Bottles

[Patro]

I know a guy who grabs bottles from the recycling bins at the dump. I guess glass is easy to sterilize, but I can't bring myself to do it. Plus its easy enough to get bottles from friends and my own beer purchases.

 

[AlCophile]

I have two balances, one for 0 - 500 grams and one for one-hundredth gram precision. I can weigh hops down to the individual hop. Same with any ingredient. From a 6gal batch I can try dozens of variations. If a vendor would put together a package of assorted hops, but, that would be counter-productive.
As for nhcraigslist.org, I scour it like a crow does a busy highway.
My experimental philosophy has allowed me to work on pharmaceuticals which hundreds of millions of people depend on. Good luck.

 

[Epimetheus]

The local bottle shop takes back empties. I got 5 cases of 12 oz from them for 5 cents each, the deposit price in MA. They were happy I sorted through their piles because I left it neater than when I started and the brands were grouped better. I selected bottles of the same size because I use a bench capper and did not want to re-set the height each time. Some people like the short Sierra Nevada type. I like the standard #2 longnecks. And I avoided the Sam Adams because the bottles have their name molded in the glass - it's my beer, not theirs.

I have a small variety of bottles for different purposes - 12 oz brown glass, Grolch, 22oz bombers, and 20 oz clear soda bottles. The bench capper manages the 12 oz longnecks and bombers without adjustment - just swing the arm around once to set the cap higher. I do a few soda bottles each time because you can test when the carbonation is complete (they get hard) and see the color and clarity without opening a bottle. The swing-tops are good for sampling and closing if you don't feel like a whole 15 oz at a clip. A bomber or two is nice to take to the brew club - there is enough to pass around for samples.

Removing labels can be difficult. I have tried various things. The most reliable is soaking overnight in a mixture of Oxy-clean and warm water, scrape off as much as you can with a spoon or dull knife, and scrub off residue with a Scotchbrite sponge.

Search for Revvy's post on bottling for good procedures.

 

[mikerobrewer]

Removing labels can be difficult. I have tried various things. The most reliable is soaking overnight in a mixture of Oxy-clean and warm water, scrape off as much as you can with a spoon or dull knife, and scrub off residue with a Scotchbrite sponge.

I put bottles in a sink full of hot water with a bit of PBW and let them sit for about 20-30 minutes. At that point most brands labels are floating at the top of the water or will come off at the slightest touch. Then use a steel sponge to get the remaining glue residue off. Works great. Or sometimes I'll use bottles from, say, Stone Brewing that have laser-etched labels printed on them so all I have to do is rinse them.

The above answer about growlers mentions adjusting the amount of sugar for bottle size. I used a bottling bucket and filled 12,16, and 22oz bottles. Are my 22s not going to have enough carb, since kit instructions said use 12ioz bottles????

I think it should be fine. I've bottled 22s the same way and they were carbed enough.

All this talk of buying bottles... I just drink beer and save the bottles... seems like a no-brainer to me... If nothing else, it's an excuse to buy more good beer.

 

[DogFace_Brewing]

I put bottles in a sink full of hot water with a bit of PBW and let them sit for about 20-30 minutes. At that point most brands labels are floating at the top of the water or will come off at the slightest touch. Then use a steel sponge to get the remaining glue residue off. Works great.

^^^^^ How I do it ^^^^

 

[YeastHerder]

I like 12oz size bottles and I get more than I need as donations from friends as empties. I do the hot soapy water soak method. Some brands labels fall right off, others are near impossible to get off:

Easy labels to remove: Sierra Nevada, Newcastle, Sam Adams.

PITA to remove: Karl Strauss, just about any beer with a label that is super glossy.

 

[BennyBrewer]

I put bottles in a sink full of hot water with a bit of PBW and let them sit for about 20-30 minutes. At that point most brands labels are floating at the top of the water or will come off at the slightest touch. Then use a steel sponge to get the remaining glue residue off. Works great. Or sometimes I'll use bottles from, say, Stone Brewing that have laser-etched labels printed on them so all I have to do is rinse them.

I think it should be fine. I've bottled 22s the same way and they were carbed enough.

All this talk of buying bottles... I just drink beer and save the bottles... seems like a no-brainer to me... If nothing else, it's an excuse to buy more good beer.

Dont use steal wool I'm a newb but i save bottles for other reasons do the hot water method as he described and buy a 2 dollar bottle of alcohol and use your thumb nail or a rag you dont like. It is much cleaner and no scratches. Thumb nail is faster btw and i do the peel and alcohol all the time with any sticker lighter price tag whatever quick and easy with no residue.

 

[petey_c]

I have local restaurants save their bottles for me Abdul them...

???

 

[BennyBrewer]

He's saying get them free in a racist way I think...