Finding bottles

[IdiotSlayer]

I just bought my kit so I got a credit from the store towards a couple crates of plastic 500 ml bottles. I'm good for my first batch but once I start carbonating I'd like to begin brewing again. Where do you all find bottles? I'd be willing to invest in a capper and metal caps for glass bottles. Do you have any tips for finding them or do you just save the ones you drink?

Also, how about cleaning bottles you have? Glass bottles can be boiled to sterilize them but I'm not dumb enough to try that with plastic. Is a sterilizing kit a worthwhile investment?

 

[Revvy]

It seems at first that accumulating bottles is difficult but if you mention around to people that you brew and need crown bottles they will start showing up. There's also craigslist, and freecycle.org, hooking up with other homebrewers, recycling centers. Asking at beerstores that have a good selection of beer for their returnables. Some stores will let you have their empties for the price of the deposit. And some bars will give you all you can haul out if you ask.

Also if you want to bottle in champagne bottles, go to a hall that does weddings, heck even a moose or vfw hall, you might just have to dumpster dive at worst, or just pick cases of empty asti bottles by the back door.

It seems daunting but you'll get plenty really fast. But in reality when you annouce you are homerbewing, they do come flying at you. I even had my building super years ago just use his key and leave me some on the dinning room table. He knew he'd get beer from me on a regular basis, especially if he was gonna do some work in my place.

 

[rifraf]

I bought a bunch of Costco Kirkland brand beers and threw a party. Beers are pretty good and the labels came off super easy to boot!

 

[rifraf]

It seems daunting but you'll get plenty really fast. But in reality when you annouce you are homerbewing, they do come flying at you.

This too! Just be sure to share your craft

 

[rmcgill]

i just harass my friends and collect from them and keep ones i drink

 

[BrewerinBR]

You can use the plastic bottles make sure to always use new caps with them. Wash the plastic with hot water (no soap, unless you rinse them many times) and then use a little sanitizer spay in them then allow to dry. I use glass only and I save all the craft beer bottles I buy (recipe research). I also get them from people I know. Here is how I clean the glass bottles.
1. Soak in hot water and oxy clean free for 4 to 8 hours to soften label.
2. Was inside with bottle brush and scrub outside with scotch-brite scrubbie
3. Rinse with hot water, twice.
4. Store in a clean place covered.
Before I fill them I
1. Wash thoroughly inside and out
2. Put them in the dishwasher without soap and run it through the wash cycle twice using the heated dry cycle on second run.
3. Soak in sanitizer for 2 to 5 minutes
4. rinse in boiling water
5 fill and cap while bottle is still hot.
Kind of more than necessary but I am a clean and sanitize nut.

Good Luck
and welcome to home brew talk and this passion we call home brewing!!!!

 

[IdiotSlayer]

I hadn't thought of purchasing them off the beer store, that's a really good idea. It would be cheap too if they sold them for the cost of the deposit. Do you guys boil glass bottles to clean them or do you have a sanitizing method you prefer?

 

[IdiotSlayer]

You can use the plastic bottles make sure to always use new caps with them. Wash the plastic with hot water (no soap, unless you rinse them many times) and then use a little sanitizer spay in them then allow to dry. I use glass only and I save all the craft beer bottles I buy (recipe research). I also get them from people I know. Here is how I clean the glass bottles.
1. Soak in hot water and oxy clean free for 4 to 8 hours to soften label.
2. Was inside with bottle brush and scrub outside with scotch-brite scrubbie
3. Rinse with hot water, twice.
4. Store in a clean place covered.
Before I fill them I
1. Wash thoroughly inside and out
2. Put them in the dishwasher without soap and run it through the wash cycle twice using the heated dry cycle on second run.
3. Soak in sanitizer for 2 to 5 minutes
4. rinse in boiling water
5 fill and cap while bottle is still hot.
Kind of more than necessary but I am a clean and sanitize nut.

Good Luck
and welcome to home brew talk and this passion we call home brewing!!!!

Wow, that does seem a bit excessive, but sanitization is important so it's good to have some ideas. I'll look into getting some sanitizing spray as well.

 

[TopherM]

When I first started, I went down to the recycling drop off on a Sunday and asked people for their bottles. I had about 100 bottles in less than 45 minutes.

 

[rifraf]

I hadn't thought of purchasing them off the beer store, that's a really good idea. It would be cheap too if they sold them for the cost of the deposit. Do you guys boil glass bottles to clean them or do you have a sanitizing method you prefer?

I just load them all into my dishwasher on the anti-bacterial setting + steam and bottle straight from there. When I drink out of them I give them a good rinse and store upside down

 

[IdiotSlayer]

Well, purchasing them at the Beer Store is out because of stupid-ass bureaucracy (I live in Ontario). I'll start asking people I know who drink MGD and other usable types regularly.

 

[cyclogenesis]

I just load them all into my dishwasher on the anti-bacterial setting + steam and bottle straight from there. When I drink out of them I give them a good rinse and store upside down

I miss having a dishwasher...


That said.. StarSan does a good job!

 

[LoreleiHI]

I mentioned on one of my boards that I was starting brewing. A woman in the area sent me a direct message letting me know she had a closet full of crown tops, and did I want them?

Over a hundred bottles were delivered to my door, in cases & 6-pack boxes, with the promise of that many every three months, if I wanted. All in return for a bit of homebrew.

So ask around! Mention your new hobby. You may be surprised!

 

[timewasted]

craigslist and freecycle for sure. I've easily gotten 16 cases of bottles between the two. As others have said, you give away a few beers and suddenly bottles start showing up. Friends will bring them to you hoping that you will give them a few beers occasionally.

 

[RiffMagnum]

Well, purchasing them at the Beer Store is out because of stupid-ass bureaucracy (I live in Ontario). I'll start asking people I know who drink MGD and other usable types regularly.

MGD is a clear bottle. Ideally, you wanna get brown bottles.

 

[NineMilBill]

I just picked up about 20 or so wine bottles at my local recycling center. Try checking yours every Monday or Tuesday to allow the weekend crowds time to 'deliver your stuff'.

 

[Monkfish]

Well, purchasing them at the Beer Store is out because of stupid-ass bureaucracy (I live in Ontario). I'll start asking people I know who drink MGD and other usable types regularly.

Bummer - my local bottle shops hang onto bombers for homebrewers and give them away (we're a non-deposit state). If you can't find a shop owner able to help you out then as others suggested I'd recommend Craigslist.

 

[rifraf]

Edit: nevermind

 

[opus345]

There is a thread in the Classifieds section where folks are giving away, selling, trading bottles. A fairly active thread. I would echo the Craigslist reccomendations. I just scored 232 Grolsch bottles for $114.

 

[IdiotSlayer]

MGD is a clear bottle. Ideally, you wanna get brown bottles.

Why's that?

 

[TimpanogosSlim]

Why's that?

Visible and UV light cause a reaction with hop flavor components that skunks beer.

Brown bottles offer some protection from that. Green and blue bottles offer less protection. Clear offers no protection.

Some breweries use hop extracts that have had the offending components chemically removed. Some apparently don't care.

 

[IdiotSlayer]

Visible and UV light cause a reaction with hop flavor components that skunks beer.

Brown bottles offer some protection from that. Green and blue bottles offer less protection. Clear offers no protection.

Some breweries use hop extracts that have had the offending components chemically removed. Some apparently don't care.

Ah ok, thanks for the heads up. At this point I'm just taking what I can get. I've got a while before I need to start worrying about glass bottles.

 

[tre9er]

I went dumpster diving for mine. Well, recyling-dumpster diving. IN fact, I just had to lean over and reach down to grab bottles. I got about half-dozen bombers and at least two cases of 12oz. bottles. I took them home, soaked in oxy-clean overnight, scrubbed with bottle brush inside and out, rinsed and dried upside down, then on bottling day I simple dunk it in sanitizer and swish around, dump out, fill with beer.

I have about 4 cases of bottles and now I've started kegging, but since i only have 3 cornies, I keep the bottles around...I'm just not accepting any more!

Also, I stopped buying ANY beer that was twist-off and started occasionally buying a bomber of something "fancy". Only took me a month or so to accumulate what I have now between buying a few and the one dumpster-diving episode.

Oh, tip: have first-aid handy. I cut myself on broken bottle and wasn't concerned for my health but then started to think about all of the other people's germs that were living on those bottles in the dumpster...

 

[IdiotSlayer]

Thanks for the heads up. Where would I go to get a decent bottle brush? Are there brushes made specifically for cleaning beer bottles or do you just use something from the hardware store?

 

[wormraper]

I find that grabbing a six pack from the store and drinking them gives me plenty really fast

 

[kc1123]

Thanks for the heads up. Where would I go to get a decent bottle brush? Are there brushes made specifically for cleaning beer bottles or do you just use something from the hardware store?

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/review/product/list/id/3215/category/108/

 

[opus345]

Thanks for the heads up. Where would I go to get a decent bottle brush? Are there brushes made specifically for cleaning beer bottles or do you just use something from the hardware store?

If you have a decent LHBS nearby, they should also have one.