Bottle Crates?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

killerhertz

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
78
Reaction score
0
Location
Fairfax, VA
Does anyone know where I can find plastic beer bottle crates? I searched and saw some pics of users with branded beer crates... pretty neat. Even those milk bottle crates might suffice...

I'm getting sick of storing my beer in cardboard 6-pack carriers. They're too flimsy and not really stackable.

http://www.dwplastics.com/crates01.htm
 
Where can I find those? Target/Walmart/etc. ?
Walmart usually has them. In the home storage or even the school supply section (for college kids) during certain parts of the year. They also work well as carboy holders, cleaned bottle drying racks (bottles upside down with a paper towel liner...).
 
I had searched high and low for the beer crates. I would see them everywhere when I was in outher countries. unfortunately flying bakc with them wasn't the easiest option. I guess they just aren't around in the US. I use cardboard cases until they wear out, and also milk crates. I got milk crates for like $3 at target during back to school.
 
I use the cardboard boxes that the six-packs come in, pick them up for free at the store.
4 six-packs to a single cardboard box labeled 1554 Enlightened Black Ale, or whatever...
 
I use milk crates. They hold 25 beers perfectly and they're nice and stackable.

Great Idea!

I was about to post a similar thread but did a search and found this one. I'm already using a milk-crate for the carboy but I really like the idea of using one for bottles. Cardboard is just gonna get flimsy in no time at all!

-Tripod
 
I just swing by my local Turkey Hill (Quicky-mart like place) and they typically don't mind given me half a dozen milk crates.
 
+1 on the milk crates, they're tough, easy to carry, and you can swap them out as carboy holders

Those crates in the OP remind me of living in Belgium, the return on them was something like 3-5 euros.... it would end up costing half as much as the beer! (@33cents per Stella Artois)
 
Last weekend I put some boxes together. I'll take my measurements and post them if you're interested. I built them different than the posted plans. I made the two end walls taller and I made the side boards taller than the bottles so that they would stack on top of each other. I also didn't rabbit the joints in that pic.
 
If you want to build some out of wood, I have a plan. PM me and I'll send it to you.

I've made mine out of 1/2" B/C exterior plywood, over the years.
Some I have are nearly 20 yrs. old........well, I think 17.
I have 18 cases. Each holds 4 sixpacks of bottles.
I have the cases numbered and keep the numbers & style of Brew,
in my Beer Log, each time I fill one. I cross it off as it's emptied.
My system works for me. I only Brew about 40 to 50 gal. a year,
in a good year.
 
Last weekend I put some boxes together. I'll take my measurements and post them if you're interested. I built them different than the posted plans. I made the two end walls taller and I made the side boards taller than the bottles so that they would stack on top of each other. I also didn't rabbit the joints in that pic.

I didn't rabbet the joints. I used butt-joints.
I have hinged lids on mine. And I just use empty sixpacks for the dividers.
There are prob'ly a lot of ways to "git 'er done".
 
I use milk crates. They hold 25 beers perfectly and they're nice and stackable.


Yup, the milk crates are perfect.
I stole a truck load from behind a convienance store 15 years ago.
Just backed up there one night and loaded my pickup.
{But don't tell 'nobody'}
Most milk delivery outfits don't use them anymore,
but they are still around.


J. Winters VonKnife
and Sandymay
 
I didn't rabbet the joints. I used butt-joints.
I have hinged lids on mine. And I just use empty sixpacks for the dividers.
There are prob'ly a lot of ways to "git 'er done".

Hinged lids would be a great idea. I wish I would've thought about that.
 
I used butt-joints

huh huh...you said butt-joints...(Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Seriously though, thanks for the posts and links! I think I would like to make mine stackable as well...right now I'm planning to use an old cardboard Sam Adams case and the rest will go into milk crate(s)...

-Tripod
 
Another thing that sucks about cardboard is when you're storing them under a sink in your half bathroom which you've completely overtaken with your equipment and you have to run the water and flush the toilet once in a while in fear of mold growing and crawlies coming up the pipes and the faucet is so old that you didn't realize that when you turned it off that you didn't so it runs all night and next time you go in your half bath all your cardboard cases are soaked and ruined and in addition there is water damage to the wall and the linoleum flooring is stained with dogfish head logos.

A little bit of a rant, but I agree cardboard sucks. Awesome thread here, I'm in desperate need of something water resistant and sturdy.
 
I have some old ammo crates I used for transport last time I moved; If you sealed them, might work pretty well...

What, it's not normal to have empty ammo cases lying around?
 
To resurrect this old thread, to add that I have been looking for suitable bottle crates as well. I found these Roughneck Storage Boxes at Home Depot that work well for bottle cases and carboy bins. They are water-tight, and stack-able. The Medium size fits tall-12oz and 22oz, and the Small size fits stubby-12oz. The bottles are ever-so-slightly too-tall with the lid dipping down in the middle, but they still stack fine. You could add a piece of something (tube, rubber, foam) around the rim of the lid to raise it up a bit.

X68WESQULMSUB8MLLLSN.jpg


I also have a file box from Office Depot that I'm trying (which works ok), but it is brittle, smaller and more expensive.

Aaron
 
I realize this is a very late reply, but if you go to www.cwcrate.com I think they've got what you're looking for.
These things are waterproof, stackable, have the old retro look of the old heave beer cases, only difference is they are made from plastic.
 
We were also looking for these plastic beer crates for some time. Like most of you, we couldn't find a reliable source of them anywhere. So we decided to open a business and sell them online. Please check us out at www.usbeercrates.com.

Also for being an awesome Home Brew Talk member, we are offering 10% off your first order.

Use coupon code HBT.
 
Lightproof would be a huge plus... sure I use brown bottles but light can still skunk your beer. But the price is out of my budget! I can buy a pinlock keg for less and skip bottling!
 
Come over here to Germany they are 1.50 Euro and you can get any size you want 20 or 24, German sized bottles or American sized bottles.
 
I pick up cases from the local bar. New Glarus are the strongest. They are filled with four six-pack holders. Sam Adams are pretty good too. Dividers are fairly stiff. I put cardboard dividers in Northern Brewer 12" × 12" × 12" shipping boxes for my German pint bottles.

And they are free.
 
Back
Top