New to Brew

[sww35]

Got a kit coming in the mail within the next week. Do not have a kegging kit, so I am concerned that I didn't order 60 new bottles either. However, I have access to enough 750 ml wine bottles to cover the 60 beer bottles. So my question is, would using wine bottles with the plastic/synthetic cork tops impact my brewing/carbing process in a negative fashion? Are the cork tops I am referring to safe and considered air tight? Any insight would be great. Thanks!

 

[SledgeH]

The way I see it, you've got 1 week to drink 2 cases of Grolsch.

They are air tight... for wine. Unless you've got the metal wiring like you’d need for champagne bottles, I wouldn’t be too confident with the carbonation pressures.

 

[sww35]

I did also order caps,...I have to wonder now if caps will fit the top of these wine bottles. If worse comes to worse, I'll go to a local bar and have them stack a case to the side for me on weeknight and pay them for 60 bottles that have non-twist tops.

 

[grem135]

lol you really have 3 -4 weeks to drink 2 cases of good pry off top craft beer depending on how impatient you are to bottle. Everyone here recommends at least 3 weeks in primary. good luck

 

[SledgeH]

Ha, wow. Yeah sorry I didn't even calculate the time to actually brew the stuff.

 

[Uziyahu]

I've never tried wine bottles, but I would be wary of bottling in them. Wine bottles aren't designed for carbonation, and I would worry about bottle bombs. You could be fine, but I wouldn't want to take the chance of having my first batch end up on the floor because the bottle exploded.

As for bottles, I just ask my friends to save theirs when they drink them. Give me a few weeks, and they drop off enough to bottle a whole batch.

 

[sww35]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I am not against using beer bottles, I was just trying to use some creative thinking for a different approach. Can any of you think of possible problems that could come up if I were to try to bottle in canning jars?

 

[amandabab]

Can any of you think of possible problems that could come up if I were to try to bottle in canning jars?

They may not seal and hold carbonation, they may seal and explode, they may not explode.

get real bottles. Sam Adams is dirt cheap

 

[Biscuits]

I recommend Sam Adams too...not because it is cheap but rather because if you're planning on removing the labels, they seem to come off the easiest. Good luck with your brew!

 

[logan3825]

I would suggest sticking with beer bottles. I am almost positive wine bottles are not meant for pressure. Not sure how much pressure canning jars are meant for. I know they seal airtight but usually some gas escapes while canning so pressure is released. They may not hold enough pressure to carbonate even if they don't explode. Beer bottled in canning jars would look cool though.

 

[BrewKnurd]

As a general rule, do not bottle in things that do not, as their primary purpose, hold pressurized liquids. So as far as non-beer bottles, I would say stick to either champagne bottles or soda bottles.

 

[grem135]

Canning jars are designed to hold a small vacuum not pressure. Good for moonshine, not so good for beer.

 

[NCGrayson]

Sams club has cases of 24 Sierra Nevadas for dirt cheap. Buy two of those and have a party.

 

[sww35]

I would suggest sticking with beer bottles. I am almost positive wine bottles are not meant for pressure. Not sure how much pressure canning jars are meant for. I know they seal airtight but usually some gas escapes while canning so pressure is released. They may not hold enough pressure to carbonate even if they don't explode. Beer bottled in canning jars would look cool though.

Yeah, I wanted to use canning jars for a different approach. Ball is a brand name of a canning jar maker and their logo is on the jars and I wanted to play off that logo and name my own brew Balls and also paint the cans a good dark color. I may try to can one jar when I make my first brew to see how it goes. May also try one wine bottle. Heck, worth a try anyhow. I'll put the rest is some beer bottles. Thanks for all the advice folks. A real help and lots of good logic offered.

 

[gohogs1980]

Guys I am a few days from bottling my first ever batch. Has anyone ever used the plastic keg with mr. Beer? This is the west coast ale recipe and I am using glass bottles. Some time soon I am hoping to attempt a recipe for blue moon... Any ideas? Also, even though it sounds like a stupid question, will using more yeast equate to a higher alcohol content? Any suggestions would or constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated!

 

[sww35]

Also just noticed I could buy a mini keg or two. Is anyone aware of possible problems in taking that approach?

 

[logan3825]

Yeah, I wanted to use canning jars for a different approach. Ball is a brand name of a canning jar maker and their logo is on the jars and I wanted to play off that logo and name my own brew Balls and also paint the cans a good dark color. I may try to can one jar when I make my first brew to see how it goes. May also try one wine bottle. Heck, worth a try anyhow. I'll put the rest is some beer bottles. Thanks for all the advice folks. A real help and lots of good logic offered.

If you are going to use either of those I would highly recommend putting them in a cooler or somewhere else enclosed in case they do explode. I would also recommend handling them with leather gloves and eye protection. Bottles do literally explode.(not figuratively)

 

[BigSally]

I've heard you can use 2 liter soda bottles.Not classy but effective.

 

[Andrew5329]

I've heard you can use 2 liter soda bottles.Not classy but effective.

Depends on the exact type of plastic used in the bottle, some of them arent meant to be re-used, or used beyond a certain date or in acidic/alkaline conditions, or a number of other factors.

Most HBS sell the good kind of plastic 2 liter bottles that are fine for holding beer for up to a year or so.

 

[BrewKnurd]

Guys I am a few days from bottling my first ever batch. Has anyone ever used the plastic keg with mr. Beer? This is the west coast ale recipe and I am using glass bottles. Some time soon I am hoping to attempt a recipe for blue moon... Any ideas?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f71/blue-balls-belgian-wit-blue-moon-clone-24978/

Also, even though it sounds like a stupid question, will using more yeast equate to a higher alcohol content?

The short and mostly true answer is no.

The longer and totally true answer is that beyond a certain point, adding more yeast will not have any meaningful impact on the alcohol content. However, if you underpitch (not enough yeast) you can end up with a beer not actually finishing out like it should, and therefore being low on alcohol. So, the complete answer is, if your starting point is too little yeast, then yes, pitching more yeast could lead to higher alcohol content. But you'd just be getting up to the alcohol content that you should have gotten if you pitched the right amount of yeast. And once you have the proper amount of yeast, increasing the amount of yeast isn't going to result in more alcohol.

 

[logan3825]

Pitching a different yeast may up the alcohol content, I think.