ANYONE know where to get BOTTLES CHEAP?

[massappeal120]

anyone know where one can buy bottles for cheep? I have been saving bottles from purcahsed beer but i kinda would like to just buy 5 gallons worth of bottles so I can start doing more batches. only have enough for a littel over 5 gal right now. Most the bottles i use are the grolsch style easy capping bottles, but i do have a capper and caps are cheap so i dont gotta go that way bigger bottles are a plus though

 

[the_bird]

Best source; alcoholic friends. "I'll give you a sixer of homebrew for every four sixers of empties you provide me." Other people report success with having bars save pry-off bottles for you; prolly depends how friendly you are with the barkeep. Check Craigslist, too, sometimes you'll see someone giving away bottles (usually after they've finally wised up and gotten kegging gear ).

 

[BierMuncher]

Ah...seems so familiar.

I got to drink a lot of pretty good craft brew for the sake of the empties.

You can get a 24 pack of bottles from Austinhomebrew.com for $13.99 each and shipping is a flat $6.99.

So for around $77, you'd have 5 cases delivered to your door.

Or...you could buy 12 packs of craft beer on sale for about $9-$11 per 12 and stock up that way...

 

[Bernie Brewer]

You could go trolling around bars and restaurants. Ask if they'll save you any decent bottles. Can't hurt to ask. Back in the day I got a sh!thouse full of swing-tops from my BIL that worked in a restaurant at the time. So, connections don't hurt, either.

 

[Joker]

I always keep one eye on craigslist, you never know what will turn up there. I have gotten some very good deals on brewing equipment and bottles.

 

[elderbrewer]

I find lots of the swing top bottles at the Goodwill store. I pay $ .50 -$1.00 for them.

 

[quickerNu]

Hippie friends who are big into recycling!

 

[BrianP]

+1 on drinking cases of beer - it's a tough job but someone's got to do it. And it can help expand your palate to new sytles. Just watch out for twist-offs.

and +1 on hitting up places for empties. I've had good luck at high-end liquor stores that carry good selections of beer. I've picked up full cases of 12, 16, and 22 oz bottles (including several cases of flip-tops) just for the price of the bottle deposit. (And of course also buying a sixer or 12 so as to not wear out my welcome).

Unless you're really in a hurry to bottle, I wouldn't buy new empties.

One more thing - cleaning - If you're making your own empties, rinse them out right after use, then all you'll need to do is sanitize before bottling. If you wait you'll need to scrub. If you do 'dumpster dive' - you will need to scrub well and clean very thoroughly. (There's other threads about this - but I use a soak of oxyclean and hot water to loosen the gunk and remove labels, then scrub with a bottle brush, inspect, re-scrub, rinse, etc.)

 

[Professor Frink]

A lot saturdays for me involve dumpster diving. It's not as bad at it sounds.

 

[Judd]

Is there a university/college in your city? If yes, try there. Otherwise, go out on recycling day and loot.

 

[redneckbeagle]

I have friend that brews and also buys the occasional unique beer at the local liquor barn. Of course he kegs everything and I was over the other night and we shared some of his unique purchases and guess where they wound up? Yes in the trash, So you know what I did, I got them out and took them home!!!!

 

[balto charlie]

I use to go to bars that serve beer in returnables. They would often sell for cheap and returnables bottles last forever. Do they still offer returnables??
You could also go out in your neighborhood on recycling day and check peoples "blue" bags. This has go to be better than dumpster diving

 

[abracadabra]

Dude

You are probably going to have a tough time anywhere in Utah. Check out the private clubs. Also try to keep this tread alive by adding a comment every now and then. Maybe someone in your area will give you some for free if you'll pick up or pay for shipping.

Here's something else to consider in mean time while you are collecting bottles. You can bottle beer in plastic soda pop bottles of any size. The caps are good for 3-4 reuses at least. Just keep them away from light so the beer won't get skunked and let them soak in Oxy-Clean Free to remove any soda flavor. You shouldn't have any problem collecting soda pop bottles even in Utah.

The first guy I ever knew to brew his own beer put it all in 6.5 oz. glass Coca Cola bottles so they will work as well.

 

[cubbies]

One place I would definitely check if you have one available, is a local micro.

When I was still bottling, I called up my local micro to see if I could buy the bottles they were going to recycle (a lot of times caps wont go on, labels wont go one etc and they typically recycle them rather than re-clean and re-sanitize). Anywho, they got back with me and told me that they didnt recycle many, but they would be happy to sell me some they had at their cost. I ended up with 24-12oz and 24-22oz for $10.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Here's something else to consider in mean time while you are collecting bottles. You can bottle beer in plastic soda pop bottles of any size. The caps are good for 3-4 reuses at least. Just keep them away from light so the beer won't get skunked and let them soak in Oxy-Clean Free to remove any soda flavor. You shouldn't have any problem collecting soda pop bottles even in Utah.

I've done that, too. Putting a Brown Ale or something like that in 20 oz coke bottles is a great way to sneak a few homebrews into ballgames.........

 

[El_Borracho]

Buy craft brews.. Cases or 12-packs, **** 6's if you want to try something new. The same price as buying empties or not much more expensive and you get some new beer. A case a week is what I aim for. I have about 200 bottles and I don't even have brewing equipment yet..

Soda pop bottles eh.. Well played! I'll have to give that a try. Heffe's in Mountaindew bottles

 

[abracadabra]

Buy craft brews.. Cases or 12-packs, **** 6's if you want to try something new. The same price as buying empties or not much more expensive and you get some new beer. A case a week is what I aim for. I have about 200 bottles and I don't even have brewing equipment yet..

That's funny I did the same thing and now I've got a basement full.

Something else I forgot to mention was post a note on "freecycle" I'm sure there's someone out there that will give you a boat load.

 

[alpine2001]

buy far the easiest way to get bottles of any kind is the redemption / recycling center ,the same place ya take your empties , here in my town, fredericton new brunswick canada,i buy wine bottles 10 cents each , beer bottles 1.20 a doz. and 20cents a court , they save the wine bottles and set them aside just for home brewers, if you want a certain color, type bottle they will save them for you ,i know this because i had the unfortunate experience of working at one of these holes, lol , but great for cheap bottles

 

[sanders5x]

we just have huge bins that people throw there recyclables in. about 90% of the bottles dont break but there is about 10% that do. I use an old broom handle that is hollow but any pipe will do. just get some string or semi flexible wire(cat5 works good!) run it down the middle of the pipe and tape it to one end. the taped end should form a loop that you can pull on the free end to tighten and viola- a bottle snatcher! I had been using mine for a while and then saw an article in the November BREW magazine about a guy that made something similar - page 8

 

[weasle708]

I had a big score on bottles today. when my first batch was done the other week i was freeking out because i didn't have enough bottles. so i called my buddy and we went dumpster diving and came up empty ended up getting two cases of cheap beer to drink fast so i could bottle my brew. this morning i woke up and remembered that my buddys township had a recycle bin for glass both brown and green. stoped in an on top of the buttwiper bottles layed a case of new pop top brown bottles. i am going to raid in a few days hope there is more there for the picking.

 

[Kulprit]

I was lucky - having been a bartender for a long time at two bars - and having worked with a guy who runs a beverage center it was real easy for me to just ask for the favor of them saving me their bottles.

I basically just told them to save me all their Sam Adams products. I just got a call that the bev has 6 cases ready for me. I offered to pay him for them but basically I buy a 12pack of whatever everytime I go in there so it works out for both sides.

I am anal and am trying to avoid having 20 different types of bottles laying around. So I am really trying to just get regular Sam and Sam Lite for now. I figure I will get some "different" styles later when I start to brew different beers.

My point is just go into your local bev store and be a regular customer and just ask. I wouldn't walk in and ask and if they say no just walk out. Buy some beer and when paying mention it.

I haven't even brewed my first batch yet and my wife is already grumbling about the milk crates full of bottles in the garage (about 10 cases so far). It will be more of a problem for me getting the cardboard sixpack things and cardboard cases.

 

[Chriso]

Cardboard 6-packs I just save as I drink them, and have my parents do the same.

For the cases (carriers) that you put 4x 6-packs in, though, I just go to the liquor store - they use them instead of bags for customers. When I go in, I buy a couple craft 6 packs and a couple bombers of Rogue, and then ask if I can take four or six carriers with me "for the garage".

 

[BierMuncher]

I got in touch with my local micro brew and they always pitch (recycle) a lot of bottles that had short fills on the line and can't be reused. I just went up the other night and picked up 3 cases worth out of their recycle bin.

Great guys. Made sure I came in and helped em sample some smoked porter they were just gettig out of the bright tank to bottle.

 

[jacobyhale]

There's an add on craigslist in SLC right now, the guy has cases of grolsch bottles and a ton of other 22's, 12ozers, etc. Check it out. I've found a ton of good deals on craigslist here recently. Also, The Beer Nut sells used Grolsch bottles for $1/ea, which is worth not having to cap in my opinion

 

[weasle708]

stopped at the local recycle bins at the township building and came home with 48 more bottles of micro brew IPA and 8 magnum dark green wine bottles for my hard cider to long term age in. I am going to make that place my regular sunday stop.

 

[mrkristofo]

the beer nut has a bunch of used ones right now...I just picked up 48 22oz-ers at $5 each.

Normally I'd have an excess, but I'm stocking up for this 20 gallons I have to bottle by the end of the week.