How much do you pay for bottles?

[TxBrewHouse]

It's wondering how much everyone's bee paying for bottles at their LHBS. We buy boxes of 12-22 oz bottles for $16.99

 

[deepcdan99]

FREE!!! but some drinking may be involved.

 

[Yooper]

I pack $12.99 a 12 pack for 12 ounce bottles. Of course, they come with Sam Adams beer in them (or Sierra Nevada) so I am forced to drink the beer first, but the price is right.

I don't use many 22 ounce bombers, as I only pour out of bottles than I can pour into my glass in one pour, to avoid disturbing the sediment, I do use some 22 ouncers if I'm bottling from a keg with no sediment, though.

 

[Obliviousbrew]

A friend works in a Belgium beer bar so I get them for free. I don't need to buy beer for the bottles... but I do it anyway....

 

[TxBrewHouse]

We just bought a little over 6,000 bottles from a manufacturer. Ends up being .04 a bottle? Got tired of paying $16.

 

[jasonsbeer]

Last time I purchased bottles, I seem to recall they were ~ $0.50 each in a case at the LHBS.

Most of my bottles came from friends, and especially interns at work. College age interns are a great supplier. Just put out the word to everyone you are looking for empty non-twist off bottles. They'll roll in and you'll probably have more than you know what to do with. I started throwing them away I was getting so many.

 

[deepcdan99]

Not sure if TX does refunds on bottles but my local collection center will usually give me previously returned bottles for about $0.10 each.

 

[bcryan]

We just bought a little over 6,000 bottles from a manufacturer. Ends up being .04 a bottle? Got tired of paying $16.

where did you get your bottles from? what is there website? thanks for the help

 

[blacksquid]

30 cents each for 500ml bottles.

 

[Michelob6]

my brother and I started drinking a ton before I started brewing. Here in Michigan there is a $.10 deposit on carbed beverages. I now have over 1800 bottles in a 3 month period and still have friends giving them to me. I also collect all the six pack holders from any beer. I soak them in hot water to remove the labels and rinse out then wash them in one step and then sanitize. So I guess I paid $180 for my bottles.

 

[LuiInIdaho]

I pack $12.99 a 12 pack for 12 ounce bottles. Of course, they come with Sam Adams beer in them (or Sierra Nevada) so I am forced to drink the beer first, but the price is right.

Like Yooper, my bottles cost about $14.00 for a half-case. And then there is the issue of processing them. But it is a small price to pay for good beer. Mark

 

[Koffie]

I pay 10 cents if they are filled with commercial beer
You can buy bottles at the LHBS but I don't know anyone who has done that.
When you buy, you get the following pricerange:

1+ 80+ 160+
€ 0,38 € 0,36 € 0,34

 

[ArcLight]

I buy the Grolsch Swing Tops for about $2 per bottle (15.2 Oz).
I actually enjoy the beer, and love the bottle. Doing it this way, I estimate the bottle costs me a premium of 50-75 cents per bottle, which is way better than buying swing tops from a Home Brew Supply store.

I have around 60 Grolsche bottle, 25 swing top 25 Oz bottles, another 30 similar sized swing tops that I dont use much because the seal is different.
So I reuse my bottles.

I also buy six packs of Stone, etc, and around 10 per 5 gallon batch, to give away.

 

[PondScum]

If you are in the Minneapolis area, The Four Firkins specialty beer store gives out free bottles. They offer a lot of free tastings so they go through quite a few bottles. You'll have to remove labels, rinse/sanitize etc.

 

[dstranger99]

A 6 pack of good beer per week = 24 per month x 2 = 48 for 5 gallon batch. I like Beck's Beer, and the bottles are a nice dark green as well....

 

[ryclo]

I buy red hook 22oz bottles of esb and ipa for around $2.30 each, drink the beer and keep the bottles. The redhook labels come off and the glue disolves with a soak in hot pbw, very easy!

 

[Koffie]

I buy the Grolsch Swing Tops for about $2 per bottle (15.2 Oz).
I actually enjoy the beer, and love the bottle. Doing it this way, I estimate the bottle costs me a premium of 50-75 cents per bottle, which is way better than buying swing tops from a Home Brew Supply store.

Damn

Overhere (where the Grolsch is coming from) we pay about 9 euro (11.50 USD) or a full crate of 16 bottels Grolsch swing top

 

[daksin]

Yup, my bottles are a steep dollar apiece, but they do come filled with my favorite craft brew of the day!

 

[shelly_belly]

Damn

Overhere (where the Grolsch is coming from) we pay about 9 euro (11.50 USD) or a full crate of 16 bottels Grolsch swing top

Hey, do they still make the Amber Grolsch? I haven't been able to find any here for at least 3 or 4 years now.

Thanks.

 

[jesserizzo]

Anyone looking to get away from paying for bottles, try calling restaurants around you to see if they recycle. The restaurant I work at goes through 100s of bottles a week, and they'll just be sitting around out back until the recycling place picks them up.

 

[Koffie]

Hey, do they still make the Amber Grolsch? I haven't been able to find any here for at least 3 or 4 years now.

Thanks.

Nope. Not for local and not for export (since 2010 says Wikipedia).

 

[JordanThomas]

I work part-time at a restaurant (~1-2 days a week) because the owner offered me a job. The perk is not the money. It's the fact that when cases of Founders or Bells bottles are ready to be recycled, I give them $4.80 and I get a case of empties that have easy-to-remove labels. You might try talking to a bar manager at a local place. They might look at you funny, but tell them it's for a good cause

 

[TxBrewHouse]

where did you get your bottles from? what is there website? thanks for the help

We have a couple of businesses we own so we order from a distributor for anchor. Anyone can order minimum order is $800. Also helps to have a tax id number

 

[MichaelBrock]

My LHBS used to pay $.10 for empties and then sell them on for that same $.10 each. I bought some 300 from them before they stopped doing it. It was a great deal. You could sort through them and choose your favorite bottles. Since then, all my bottles come with beer in them.

 

[tchamber]

My LHBS sells cases of 24 12 oz bottles for $14.99.

 

[gar2376]

We just bought a little over 6,000 bottles from a manufacturer. Ends up being .04 a bottle? Got tired of paying $16.

We have a couple of businesses we own so we order from a distributor for anchor. Anyone can order minimum order is $800. Also helps to have a tax id number

Anyone interested in organizing a group buy?

 

[nickpgoodman]

8 bucks a case in Haltom City, TX (Fort Worth Area) at my LHBS.

 

[y2jrock60]

Usually around $12.50 for 24 12oz bottles. Sometimes the LHBS will give me bottles that he acquired from a local brewery for free.

 

[E-Mursed]

Craigs List is the best place to find bottle bargains.
Seven cases of Grolsch bottles...filthy...for $5 each case.

Stuff found in basements...brewers leaving the hobby...cases left behind from old tennants....so many reasons you will find bottles at great prices there.

 

[kingwood-kid]

I use Mexican Coke bottles. My employees buy the cokes at work, I keep the bottles. Foreign coca-cola is better than the US version, by the way. As long as you don't take your IPAs in the sunlight, clear bottles work fine.