Reusing Bottles

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Kokopuff829

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I'm about to bottle some Kolsch and want to know if when I'm done with the bottles I could rinse them and clean them and re use them for another batch
 
Use the bottles for future batches until they break, or decide to thin your inventory (if you get into kegging)...

I use Grolsch bottles, so I expect to get many, many, many, oh so many, batches out of them... I might be picking up my first round of replacement gaskets soon...
 
Oh great I wanted to make a second batch of German Alt but I didn't wanna spend 40 bucks on bottles again. Thanks
 
Pretty sure everyone here that bottles uses the bottles as many times as possible before tossing them out for new ones... My 'issue' (for now) is having enough on hand to bottle a batch. I need to drink more to get empties for coming up batches, or buy more bottles so that I have enough... Or get a bit creative. :D

If you have a bottle capper, then you can get more inventory from friends and family members. Tell them to reserve the bottles from what they drink for you, so that you can fill them with quality brew. :rockin:
 
Your local watering hole or restaurant might save them for you too. I've bottled 5-batches in four months and haven't bought a bottle yet :)
 
Your local watering hole or restaurant might save them for you too. I've bottled 5-batches in four months and haven't bought a bottle yet :)

Only works if you're on good terms with those people... I don't go to any such places in my area... Especially not since I started brewing my own. :rockin:

I do need to start having people reserve bottles for me... But that also means I'll end up getting a capper... I've been holding off doing that so far. Just hope I can continue to do so.
 
I have reused bottles many,many times with little or no problems. I've found the easiest most efficient way of cleaning them is to rinse them with tap water as soon as I empty them, place them in a 5 gallon bucket, when it's full add hot water and some oxyclean. Let sit for a day or two, then rinse and place them in the dishwasher to dry. I then place them in their original 12-pack container and store until I'm ready to bottle again.

I know lots of people prefer kegging to bottling, but I'm a bottle guy and it doesn't seem like excessive work to me...but that's just me.
 
I also rinse mine very soon after pouring. If not right then, at least within a short time span.. Or I put water in the bottle so that the bottom sediment doesn't dry out. I don't have a dishwasher, and use Grolsch bottles, so the bottle brushes won't fit. I am thinking of getting one of the washing items that you connect to a faucet (the one that has spots for two bottles, that you put into the sink). That should get anything else out of them...

I just store them until needed, then give them a good sanitizing (fill with StarSan and let them sit in the bucket of it for a minute or two) before putting them on the sanitized bottle tree... Works great.
 
Goldiggie just reminded me that I forgot to mention; Yes, make sure you sanitize before bottling even if you have rinsed and cleaned the bottles with Oxyclean or another cleaner.
 
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