Can I reuse store bought bottles?

[smileyak87]

My buddy just gave me 14 cases of mixed Sierra Nevada and Alaskan brewing bottles. I'm set for a while lol


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[MarathonMurse]

I just started brewing, having gotten a kit for Christmas, but found I was more than able to collect a batch worth of bottles while my first brew fermented.

I know there's a lot of Guinness hate, but it costs just as much as empties do, and the labels are plastic- no scrubbing necessary!

 

[flyerdx]

I use twist off bottles all the time and they seal fine. I use my kegs first for inside use, then i bottle using Grolsh fliptops or regular twist offs for taking out to the garage. they seal fine. I have a good capper and not the cheap wing one

 

[fearwig]

I just started brewing, having gotten a kit for Christmas, but found I was more than able to collect a batch worth of bottles while my first brew fermented.

I know there's a lot of Guinness hate, but it costs just as much as empties do, and the labels are plastic- no scrubbing necessary!

I don't know about regular guinness bottles, but the bombers have that ******* thin lower lip that makes my capper slip! I owe a lot of crumpled caps to those little bastards.

But to answer OP, don't buy bottles from a LHBS or online. Empty beer bottles are free, or as free as beer.

I am curious about favored label removal methods, though. I see a lot of base solutions used, baking soda and PBW/Oxi, even caustic and ammonia--chlorine bleach doesn't help, I guess? I mean I assume I'd see lots of people recommending bleach if it worked. I always used straight water, and I've finally got my brew volumes up to where I need to do another five or six cases of bottles, so I'm hoping for an easy out. I suppose a weak caustic solution wouldn't be such a pain in the butt.

 

[freisste]

Oxyclean couldn't be easier. Labels literally fall off. Most of the time, anyway.

 

[smileyak87]

I agree with oxyclean. Makes the labels slide right off

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[uatuba]

I've only had one type to survive Oxiclean...Yazoo Brewing's Amber Ale labels (which sucks because they were stubbies which I need). They're plastic (not paper or foil) and might as well be superglued to the damn bottle. It can't be cheap for them, and it promotes waste as well as me thinking twice about buying their beer next time.

Most craft brew labels will be floating after a 24-hour soak.

 

[MaxStout]

A little Oxi in warm water overnight, and most labels slide right off. Most European beer labels come off really easily.

Some don't come off in water, e.g., Two Brothers. Those are plastic, like little bumper stickers. But if you warm the bottle by running hot water over it, the labels soften and peel right off in one piece, with little or no adhesive remaining.

 

[rowan57]

Soak in hot water overnight - any that don't come off easily (i.e. slip off) or with a little scrubbing to get rid of some glue get recycled, I don't need them that bad.

 

[CaptainArgo]

I used an overnight soak in water + baking soda (maybe 1/4 cup per gal) to get labels off. Half of the labels fell off, the other half peeled off easily. The leftover glue was easy to simply rub off by hand for the most part, or with a nylon scrubber for the tougher stuff, using pretty much zero elbow grease.

Using that method I successfully de-labeled and capped a selection of Widmer, Pacifico, Sierra Nevada, and Newcastle bottles