Cheapest beer with a good brewing bottle?

I currently have a red ale fermenting and am getting very close to needing to bottle.

I went to the beer store yesterday and didn't really know what to buy. I ended buying a 4 pack of grolsh and over-payed way more than I wanted to.

Looking to start drinking this weekend to stack up.

So what beer is commercially available that is reasonably cheap, a pop top, and in a brown (Not sure if green in ok) bottle?

I live in Ontario Canada.

Sierra nevada if you can get it. Isn't Labatt blue a pop top?

For Canada, noone put the list together, but there are some suggestions here.

what you really want are brown bottles without any words embossed in the glass (sam adams, bass, coors, budweiser, etc. all do this).

the cheapest in my area (boston) is narragansett lager.

another nice alternative is Trader Joes craft beer @ 5.99 per 6 pack.

bmbigda said:

what you really want are brown bottles without any words embossed in the glass (sam adams, bass, coors, budweiser, etc. all do this).

the cheapest in my area (boston) is narragansett lager.

another nice alternative is Trader Joes craft beer @ 5.99 per 6 pack.

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He's in Canada......We would have been giving him specific names already if those were easily available north of the border (or South if you live in Detroit.)

I like michelob beers because the labels come off so easily. I really enjoy their seasonals - especially their jack's pumpkin spice and winter's bourbon cask ale.

If you can get your hands on Red Hook Long Hammer IPA (sold at target) its like 14 bucks for a twelve pack and they have awesome looking bottles

Ranger IPA or Sierra Nevada Torpedo.

$11.99 for a 12 pack and decent beer to boot.

Costco sells their own Kirkland brand beer - 6 IPA, 6 Belgian Wit, 6 Amber, 6 Pale Ale. I was really surprised when I bought the case; it's really not too bad and is only about $18 (US).

Also, though I have not actually tried this, many other homebrewers have suggested asking a local bar for their empties.

I don't know what is available in Canada but I second long hammer anssierra Nevada. The short stubby bottles fit perfect in my middle drawers of my fridge and make them easy to store without taking up much room and pissing swmbo off.

rhamilton said:

Ranger IPA or Sierra Nevada Torpedo.

$11.99 for a 12 pack and decent beer to boot.

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a little more expensive here in dallas-fort worth, but 2 of my favorite ipa's

"...the short stubby bottles fit perfect in my middle drawers..." That's what she said!!

Can get Long Trail IPA for like $21.99 at some store around Philly. My buddy keeps buying them and giving me the empties and cases (so I see the price sticker).

I wouldn't bother looking for pop-tops. I've bottled thousands of Canadian screw-tops with a bench capper. Never had one under-carbed and never had a neck break. So buy whatever beer you like and bottle in those. Only difference I've found is that the labels come off some easier than others.

I am using dos equis brown bottles, they are plenty cheap at the Mexican restaurants recycle bin and I got a pile of them in about 2 weeks time.

OP: There's usually a good selection of cheap Polish lagers at the LCBO that come in brown glass, pop cap PINT sized bottles. I capitalized PINT becuase that's the proper way to enjoy a beer, not this 341 ml nonsense! lol

Some of the names to look for are Zywiec, Okocim and Lezajsk. They're all pretty good beers and in the case of Lezajsk, it's technically a German beer since the brewery has existed for well over 100 years and up until 1918 Lezask was technically in East Prussia. Just goes to show that when you lose a war, you could also lose some good beer!

The bottles average around $2.00 - 2.25 ea. Of course since you live in Ottawa you can buy these same bottles, empty, from Defalco's for 20 cents each.
If they don't have them (their stock levels rise and fall with those bottles) you can have some of my bottles. I just got into kegging and I don't need near as many bottles as I have.

I wouldn't bother looking for pop-tops. I've bottled thousands of Canadian screw-tops with a bench capper. Never had one under-carbed and never had a neck break.

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Has anyone had similar luck using a handheld wing capper?

I hate to be the person to argue the premise of the question. Have you considered plastic soda bottles? I use them when I run out of bottles, and it is very easy to get empties.

Thanks for all replies.

Made a list of the beers listed and will head to the beer store and see what they have. I don't think they will have most of them and I know the prices will be way more than you guys listed (beer prices are brutal up north).

CanQuaffer - Didn't know Defalcos sold those bottles that cheaply. Definitely going to swing by and see what they have. Love that place - smells amazing when u walk in. Might have to take you up on that offer too, if they're sold out.

Ellis - Something about popping a glass bottle and pouring a beer that just appeals to me.

Costco's 24pack is about $18. That's the same price as empty bottles at the LHBS, only the ones from costco come with beer inside!

WortCarboy said:

Thanks for all replies.

Made a list of the beers listed and will head to the beer store and see what they have. I don't think they will have most of them and I know the prices will be way more than you guys listed (beer prices are brutal up north).

CanQuaffer - Didn't know Defalcos sold those bottles that cheaply. Definitely going to swing by and see what they have. Love that place - smells amazing when u walk in. Might have to take you up on that offer too, if they're sold out.

Ellis - Something about popping a glass bottle and pouring a beer that just appeals to me.

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Yeah, if they're sold out, drop me a PM and you can have some of mine. I think I have at least 2 dozen for ya. Do yourself a favour though, go to a good LCBO location. They have more variety than the Beer Store and they carry those Polish lagers I was telling you about. The Beer Store doesn't, as far as I know.

And yeah, Deflaco's smells great! Too bad it's the smell of fermenting wine and not beer though.

Sam Adams bottles have always worked for me

Go to a grocery store in Hull and ask to buy back some empties. The best ones that are usually available at a grocery store are Leffe.

I like to go to sams club and get sam adams 24 packs for around 21 bucks. good beer and the labels are easy to remove

Yeah, forget the pop tops, not only are they few and far between, but in Ontario the prices you have to pay the extortionate prices for the beer inside. Brewing in Canada can be rough sometimes but the one good aspect is that our twist offs are designed to be reused many times. That means you can reuse them too! Even wing cappers work!

It's crazy to think that two cases of decent beer costs more than a used keg.

WortCarboy said:

I currently have a red ale fermenting and am getting very close to needing to bottle.

I went to the beer store yesterday and didn't really know what to buy. I ended buying a 4 pack of grolsh and over-payed way more than I wanted to.

Looking to start drinking this weekend to stack up.

So what beer is commercially available that is reasonably cheap, a pop top, and in a brown (Not sure if green in ok) bottle?

I live in Ontario Canada.

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I Dont understand why no one mentioned this but you dont need to go out and buy bottles or buy beer for bottles. Go down to your local recycling center and pick up however many you need. Wash them, scrub the insides of the bottles good, soak in oxyclean to remove labels, sanitize with starsan and dry. I have about 300 beer bottles I got last weekend and spent my sunday cleaning them:cross:

Kirkland beer? really? I'm going have to check that stuff out. I can't imagine.

if you have any friend who work in restaurants i would ask them if they can save you some. im a cook at a restaurant and take the cases and have the dishwashers save the bottles for me. pretty great i have like 13 cases of empty bottles. though i really only keg i have bottles in case.