For those that bottle:

[FatDragon]

I prefer half-liter bottles. It makes bottling go quicker, and all my glasses are half-liter.
My brew partner likes 1-liter bottles from ikea. They are the grolsch style, so it makes bottling go even quicker. Those are clear though, so I don't prefer those.

Those Ikea bottles never looked like they would stand up to carbonation. I know a swingtop can handle carbonation, but the glass doesn't look like it would.

I personally prefer my 330mL Chinese Bud bottles. Dark brown, very durable, super easy to source, and since I tend to be a beer a day kind of guy, they make each batch last longer than half liters (which just ends up meaning I give more of it away, but still...).

 

[joshesmusica]

Those Ikea bottles never looked like they would stand up to carbonation. I know a swingtop can handle carbonation, but the glass doesn't look like it would.

I personally prefer my 330mL Chinese Bud bottles. Dark brown, very durable, super easy to source, and since I tend to be a beer a day kind of guy, they make each batch last longer than half liters (which just ends up meaning I give more of it away, but still...).

Well at least the ones they're selling over here are very durable. Thicker than most of my 330ml bottles.

 

[Qhrumphf]

If we're counting party pig then my preference is 1 or 2.5 gal polypins

 

[burninator]

I loved the stubbies. Drank a lot of Session, even though it's just OK to me (not dry enough for a lager), for the bottles.

I wasn't able to cap those. Threw out a couple of cases I'd been saving. What do you use for them?

 

[beergolf]

I do a big mix. A lot of brews go into 12 oz bottles. Some batches get a few bombers thrown in the mix. The Belgians, Saisons and sours get bottled in a mix if heavy 375ml and 750ml bottles. I like to cork and cage some of them.

 

[Firewalker11]

Those Ikea bottles never looked like they would stand up to carbonation. I know a swingtop can handle carbonation, but the glass doesn't look like it would.

I personally prefer my 330mL Chinese Bud bottles. Dark brown, very durable, super easy to source, and since I tend to be a beer a day kind of guy, they make each batch last longer than half liters (which just ends up meaning I give more of it away, but still...).

I have four on the shelf now with a stout, two are leaking around the seal, they will be consumed this weekend and I will retire them for use as a growler.

 

[divrguy]

I love bottles! I really like 12's first and then my 500ml swing tops next from Germany. I have many short fat swing tops and then tall swing tops from like Hacker Pschorr bottles.

I also had a local Safeway sell the Gordon Biersch specialty series for a while and they came in 750ml swing tops. Kept all of them too and always use the for parties.

 

[jspain3]

At first, when I was building my bottle inventory, I would buy whatever beer I felt like drinking and then save each and every bottle. Once, I had amassed enough bottles, I began to be more selective in the bottles I saved and the ones I simply tossed in the recycle bin. For uniformity purposes, I began chucking all the short, stocky bottles (Lagunitas, e.g.). For now, I keep only the tall, thin 12 oz bottles. Eventually, I'll start weeding out the bottles that lack a good shoulder (Wicked Weed, e.g.) because the shoulder helps me stop the sediment when pouring out.

 

[drainbamage]

I use 12-oz. mostly, although I do like the European 333 mL bottles. They're sturdier glass and most of the labels come off easy.

I'd like to use more bombers, but most of the ones I buy have either painted labels (Stone) or hard-to-remove ones, and I'm lazy like that.

 

[jspain3]

I use 12-oz. mostly, although I do like the European 333 mL bottles. They're sturdier glass and most of the labels come off easy.

I'd like to use more bombers, but most of the ones I buy have either painted labels (Stone) or hard-to-remove ones, and I'm lazy like that.

I soak Stone and other painted bottles in hot Starsan solutions. Typically the paint wipes right off the next day.

 

[drainbamage]

I soak Stone and other painted bottles in hot Starsan solutions. Typically the paint wipes right off the next day.

Interesting. I'll give that a shot. Thanks!

 

[YellowRiver]

Put me down for a 12oz guy. I especially like when bottling day is approaching and I need to slightly up my intake so as to have a sufficient supply.
At this stage I've put 175 gallons of beer into bottles over the last two years. Its a chore but bearable, fits my fridge, easy to transport, easy to share.

Funny how I was told my wing capper would fail early on and it keeps chugging along.

 

[EPbrew]

I prefer 12oz long neck bottles. Sometimes I'll do 24 @ 12oz and then the rest in 22oz. I bought a counter top capper a few months ago which makes it easy to use the 11oz stubbies when I have them. Recently started kegging though, so I've been bouncing back and forth between that and bottling.

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

Started with mostly reused 12oz longnecks, since they pack slightly denser horizontally on a shelf. Sam Adams, Magic Hat, New Belgium account for most of them.

Discovered that the top compartment in my brewing cabinet has shelf pegs spaced such that only one of the two levels can fit longnecks. Now collecting stubbies for the second shelf. Can't say I've ever had trouble capping them Have enough longnecks, recycling the latest batch.

Also collecting 22oz and uncommon stuff like 500ml and the rare 750mL that has a standard-size pry top. Big beers tend to get more of the 22s. Have a few grolsch? style quart? bottles, mostly use those for taking beer to parties or events.

 

[TxBigHops]

I use 12-oz. mostly, although I do like the European 333 mL bottles. They're sturdier glass and most of the labels come off easy.

I'd like to use more bombers, but most of the ones I buy have either painted labels (Stone) or hard-to-remove ones, and I'm lazy like that.

Try some Clown Shoes bombers. Those labels slip right off in a warm Oxy-clean soak!

 

[TaylorT]

I use 500ml swing-tops, and usually 1 500ml PET so I can monitor how it's carbing.

The PET bottles were given to me along with my first kit last year, otherwise I wouldn't have even thought about 500ml or PET.

After the first few brews using the 500ml PET bottles, I realized that I liked that size over 12oz. And, I didn't like the idea of buying a capper, buying bottles, buying caps and then buying more caps each time, etc. So I decided I wanted to go with swing tops, and the 500ml ones at my LHBS was the most economical choice for new ones, so 500ml it was!

I may end up buying a capper, and doing 12oz beers to share with friends. No way I'm letting my swing-tops disappear.

 

[HollywoodTK]

I usually do a 1 L swingtop, 4-6 500 mL swing tops, and then between 12-16 12 oz bottles. I do 2.75 gallon batches and this suits me pretty well.

 

[beergolf]

Funny how I was told my wing capper would fail early on and it keeps chugging along.

I have bottled over 200 batches (400 cases) and the wing capper I got when I started is still going strong.

 

[Zwerski]

I like half bombers and half twelvers.

 

[Singletrack]

I like half bombers and half twelvers.

Nah, I bet you put nearly 2/3 of your beer in bombers.

 

[Zwerski]

Heh. That's the idea. Especially with bigger beers. A bomber of RIS is too much, for me, alone anyway. A twelver of that is more suitable. Plus my wife likes my brew but doesn't always want what I want or a bomber's worth ever. So, I mix up my bottle sizes.

 

[petey_c]

I used to use 16 oz. brown PET bottles from a LHBS. Then I started using 20 oz. soda bottles. I've had a Cooper's bomber blow the bottom out, so I like to use the clear bottles to see when it's time to give them the ol' heave ho.

 

[Zwerski]

Someone on this forum suggested filling a couple PET bottles along with your glass ones. Give the plastic ones a squeeze to better tell when the batch is carbing up. I got some Mr. Beer ones a while back and they work well for this purpose.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

I used ez cap swing tops and have come to the uncomfortable conclusion that after my first batch of beer they began leaking CO2. I purchased a wing capper and was dismayed to find that the capper doesn't fit the ez cap bottles. Kind of bummed since I really like them and they look cool, but if I can't make good beer. Still troubleshooting this, so I can't blame the ez caps for sure and I'll never really know because I'm switching to sugar and a bottling bucket and caps. I am going to sacrifice and drink the beer out of some craft beer bottles to have empties.

 

[EthanH]

22oz almost exclusively, but I have probably have around 20 champagne bottles that take the 29mm caps.