Ever find yourself picking a commercial beer based on what kind of bottles you need?

[raven1a]

I was trying to decide, yesterday, between Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin and Bell's Two Hearted and went with Lagunitas cuz I needed an extra 6 pack of those bottles when I'm ready to bottle my IPA.

Yeah. I'm hooked.

 

[brew2enjoy]

Yup. I keg but still bottle occasionally. I like to use the stubby sierra Nevada bottles. If I get low on bottles I find myself picking up a case of pale ale.

 

[amandabab]

I look at the bottle first

 

[zeg]

I don't care much about what type bottle, but I do avoid twist-offs now.

 

[kh54s10]

Brown and preferably free. That means that some one else bought them!:rockin:

 

[ITz-Supreme]

Yup. I keg but still bottle occasionally. I like to use the stubby sierra Nevada bottles. If I get low on bottles I find myself picking up a case of pale ale.

Ya I like Sierra Nevada bottles as well its easy to take the labels off and they don't break as much as long necks like Sam Adams plus it's a tasty brew

 

[Zamial]

Yes, I am wicked guilty of this.

When I go bottle shopping I look for imported swing tops 1st. Then 22oz bombers that I may like and if nothing made it in my cart then it is on to the 6ers. This is the liquor store ones I find often and LOVE the beer inside: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/412/2409

and it gets worse...

At my favorite bottle bar they will get swing tops in as well. Most of the ones that I do not buy they will save for me. The "most of" is what kills me. The other night I choked down 4 and then went back the next day for 2 more. FWIW the beer is not even good after the 1st one but the bottles are SEXY: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/553/2007 These look like SN bottles but are thicker and swing tops. I have over 36 of them now and am hoping for a full 2 cases worth. FWIW I can have these special ordered in a city 2 hours away for $75 a case... If you see these: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/553/2008 IMO they are easier to drink but not by much...

I let my bottle bar and friends get the Howe Sound bottles as I think the beer inside is "meh" at best.

 

[oakbarn]

Swing top only! Fortunately only good beer in swing tops. We even have a 2 L one ( a German brew but the label is gone). We have never really bottled and we kegged from the start. We do fill up some swing tops from time to time to share a small sample.

 

[ChshreCat]

I buy way more Redhook beers than I would if they didn't come in cool little bottles.

 

[amandabab]

I buy way more Redhook beers than I would if they didn't come in cool little bottles.

I love Redhook bottles.
they come with free beer inside

 

[boxofjibboo]

Saw sessions ale in the grocery store today for the first time. Definitely pondered if I wanted to add these bottled to my collection

 

[thetragichero]

if that's the session ale i'm thinking of, they're stubby twist off bottles with rock-paper-scissors inside the caps like the stubby mickey's bottles
the session black is delicious, though

and yes, for the most part i buy based on bottles
been buying a lot of http://danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_37099/hansa-pils-beer-500ml lately because at abc it's like seven bucks for a six pack of 500ml bottles that come with free beer!

 

[C-Rider]

Due to shelf limitations on the top shelf of my Apt sized fridge I only use stubbys and Sierra Nevada is my source. Like someone said before the bottles come w/free beer inside.

 

[Ghostly]

I frequently buy Veldensteiner beers for the swing tops (basically the same as the Monchshof Schwarzbier above, but they make a Landbier, Pils, and Hefe) though they're a bit pricey. I also like the Fuller's bottles.

 

[aubiecat]

Ya I like Sierra Nevada bottles as well its easy to take the labels off and they don't break as much as long necks like Sam Adams plus it's a tasty brew

Me too. Favorite bottles and favorite beer.

 

[NineMilBill]

Bought some Newcastle so I could bottle cider for gifts in something clear.

 

[phenry]

My collection of 750ml Belgian bottles is growing ever so slowly. Ommegang has been a pretty big supplier of those. Other than that, I could care less what I bottle 95% of my beer in. If it's cap-able, 12 oz, and can hold pressure, I'll use it.

 

[beerloaf]

Yeah, I bought a case of Czech Bernard dark lager because the bottles were 1. really cool looking, 2. 22 oz and , 3. swing tops. Just had to have it. The beer was different but good.

beerloaf

 

[fpweeks]

Belgians cost $25 for a case of 12.......that makes ommegang affordable.....

 

[cadarnell]

I recently bought a couple of bottles of zywiec Baltic porter just because I wanted the 16 oz bottles ... funny thing is I'm not a big porter drinker at all .... if you buy that beer for the bottle though beware ... the normal caps will work but they don't really seam to set level .... oh and 2 of those zywiecs will snocker your butt good ... haha

 

[coldbrewnoob]

I don't care much about what type bottle, but I do avoid twist-offs now.

I have bottled in just about everything now. I like plastic coors light bottles case of the plastic bottle can always tell what's going on with beer. They can be vented easy if over carbed or how clear. The just don't have the shelf life of glass.
I just bought a few of the coors light cans with twist off lids. So far this is perfect. Have bottled my first batch in them. Drank one the other day and was still a little green but nothin a week or more wont cure. If the lids hold up. I think I will do all my bottling in them.

The only down side I can see is having to drink the coors light. Ugh would rather take a beating.
D

 

[coldbrewnoob]

I don't care much about what type bottle, but I do avoid twist-offs now.

I have bottled in just about everything now. I like plastic coors light bottles because of the plastic bottle can always tell what's going on with beer. They can be vented easy if over carbed or how clear. The just don't have the shelf life of glass.
I just bought a few of the coors light cans with twist off lids. So far this is perfect. Have bottled my first batch in them. Drank one the other day and was still a little green but nothin a week or more wont cure. If the lids hold up. I think I will do all my bottling in them.

The only down side I can see is having to drink the coors light. Ugh would rather take a beating.
D

 

[marquette048]

Yup. I keg but still bottle occasionally. I like to use the stubby sierra Nevada bottles. If I get low on bottles I find myself picking up a case of pale ale.

I like those short Sierra bottles too. If I need bottles and have to drink commercial brew their Pale Ale is pretty good and readily available.

I use Franziskaner bottles for hefes.

 

[mjohnson]

if that's the session ale i'm thinking of, they're stubby twist off bottles with rock-paper-scissors inside the caps like the stubby mickey's bottles
the session black is delicious, though

Hah, I bought a case of these for the bottles only to find them twist offs. I was bummed. The beer was good though.

 

[Dustin_J]

Yup; I drank a lot of Grolsch right when I first started homebrewing.

 

[Brownalemikie]

Every Fall I buy a case of Sam Adams Octoberfest for the beer AND bottles.

 

[kh54s10]

Old thread, but I just recycled about 12 cases of Sam Adams bottles because of the logo embossed in the bottles. I don't want that. Brown long neck 12 ounce bottles. No logos. And preferably someone else bought the beer that was in them. Though most of mine I drank myself.

 

[z-bob]

I have several cases of Full Sail "session" bottles. (11 oz stubbies) I like the beer, but I mainly bought them for the bottles. They look cool, and they will stand up on a short refrigerator shelf.

 

[bilder]

Same here. Love the stubbies!

 

[NothingRhymesWithCurtiss]

I was on a kick buying cases of Lagunitas Sucks for the short bottles, as well as buying the big 32oz bottles when they still used them.

Since getting a dedicated beer fridge, I don't need the short bottles any more, but I covet the 32oz bottles.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Props for the 5-and-a-half year necro! Epic!

 

[dawn_kiebawls]

I'm guilty of this as well. I'm trying to accumulate enough bottles to have a batch each of stubbies (like redstripe), Sierra Nevada style, and the cool bottles Boulevard uses for their smokestack series (Tank 7, the Sixth Glass, etc)...I can't wait to start Kegging!

On a side note, OP, unless you're using a bench capper the lagunitas bottles can't be capped with a 'wing' capper. YMMV, but I have just recently tossed a case of them for that exact reason!

 

[TGFB]

Props for the 5-and-a-half year necro! Epic!

LMAO!
Genesee Cream ale.. 16 oz brown bottle with cool cardboard boxes, the ultimate grog bottle!

 

[MaxStout]

Yep, I've done it, though not anymore, as I have more bottles than I can possibly use. Back then if I was in the store and it was a tie-breaker between Beer A and Beer B, and Beer B was in long neck poptops, then B got the nod.

We go through a lot of ginger beer, particularly Bundaberg, from Australia. Needless to say, I have lots of Aussie stubbies for bottling, as well.

Now that I'm set for bottles, I can check out more craft beer in cans, which is getting more and more prevalent.