bsay
Well-Known Member
What is the cheapest brew you have found that comes in good, re-usable bottles?
Cheapest brew that comes in re-usable bottles
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I like Sam Adams bottles. I like the beer, and the labels come off easy.
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bsay
Well-Known Member
Yea, Sam's is what I am currently getting (by the 12 pack) but the pocketbook is growing thin!
Keystone Light....but I re-cap twist off bottles....
Wanna Hear about my Colona Capper.....again?
Sorry....I couldn't resist pluggin it....again.
Wanna Hear about my Colona Capper.....again?
Sorry....I couldn't resist pluggin it....again.
go to the bar and ask for emptys.
This works GREAT!
I've scored as many as 10 cases a day doing that. I even got to the point that I was getting picky and trying to make complete cases of specific bottles. That was just before I took up kegging...and now I have 2 batches bottled between yesterday and tomorrow. OH WELL.
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bsay
Well-Known Member
I have plenty of bars saving for me, I'm mostly looking for opinions for an article I'm writing.
Bud American Ale looks cheap and reusable
I like the Red Stripe bottles and got a case for $22 from Costco
I doubt I will drink either. I did buy the Red Stripe for the bottles but my brother did the drinking.
Craig
I like the Red Stripe bottles and got a case for $22 from Costco
I doubt I will drink either. I did buy the Red Stripe for the bottles but my brother did the drinking.
Craig
wow!! -- 10 cases in 1 day... so just how many bottles do you have now?
I got pretty picky and actually threw a TON back to the Recycle bins...but there are 30 cases in the basement waiting to be delabeled, and filled, along with 6 cases that are full, and the 4 that I just bought at the LBS (WAY TOO LAZY) yesterday....Guess that's....40 cases.
Slappy White
Well-Known Member
Anchor...any of the beers....good beers, and there is something about the bottles I like. It isn't too expensive either.
Sorry...think I read the title wrong bc anchor isn't the cheapest.
Sam Adams is good tho and pretty cheap.
Sorry...think I read the title wrong bc anchor isn't the cheapest.
Sam Adams is good tho and pretty cheap.
By far the cheapest brew to come in reusable bottles is brubaker. I don't know if this beer exists anywhere else in the country, but they actually wash and re-use bottles... at a bar they are 2.00 for a 20 ozer. Much cheaper than you would think if you can find a place that sells it by the case.
Ecnerwal
Well-Known Member
The brew that other people drink. Plenty of non-brewing drinkers out there. Empties for free, or nickel/dime depending where you live (deposit laws).
IMO if you are going to buy beer for the bottles, it needs to be good beer - otherwise you can go buy new bottles at the LBS for less than bad beer.
Any event with "champagne", where the champagne is not coming from France (unless you get odd-sized caps and an odd-sized capping bell) is a good place to pick up a nice set of heavy-duty big bottles and cases to match.
Jilaman
Well-Known Member
Asking bars for empties only works when you don't have a deposit in your state. Most of the bars seem to recycle or return what they can. Some smash the crap out of them in the dumpster and they are unusable.
brewt00l
Well-Known Member
Kinda depends on where you are..
One of the cheaper brews w/ decent reusables around me is PBC.
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bsay
Well-Known Member
I would say that asking only works IF you HAVE a deposit in your state.
Here in SD, there's no deposit and all of the bottles end up in the standard trash can among the disgusting garbage that you won't want to dig through.
In the neighboring state of IA, I can walk into any bar and say "Can I buy some of your bottles for 10 cents each (double the deposit)?" and they'll let me rummage through their cases of empties for whatever I need. $2.40/case ain't bad, so we're both getting a deal.
Thanks all who contributed to my article, those who like drinking commercial brew on a budget while saving bottles should be quite appreciative of these answers.
Professor Frink
Well-Known Member
I used to drink those at Our House in Allston. Nasty stuff. I like Sierra Nevada's bottles.
landis
Well-Known Member
Here's another for Sierra Nevada.
The Pale Ale is always available, and once a year when those Harvest Ales come out I love those 24oz bottles.
The Pale Ale is always available, and once a year when those Harvest Ales come out I love those 24oz bottles.
I don't know where you live, but in Michigan Bell's Brewery in K-zoo has a very small homebrew section in their retail space. New bottles with no labels come in case with dividers for $5.00 a case. Here in MI we have a 10 cent deposit so it costs you double what keeping your returnables would be and no scrubbing labels or cleaning beer off the bottom required.
That said, I also mention to the neighbors that I am low on bottles. Some send me the empties, I pay them the dime, and they save some hassle hauling them to the store, and I get a fresh supply of bottles. Sam adams bottles work great. Get your friends to drink that and you'll be all set.
FWIW
rob
DutchK9
Well-Known Member
I would think asking a bar for empties would be best, or going to the LHBS and buying new bottles would be cheaper than purchasing crap beer just for the bottles.
We had a Route 66 car festival in town this weekend and they were serving
16 ounce aluminum cans to the people. It was ending today, so I went down there after helping my daughter with her homework. Unfortunately they already cleaned up the mess, but I did find 34 of them in the recyclable trash bins. That was after I had to fight some homeless guys for them.
We had a Route 66 car festival in town this weekend and they were serving
16 ounce aluminum cans to the people. It was ending today, so I went down there after helping my daughter with her homework. Unfortunately they already cleaned up the mess, but I did find 34 of them in the recyclable trash bins. That was after I had to fight some homeless guys for them.
Fat Guy Brewing
Well-Known Member
The store I usually go to carries Spanish Peaks which is usually their lowest priced 6 pack with reusable bottles, but they have a label on the front and neck. For about $1.00 more a six pack, I usually get something from Red Hook. It has one small label on the front and it comes off nicely. Its also a very non-descript bottle without the label and looks like something you buy at the HB store.
Brutus Brewer
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Don't the twist off bottles blow up from being too thin?
Austinhomebrew
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32oz. Carta Blanca bottles. Mexico does not have twist-off technology.
FishinDave07
Well-Known Member
mmm....Carta Blanca...
I have not had that experience.
I would be more worried about the twistoff area breaking during capping or when popping the cap off. But that that hasn't happened to me either.
Plus a benchie allows you to cap bottles that wing cappers have problems with.
Chriso
Broken Robot Brewing Co.
Hey BSay... where you at in SD? Ever find yourself driving South?
If so, I have over 10 cases of pry-off bottles, clean, that just need to be delabeled. They're yours for zip zero nada if you find a reason to swing through Lincoln.
Cheers!
If so, I have over 10 cases of pry-off bottles, clean, that just need to be delabeled. They're yours for zip zero nada if you find a reason to swing through Lincoln.
Cheers!
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bsay
Well-Known Member
Sadly, I don't get down to Lincoln much anymore. My future brother-in-law used to live there, but he (and his wife) moved to Columbus (she got her audiology externship up there).
I do find myself in Omaha quite often (since that's where the future parents-in-law live and where the wedding will be), and it might be worth my time to swing by to pick them up. I'm not in a huge need of bottles, but I really can't turn down free ones if I get the chance to pick them up.
I'd only probably want 4 cases (storage space issues). I'll be in Omaha later in October, I'll PM you if I can swing down to Lincoln. If you can't store them until then, just let me know.
Chriso
Broken Robot Brewing Co.
Sounds good. I've got them all rinsed, stored upside down, and each case of 24 garbage-bagged to keep the dust / riff-raff out of them, since they're in a cellar. They sure won't be goin' anywhere.
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