Best commercial beer bottles for homebrew

[shredderator]

Guinness bottles are really easy to deal with, as long as you have a pair of needle nose pliers to get the nitro widget out with. The labels are just a piece of shrink wrap plastic so you can pop it with a knife pretty easily. I really like the curves that the bottles have as well. Only downside is that they are pretty spendy.

 

[Synovia]

I like Newcastle bottles, because I can easily see how the beer is clearing up. .

I do one or two bottles per batch in newcastle bottles just for that reason.

 

[Hellfish76]

My favorite 12 oz bottles are the deschutes bottles. They have hopvines rather than logos in the glass.

For 22's, Ninkasi and Full Sail uses VERY easily removed stickers. They can be peeled right off, no soaking needed or anything.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I love Deschutes for 12 oz and Ninkasi for 22 oz.

Bridgeport isn't too bad either

 

[freddyP]

Give guinness draught bottles a try. All you need to remove the label is a good box-cutter and run it along the side. Like magic the label falls to the floor and the bottle is good to go. No soaking needed. as for the plastic pieces, needle-nose plyers and pull. i save that job for my overactive G.F. keeps her busy for a good bit of time.

 

[strata39]

Highland Brewing Co. bottles have labels that peel right off, no soaking. 12 oz and 22oz, and if you're lucky, 1 liter grolsch tops in the winter time (if you can find them).

 

[permo]

New Belgium bottles..... labels fall of with 10-15 minutes in hot water and the minimal residual glue comes off very easy with a kitchen scrubby pad.

+1

These bottles are also very tall and narrow. I like this. I store my beer in empty plastic milk crates. 25 empty new belgium bottles fit in each one perfectly. I have 10 of them full of beer right now. 250 delicious bottles of beer just aging away.

 

[HairyDogBrewing]

My favorite are Orval bottles.
The strongest I know of and I really like the shape (kinda like bowling pins).
But they are slightly bigger around so they don't fit in my small cooler or in regular six packs.
And the beer is over 100 bucks a case, which is OK by me but a lot to pay if you just want bottles.

 

[Reddheadedstepchild]

I give a +1 on thr Rogue bottles being darker. But by far the easiest no logo bottle I have found is Hobgoblin. Under a full min in a hot water bath and all the labels were floating. plus they come in nice tall sturdy packs that hold up to getting damp a few times. Sam adams has nice tall carriers too, but they dont hold up so well with getting damp.Flying Dog has great beer but some of the most PIA labels i have ever come across. Just my 2 cents.

 

[alcibiades]

DFH and sierra nevada

 

[abledsoe]

I use mostly Sam Adams and Schlafly because thats mostly what I drink. The labels come off both very easily and they seem to be sturdy. I bottled a few anchor steam bottles last night and the caps seemed to go on funny. I think they sealed okay, just felt odd going on the bottle.

 

[Pappers_]

So I get my bottles these days from a favorite Chicago pub that stocks a large array of international beers, so I bring home a case or two of interesting bottles - Duvel, Orval, Hoegaarden are some unusually shaped which I like. Also, Chang is great, because it is heavier glass and is sloped or rounded, without shoulders.

 

[corexcore]

A little bit off topic, but with a butterfly capper and the standard crown caps from the LHBS, can you recap twist off bottles? I tried on a bottle I had on hand at school and it didn't work, but that was a Woodchuck twister. I just assumed the twist-off caps didn't work with the sized caps we can buy. If twistoffs can be used, do they carb up appropriately or is there any kind of issue in the twisting action?

 

[dougf]

+1 for Sierra Nevada bottles. Nice shape, labels come off easy, no markings.

I think the most important thing is having bottle uniformity. I have half Sierra Nevada, a quarter Hoegaarden, and the rest Widmer/Sam Adams(yuck). Going to try to get all Sierra nevada.

 

[Marsdude]

A little bit off topic, but with a butterfly capper and the standard crown caps from the LHBS, can you recap twist off bottles? I tried on a bottle I had on hand at school and it didn't work, but that was a Woodchuck twister. I just assumed the twist-off caps didn't work with the sized caps we can buy. If twistoffs can be used, do they carb up appropriately or is there any kind of issue in the twisting action?

I have always heard that you can not use twist off bottles.

I have to vote for Odells bottles being my favorite bottle. The labels float off in Oxy in a few minutes and I really like the design of the bottle with the hops leaves around the bend. Only problem is they are not available everywhere.

 

[ChshreCat]

Without a bench capper, twist off bottles are a pain. They leak, they break, just not worth it.

I've found costco beer bottles to be the best and now I don't save any other bottles. Just a case of costco beer now and then to replenish the bottles I give away to friends or send to comps and that's all I do. The labels float right off with a soak and don't leave glue behind and they're completely plain bottles so they're good for comps.

 

[Kershner_Ale]

The Samuel Smith's bottles are dark and very heavy. And just to be a tad different, they are 18 ozs. The lip is thicker than a standard bottle so it can take a few caps to get the gang of getting a good seal. But they de-label easily and hold slightly more than a pint!

 

[snowed]

Guinness, as others have said, nice shape and easy label.

An easy trick for the widget (plastic thingy) is to bend the end of a coat hanger or wire into a small hook (I use a piece of 12 gauge copper), and stick the wire in and catch the widget from the backside - even easier if you turn it upside down.... Give it a yank and pop it out.

 

[EvilGnome6]

Does anybody maintain HBT's Bottles wiki page? There's a really handy table there with characteristics of specific bottles.

I had a few different beers last night that could be added:

Brand: Dogfish Head
Cap: Crown
Color: Amber
Height: ?
Volume: 12 oz.
Weight: 200 grams
Delabeling: ?
Notes: None

Brand: Deschutes
Cap: Crown
Color: Amber
Height: ?
Volume: 12 oz.
Weight: 230 grams
Delabeling: ?
Notes: Marked with hop leaf design

There should be a note added to Budweiser American Ale that it is marked with an A-B logo.

 

[Beerbeque]

most of my bottles are Sierras and I keep them in the SN 12 pack cases both empty and full.

 

[cbird01]

I will have to disagree with the New Belgium Bottles. I actually like the bottle, but it is the only bottle that I can not get a ring to show up on. I can actually twist mine a bit after they are capped. Now I have only noticed a few times seeming to be low carb'd, but I would just rather be sure it is sealed by seeing the little round ring on top of the cap.

 

[Rolly]

Samuel Smith. These bottles are workhorses. They are very thick and have a unique look if you create your own labels and slap them on. The glass is also relatively dark compared to most brands out there. They cap very nicely with one of the red emily cappers. In my experience Anchor bottles look cool, but do not cap very well unless you have a bench capper.

 

[TFL283]

I am new to homebrewing.. to the point i have yet to even bottle my first batch... its that time of year and my hard cider is just about finished. but i have been stock piling SAM ADAMS bottles. and my method thus far is let soak 30 min. remove label with a potatoe peeler that i use for only this. peeler takes 98% of all label and adhesive with it. kitchen scrubby pad takes the last 2% . i fit 3 cases in my dishwasher with soap as pre wash and 1/4 star san as primary wash. bottles came out looking brand new with no visual defects. i test bottled a six pack with soda to see how they held up and no problems. ill continue to use sam adams bottles till i run into any issue with them.

 

[Manny_E]

is there an easy way to determine if the bottle cap is tightly secured? i am using 2 type of bottles belgium style 22 and 12 oz. I noticed after capping the 22 oz bottles, the capper leaves a ring on the top of the cap but on the 12oz it does not.

my recent batch (OG 1.085), i opened one of the 12 oz bottles and it came out flat. BTW i used (1st time) fuzzy drops per instruction. I am wondering where the problem is...

any feedback / tips greatly appreciated...

Thanks

Visuals:

 

[Patrick87]

is there an easy way to determine if the bottle cap is tightly secured? i am using 2 type of bottles belgium style 22 and 12 oz. I noticed after capping the 22 oz bottles, the capper leaves a ring on the top of the cap but on the 12oz it does not.

my recent batch (OG 1.085), i opened one of the 12 oz bottles and it came out flat. BTW i used (1st time) fuzzy drops per instruction. I am wondering where the problem is...

any feedback / tips greatly appreciated...

Thanks

Visuals:

Pretty sure it's all about the neck of the bottle. Some bottles (such as Sam Adams, Sweetwater and most other traditional "long necks") have a long "bump" at the top of them, which is ideal for a wing capper.

Some bottles have a medium "bump" on them which seem to work okay for me. (Such as New Belgium's bottles)

I've stopped trying to use Lagunitas bottles. Sierra Nevada bottles aren't much better. If you have one handy, look at the neck on it. The part that the wing capper "grabs" is very short and doesn't let the bell push down very hard.

If you look at the bottles you're trying to cap, I'd be willing to bet that the bombers with the big dimple in them have a long "bump" at the top and the ones with without an indentation have a shorter "bump".

Here's a pic (not mine) to demonstrate:

The bottle on the right is the best kind of neck for a wing capper.

 

[Manny_E]

Pretty sure it's all about the neck of the bottle. Some bottles (such as Sam Adams, Sweetwater and most other traditional "long necks") have a long "bump" at the top of them, which is ideal for a wing capper.

Some bottles have a medium "bump" on them which seem to work okay for me. (Such as New Belgium's bottles)

I've stopped trying to use Lagunitas bottles. Sierra Nevada bottles aren't much better. If you have one handy, look at the neck on it. The part that the wing capper "grabs" is very short and doesn't let the bell push down very hard.

If you look at the bottles you're trying to cap, I'd be willing to bet that the bombers with the big dimple in them have a long "bump" at the top and the ones with without an indentation have a shorter "bump".

Here's a pic (not mine) to demonstrate:

The bottle on the right is the best kind of neck for a wing capper.

you may be right.. I just hope my entire batch is not ruined.. i only have 2 bottles, for testing, onto this 12 oz bottles.. the rest is in 22 oz (long bump)... i am going to give it another week or so b/c high OG.. I am wondering if the Fizz drops are the issue. i always used corn sugar mix, this time i used FD b/c i had them...



see picture...

 

[adamranders]

Though not widely available, I find New Glarus bottles to work great. They seem like they are a heavier (thicker) glass likely because they brew several sours and use the same bottles.

 

[TxBigHops]

Surprised no one else has mentioned my favorite bottles - Green Flash. I love the unique shape, the glass seems to be nice and heavy, and the labels fall off within an hour or so in a hot water and oxyclean soak. And best of all, some of my favorite commercial brews come inside of these bottles!!!

 

[TennBrewer]

Spotted Cow is awesome! I never really looked at the neck on the bottles but thanks for the pix, now I'm going to check them before I bottle up. I recently acquired several Grolsch bottles with the ceramic caps, rubber gasket and wire cages (really good deal, too!) and I have just put up a batch of Brown Ale using 16 of these, if they don't work I won't lose the whole batch. Many people have used (and reused) them with great success. If it works for me, I'm going back for more, sure is easier than capping all those bottles. I initially washed, rather I soaked them in OxyClean overnight using the clothes washer. I could fill the washer and add my soap until it reaches its High water setting, then stop the machine and add the bottles. After an overnight soak, I removed the bottles and gave them a rinse using the jet bottle washer is given in the laundry sink nearby. Then I could drain the washer by closing the lid and turning the dial to the end of the cycle. After rinsing, I put the bottles in the dishwasher for heated scrub and heat dry. This seems to sanitize the bottles, I've done it with the previous batch and so far there is no sign of contamination. The wire cages with caps were removed from the Grolsch bottles because they hung below the dishwasher rack and interfered with the water sprayer underneath, besides, I don't think the rubber gaskets would hold up very well in the heat sanitizing. After allowing the bottles to cool, I would let the cages, caps, and gasket assemblies soak in Star San solution while I was filling the bottles. We'll see how this batch turns out in another week or two.

 

[Kysmert]

Boulevard anything. (Most people enjoy their Wheat, Tank 7, or 80-Acre) they have stubby 12 oz. bottles. Label comes off in water within about 2 minutes. They are stout, dark, sturdy and I've dropped tons and still no breaks, my favorite by far.

-K

 

[Hello]

Although mentioned, Green Flash's bottles are a couple of grams heavier than ones from Sam Adams and such.