Are Screwtop bottles ok for Carbonating?

[nbstl68]

I ran across three cases of these quart sized screw top bottles at a farm auction and thought they were pretty cool.

I'm planning on doing some in bottle carbonating and a batch of keg carbonated then bottled.

Would this type of bottle and screw cap be ok for that?
The word "Brew" is right in the label, so I assume that's what the original use plan was.

I cannot tell if this type of bottle would accept crown caps or not but I have plenty of unused screw caps that came with them.


Now if only my name were Bill and I was making beer instead of cider...

 

[AidanSavage]

Bottles that accept crown caps will have a flare that the capper will grip as you force the caps closed. Those bottles dont, so you'd only be able to use screw caps. My best guess for those would be to do a batch of still cider, and only prime one or two bottles for carbing, along with a comparably sized soda bottle. Then take the primed glass bottles and make sure they're secured in something that will contain liquids and shards of glass if they blow. Then wait until the soda bottle's firm with carbing.
If the glass doesnt bomb by that point, you can decide to risk pasteurizing on the stove (with a big enough pot to cover the bottle), or cold storage. Granted, this would mean avoiding the wine yeasts if they dont drop out and become inactive at cold temps.


Without extensive searching, those bottles might be meant for still beverages, keeping in mind that there is a grape cluster on the bottle.

 

[nbstl68]

Good point...i was hoping it was a poorly drawn hops cluster.

 

[MarkKF]

I've accidentally capped screw top beer bottles. Some had the glass break, some lost pressure while carbing, some lost pressure when I stove top pasteurized them and some worked.

I've since learned which of my fav microbrews use screw tops and discard the bottles.

 

[nbstl68]

Anyone else have experience with screw tops for longer term storage of their carbed Cider?
Curious if they'b be prone to leaking C02 or if you could get them sealed as well as crown caps.

 

[sfgoat]

I recycle screw top wine and liquor bottles but only for wine and cider. Never tried with beer so I couldn't tell you.

 

[javalin]

You could use crown caps as long as you use a stand type capper and not a wing type. Wing type needs the flare that Aidan mentioned, but the stand doesn't.

Screw type bottles will hold carb for a decent amount of time with a crown cap, though you may get the occasional bottle that will go flat. I can vouch for up to six months, but my small batches of beer and cider tend to be gone before they sit too long.

 

[nbstl68]

Thx
I'm doing cider but will have about 9-10gal, so may be around a while...or maybe not if it turns out good.

 

[MindenMan]

Make up a story about a favorite Uncle Bill, and the label printer drinking too much while designing, or not. According to the FDA, if a 1 pound bag of coffee has 1 Kona bean in it, it can be sold as a Kona "blend". So, logic dictates that if 1 grape is added to your cider recipe, then the labels are "legally" fine showing grape clusters.