Bottling?

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Dougan

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Location
Stevens Point, WI
First bottling experience is coming up with the large hitch being that I don't currently own any beer bottles. I don't really think I can drink 2 cases of beer in the next week and I don't feel like buying empty bottles if I can avoid it (even if they do sell them). I have some 24oz soda bottles and could probably get some more from my parents if I had to. I might also be able to find one or two 40oz malt liquor bottles that my friends would have. Are these acceptable bottling containers? I guess my concern is what effect the carbonating would have. What about a bunch of mason jars?

I'll be leaving these in a dark place, of course, so I'm not so concerned with clear bottles.
 
They do sell empty bottles. The soda bottles will work but probably not your best bet for long term storage. I have used them in the past and they seemed to work fine for me.

Dont know about the mason jars.
 
We've all been there.

Give your beer more time in the fermenter. It will make the beer better and give you time to enjoy some craft beers.

Get on Craigslist or check with your local HB club.
 
Don't feel like there is any rush to bottle. There isn't. So long as your beer is safely within your primary or secondary, the bottling process can wait until you've accumulated enough bottles. It won't hurt your beer to wait, and it will likely even help.

I wouldn't use anything but flip-tops or proper, crown-capped bottles. Hit up local bars & restaurants. Find the local recycling center, they will probably let you take what you need in exchange for the deposit value. Check Craig's List as well, I'm always seeing bottles offered for little to nothing.
 
I go through the local recycling center. The guy there thinks its kinda strange but he doesn't seem to mind... its worth a shot.
 
Can you go to a local bar and get empties? You want the non-twist off bottles, like Sam Adams bottles, or even Corona bottles. (Digging out the limes is gross, though, so it's not my favorite). I've also gone dumpster diving at the recycling center, and they just laugh when I come in. Of course, I bring a few bottles of beer with me. The guys who fill my co2 tank like beer, also, so there's always a "little something" for them. Just a thought!

OR>>>>>>>> buy two cases of Sam Adams and have a big party. Then, you have bottles, and friends, too!
 
You'd be surprised how much beer you can consume in the 2-4 weeks one leaves beer in a fermenter...It's a good excuse to try different craft brews to see what you like, or like yoop said you can have a bash with 2 cases of sam adams...

Also, you will be surprised at how many people will give you bottles once you put the word out you are homebrewing, especially if you promise to give them a few of your own..Friends, neighbors, coworkers... A lot of people put non-twist off beer, wine, champaign bottles, even flip tops aside for me...even grabbing any they me see on their travels.

But I can gaurentee that once you start homebrewing and get a few batches under your belt, you'll look back at this thread, and they idea that 2 cases of beer is a daunting task to put away, and laugh! :mug:
 
What luck! Caught my neighbor going to the recycling dumpster with 38 corona bottles. That's definitely a good start. They aren't twist-off bottles, but they are not of the returnable variety. They don't need to be the returnable bottles, do they? I wouldn't think so, but maybe because returnable bottles are thicker and sturdier...
 
What luck! Caught my neighbor going to the recycling dumpster with 38 corona bottles. That's definitely a good start. They aren't twist-off bottles, but they are not of the returnable variety. They don't need to be the returnable bottles, do they? I wouldn't think so, but maybe because returnable bottles are thicker and sturdier...

Corona bottles are fine...the only issue I have with them is that they say "Corona" on them! I have exactly one of them in my collection, it's very photogenic.

Corona_Stout.jpg


I'm probably in the minority, but I prefer clear bottles. They are easier to clean, and I like to see how my aging beers are progressing. I keep them in boxes, in cabinets, so skunking is no concern.
 
Back to the original question, is there any adverse effects to bottling in mason jars? To me it would seem like a really simple solution. Easily storable, stackable, washable and in the 24oz size, the perfect portion.

Anybody have experience with it?
 
Back to the original question, is there any adverse effects to bottling in mason jars? To me it would seem like a really simple solution. Easily storable, stackable, washable and in the 24oz size, the perfect portion.

Anybody have experience with it?

You'd be a fool to do so..or like wasting beer. There's a difference between tranfering some from a keg and actually bottling a batch of beer under pressure it them.

They work by creating a vacuum when you can under pressure... WHen you put your food in the jar, seal the jar and stick it inside the boiling water bath, the vacuum draws the seal downward or inward that's why the dimple on a can is supposed to be pushed inward, and if you ever come a cross a can where it is bulging outward you are in trouble...

When you bottle, the gas builds up til it maxes out the head room (held in place by the crimped cap or the cork with wire or the gasket on a grolh bottle.....The co2 hits the barrier, maxes it and then goes back into solution/

With a mason jar you would either blow the seal and all the co2 would escape or if you were lucky enough that the seal held, more than likely the glass of the jar would explode and you would have a nice bottle grenade....

Don't bother unless you want be to say "I toldja so" when you are crying over spilled beer.....:D
 
To be clear, you need to use bottles or containers that are made to hold *carbonated* beverages. Any other containers are likely to explode from the pressure.

For example, regular wine bottles won't work. Champagne or sparkling wine bottles will (some French and Belgian beers come in these bottles, btw).
 
To be clear, you need to use bottles or containers that are made to hold *carbonated* beverages. Any other containers are likely to explode from the pleasure.

For example, regular wine bottles won't work. Champagne or sparkling wine bottles will (some French and Belgian beers come in these bottles, btw).

Think of it tis way.... Pressure = Outward
Vacuum = Inward.

The seals on canning jars are made to handle a vacuum, not pressure.
 
I get my bottles from the Woodman's in Appleton. They're emptied Point bottles (kind of ironic) and Woodman's sells them for the low low price of $1.20/case. Next time you're in Appleton, swing by the Homebrew Market and the Liquor store in Woodman's. Sounds like a trip well worth the ~1 hour drive.
 
Yeah, that's what I've ended up doing. Any of the bars here in Point will always have a case or two (minimum) of returnables lying around and I just pay them the deposit for them. Haven't had a problem with bottles since I started that.
 
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