2 litter soda bottles for bottling

[whitesheperd]

Hey guys, I'm a bit tight on budget due to family reasons.. So I was thinking can I just use my soda bottles I have at home and sanitize them and go buy a pack of 25 of the 28mm caps used for the pet beer bottles and use them on the 2 liter soda bottles? The soda bottles use a 28mm cap as well...


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[cheezydemon3]

You can. Concensus seems to be that the leak pressure, but they are built to easily hold beer pressure.

Some worry that the plastic may leach things under pressurized alcohol that they don't with pressurized soda.

 

[freisste]

Regarding leaking, I have heard that you just have to retighten the caps a couple times shortly after bottling. Doesn't make sense to me, but I have heard a LOT of anecdotal evidence to support this.

Regarding leaching anything into your beer, I find it a little hard to believe. Soda bottles are food grade. Maybe there is something I'm missing (I've been wrong before).

 

[Transamguy77]

I have tried using them to bottle off the keg when giving away beer and if its not drank within a day or so it's flat. Maybe using different caps might help but me personally I've not had any luck.

You could try it with 1 bottle before bottling it all and see if it works.

 

[scarekrow]

I've almost always put into used 2-liter bottles. Prime as you would for glass and fill. You can tell when it's got enough carbonation, and set it fridge. Works great taking to the park. Nobody knows its beer, just think we're drinking soda. And it fits nicely in a cooler.
I've also had some sit in the bottle for over a year, cause I forgot where I stashed it and it tasted fine.

 

[whitesheperd]

Alright, I'm not going to be re using the soda caps.. I'll be buying new fresh caps from the brew store that still have the seals etc I'll defently have to do it. I'll buy Pepsi and coke bottles.. Basically the best bottles out around here right now thanks guys!


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[bigdaddybrew]

Remember to give extra protection from light to avoid skunking. I have used smaller pet soda bottles with no problems either.

 

[harebearva]

There's another little trick with the 2 liter bottles that will help keep the carbonation a little longer once they're opened. That is provided you don't finish the bottle right away After your pour off a glass of beer, squeeze the bottle until the beer comes up to the neck and then cap tightly. This will minimize the deadspace and carbonation loss, if the seal holds.

 

[whitesheperd]

Ah so minimize the oxygen... Smart (;


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[freisste]

There's another little trick with the 2 liter bottles that will help keep the carbonation a little longer once they're opened. That is provided you don't finish the bottle right away After your pour off a glass of beer, squeeze the bottle until the beer comes up to the neck and then cap tightly. This will minimize the deadspace and carbonation loss, if the seal holds.

I'm not sure about your technique. While minimizing headspace is great for avoiding oxidation, your new (compressed) shape is not rigid - it will just expand as CO2 comes out of solution. You're going to end up with un-oxidized, flat beer.

Unless I'm missing something.

 

[whitesheperd]

Yeah that actually makes more sense :S


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[rocketsan]

You should use green ginger ale bottles - Pepsi and Coke bottles are clear...


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[ericbw]

+1 on colored bottles. A&W root beer and (I think) cream soda comes in brown 1 liter bottles. Not sure about larger sizes.

 

[freisste]

+1 on colored bottles. A&W root beer and (I think) cream soda comes in brown 1 liter bottles. Not sure about larger sizes.

Apparently root beer is an extremely hard flavor to get rid of. Does anybody know how? If so, I could reuse a few...

 

[whitesheperd]

Apparently root beer is an extremely hard flavor to get rid of. Does anybody know how? If so, I could reuse a few...

+1 I would like to know as well


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[ericbw]

Apparently root beer is an extremely hard flavor to get rid of. Does anybody know how? If so, I could reuse a few...

How did you try cleaning the root beer bottles?

 

[Zoidberg]

I'm not sure about your technique. While minimizing headspace is great for avoiding oxidation, your new (compressed) shape is not rigid - it will just expand as CO2 comes out of solution. You're going to end up with un-oxidized, flat beer.

Unless I'm missing something.

I definitely agree it still won't hold carb for a very long time after opening. However, to harebearva's point, with the plastic pressed in and reduced headspace it should release co2 out of solution at a slower rate due to increased resistance (he resistance being the co2 having to push the plastic out as opposed to just compressing other air molocules).

In short, I think hatrbearva's method should successfully make an opened bottle hold carb longer but it will still eventually pop out plastic while released co2, possibly even more of it eventually. I don't know of of timeframe for this as I always try to only use my plastic bottles (32 oz PET bottles) when I know it will all get drank that day.

 

[pablosbrewing]

So - at about 8:30 and beyond in this video - some of you may recognize this guy who is serving out of a 2L:
http://youtu.be/wsmEjQtH1G4

 

[whitesheperd]

Perfect that just made my decision, thank you very much for sharing that video


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[yugga]

2 liter bottles work great, I even reused the caps.


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[freisste]

I definitely agree it still won't hold carb for a very long time after opening. However, to harebearva's point, with the plastic pressed in and reduced headspace it should release co2 out of solution at a slower rate due to increased resistance (he resistance being the co2 having to push the plastic out as opposed to just compressing other air molocules).



In short, I think hatrbearva's method should successfully make an opened bottle hold carb longer but it will still eventually pop out plastic while released co2, possibly even more of it eventually. I don't know of of timeframe for this as I always try to only use my plastic bottles (32 oz PET bottles) when I know it will all get drank that day.

Reshaping the bottle is easier than compressing the gas. If you crush the bottle to reduce headspace you will end up with less CO2 in a shorter timeframe. Feel free to try it. I think I get what you are saying, but unless you do something to help the bottle hold the new (crushed) shape, this method will not work.

Good second point, though. The crushed bottle will certainly reduce the final amount of CO2 left in solution, assuming there would have been any.

As far as I know, beer will go flat faster than it oxidizes, so unless you were going to try to somehow recarb an opened bottle you should leave the bottle in its original, undeformed state.

 

[Descender]

My thought is that by compressing the bottle, you are creating a vacuum. Seems like it would pull out the co2.

 

[harebearva]

After further research I have found info in a science journal that indicates we as a group are all right! It appears that the squeezed bottle will indeed reduce he co2 loss provided you can maintain the squeezed shape. Otherwise the bottle will return to its shape and go flat faster in the process owing to the pressure required to not only return the snap but repressurize the bottle. So idea is sound if executed correct. It appears I was right and wrong. Pretty much the story of my life!
Honestly though, for around 20 bucks you can get a case of 16oz plastic bottles and have no worries.

 

[whitesheperd]

It's going to double because one case isn't enough for 5 gal like I said family issues right now.. Got to save every penny I can right now..


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[AkTom]

I don't have a problem the few root beer bottles I use. Now I need more Squirt bottles. Leave the labels on and they make great fishing beers. As previously noted, they make good carb test bottles.