexy.

The sexiest beer bottle I have is a 330 mL bottle from Meantime, it's like a shrunken wine bottle that accepts a regular cap. I used it once to show off my IPA :ban:, I look forward to designing small labels for the neck. It's like a baby bottle of champagne:

meantime.jpg
 
throwbookatface said:
If you can tweeze out the widget and peel off the labels, Guinness Draught bottles are pretty damn sexy.

The sexiest beer bottle I have is a 330 mL bottle from Meantime, it's like a shrunken wine bottle that accepts a regular cap. I used it once to show off my IPA :ban:, I look forward to designing small labels for the neck. It's like a baby bottle of champagne:

meantime.jpg
Click to expand...

Guinness Draught + tweeze out widget+ peel off label = major PIMA (pain in my ass) tried it once for a decent bottle... never ever again even for $11 a 12pack not worth the time and effort! and i drink a ton of guinny at that price!
 
Haha, very true. I stick to the regular bottles for most of my brews.

However, for some reason, Deschute's Mirror Pond Pale Ale is always cheap in 12-packs around San Francisco, so my pale ales supply my coolest normal bottles: Sierra's short stout bottles, and Deschute's tall bottles with hop cones and vines decorating the glass around the "hips" of the bottle. Both seem really strongly built, whereas I've noticed the glass seems to be thinner on some of the Trader Joe's beers I buy.
 
had a bad batch of sam adams this time last year but no prob since... broke 5 capping... sucked but drank a pitcher full of coffee filter flat beer between 2 of us! low point of brewing... but still still beer!
 
UncleDave said:
If you live in the Southeast, Highland Beer has great bottles. Their labels peel off cleanly and always in one piece (without any soaking).
Click to expand...

I was just going to say that I had a few Highland Bottles in which the label peeled off just fine. :ban:
 
starrfish said:
Guinness Draught + tweeze out widget+ peel off label = major PIMA (pain in my ass) tried it once for a decent bottle... never ever again even for $11 a 12pack not worth the time and effort! and i drink a ton of guinny at that price!
Click to expand...

You must be kidding. it takes all of 20 seconds (if that) to get the label off and the widget out. It takes me a lot longer than that to wash the label off a regular glue-on bottle.
 
Homercidal said:
You must be kidding. it takes all of 20 seconds (if that) to get the label off and the widget out. It takes me a lot longer than that to wash the label off a regular glue-on bottle.
Click to expand...

The only bottles I've had problems with are the Heineken 22oz. 3 or 4 days soaking in Oxy took off the labels, but the glue would not budge. Cleaning up a bit with a razor blade, a bit of scrubbing with a rough sponge and some acetone, though, did the job and quite easily.
 
Homercidal said:
You must be kidding. it takes all of 20 seconds (if that) to get the label off and the widget out. It takes me a lot longer than that to wash the label off a regular glue-on bottle.
Click to expand...

I agree. I can do a 12 pack in minutes. long needle nose pliers to yank the widget and a slit down the side with a razor blade lets the label lift right off. I love guiness bottles.
 
I can and do use just about anything that my roommates drink, I've long since given up on sorting bottles to ensure that all the bottles used for each batch match. Aesthetically, I don't like those green bottles, but they work fine. Corona and Dos Equis bottles make for a nice presentation once you've got those silk-screened labels off; skunking isn't a concern when they're kept stored in my beer-cave where it's always dark and cool.

I've also got about 12 dozen grolsch-style cappers around, but I rarely use them anymore. I like the 'disposability' of crown cap bottles; I can give them away and not worry about whether I'll get them back.
 
starrfish said:
Guinness Draught + tweeze out widget+ peel off label = major PIMA (pain in my ass) tried it once for a decent bottle... never ever again even for $11 a 12pack not worth the time and effort! and i drink a ton of guinny at that price!
Click to expand...


I used needle nose pliers and it took like 5 seconds to get the widget out. Score the label with a box cutter and it's much quicker than soaking bottles with oxyclean to get labels off.

Edit: guess I should have kept reading hah!
 

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