Favorite Bottle to Recycle?

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Hoegardden are cool, but I only have 12 :( Also they screw you out of 0.8 oz, not sure why.

Schells beer in MN has labels that fall right off in oxyclean. And they are completely blank and match the style you buy in the brewstores exactly. I like their bottles so much I bought two 12 packs of ther Winter Storm brew, a Weizen Dopplebock. Started out good. But I let 12 of them sit for awhile and they were almost undrinkable.
 
Been collecting these 750ml Swing tops, labels suck to remove, but the bottles are sturdy. My buddy has dozens of them, bottled his first batch exclusively in them.

I also usually troll the thrift shops for Grolsch bottles and cheap glassware, I've scored a couple big 2L Swing Top growlers doing this as well. I haven't had any carb issues with Swing Tops so I'm a big fan of them.
 
There is a glass recycling place near my parents house. I live a couple hours away from them but when I am there I go and raid all of the empty bottles I can get my hands on. My first choice on the bottles are Guinness, Sam Adams and Hoegaarden. The Guinness labels can be cut off. The Sam Adams and Hoegaarden labels come off very easily when soaked in water.

There are usually four or five big tall recycling bins full of glass with probably a third of that beer bottles. I can get all I need without having to stoop to scrubbing the crap out of Heineken. Supposedly those come off in Oxyclean but lately I have had more bottles than I have beer. I haven't actually spent the $10 i would need for a big thing of Oxyclean.
 
I like the Guinness Extra Stout bottles. I guess it is just the old-time milk bottle shape, they also don't need quite as tall of a shelf in the fridge. I also have a couple of really old bottles from PBR and Stroh's that are the same shape (they came from the neighbor's garage after he died, they are probably at least 30 years old).
 
solbes

Screw you out of 0.8 oz? really? i mean yes they are something like 11.2 or 11.4 oz bottles, but no one is getting screwed out of anything here. You are looking at it all wrong. You get an extra beer or 2 per batch......i mean really who can tell if it is a little short of 12 oz? Enjoy the cool bottle and great beer........that you brew!!!!! If not ship me your hoegardden bottles!!!!!!! Or fuller bottles for that matter!!!!!!!!!
 
solbes

Screw you out of 0.8 oz? really? i mean yes they are something like 11.2 or 11.4 oz bottles, but no one is getting screwed out of anything here. You are looking at it all wrong. You get an extra beer or 2 per batch......i mean really who can tell if it is a little short of 12 oz? Enjoy the cool bottle and great beer........that you brew!!!!! If not ship me your hoegardden bottles!!!!!!! Or fuller bottles for that matter!!!!!!!!!

Ah, thats the problem with the internet, I was just being sarcastic. I actually enjoy Hoegardden quite a bit. Yeah I don't really get worked up over 0.8 oz, just seems like a nonstandard size. Fun to bottle Belgians in bottles from Belgium.

If I ever get tired of the Patersbier/Dubbels/Tripels, I might try my hand at a wit beer.
 
Since I still pretty new to brewing, I go with the labels that are easy to take off. Right now Dogfish has the best drinking to ease of de-labeling, both very easy.
 
I almost always use yuengling bottles. the screw off caps work surprisingly wellfor me. has any one ever tried them?
 
I like Amstel Light and Heineken bottles, because I like the shape and the plastic labels come off easy. For clear bottles I would have to say Modelo even though they are a pain to de-label.

Guinness bottles are by far the sexiest, and the label is just shrunk plastic, no glue at all. The only issue there is removing the "widget," which can be done with a little patience and dexterity.

I should point out that I work at a bar, so I get to be picky about which bottles I want. If I didn't then I'd probably just use whatever I drink. Good bottles aren't worth paying for bad beer.

Stella Artois and Pilsner Urquell bottles are TERRIBLE and do not work with a handheld capper. Just saying.
 
The German paulaner bottles are by far the easiest for me. I soak bottles in PBW to clean & De-label them. I've had the Paulaner labels come off in 1 hour. Plus they're an amber-brown,with bearded monks embossed around the shoulder of the bottle.
But Sam Adams are easy too,as are DFH's. Franziskaner's are pretty easy as well.
 
I like these from Boulevard Brewing Co. It's hard to build a collection when they are only sold in 4 pack!

DarkTruth.jpg
 
A member of my homebrew club is a regional sales guy for Sierra Nevada. I personally don't like the bottles as much because they aren't "compatible" with other boxes or 6-pack carriers without some squeezing and cursing. And vice-versa...I can only put SN bottles in a SN 12-pack because the others are too tall. But, the labels do come off easily.

I personally like Deschutes as the bottles are average height and it's easy to remove the labels. But I actually haven't been bottling much lately, so my opinion probably isn't worth much.
 
The restaurant I work for just added Loose Cannon IPA (from Heavy Seas in Baltimore) for the same price as BMC bottles. Needless to say, I'll be recycling a few cases.
 
I like these a lot as well. From a local craft brewery called Garrison. A lot of their beers are in normal commercial beer bottles, but their special brews come in these.

Black+IPA.JPG


Garrison is pretty good, although there are better local breweries in my opinion.

I'm working on collecting their 500ml bottles, but I prefer Propeller. Propeller Pilsner comes in a 500ml, but I'm not a big fan.
 
Grolsch and Fischer swingtops.....cheap and somewhat easy to find, and fit nicely in milkcrates :)

also use a few pry off bottles, but these are harder to come accross in my area. Use 500ml Picaroons bottles, as well as the Garrison bottles that were already posted above.

The labels on Picaroons are awful. That plastic coating. Blah. Like the bottles though.
 
750mL "Champagne" bottles from Gruet (great value sparkling wine from NM, traditional method so heavy and will take pressure) seem to take the same old crown cap that the usual 12oz beer bottles do.

"but dear wife - it's Sunday - we need empty bottles - have another mimosa..."
 
5 gallon corny... no just kidding but +1 on the grolsch bottles it seems like they are a heavier glass, (i've dropped them on concrete and haven't had one break yet). Also a fan of mickey's, aluminum bottles, and the wife's wine and champagne bottles.
 
Jerryskid89 said:
I like these from Boulevard Brewing Co. It's hard to build a collection when they are only sold in 4 pack!

I love those bottles...I have a buddy that works at a beer bar that sells a lot of Boulevard Smokestack. So I get all the empties.
 

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