Limited bottling options. need advice.

[Brewer_Bob]

I need some opinions on which is the best of my not so great options. In this country the only commercial beer type bottles I can get my hands on are Beck's non-alcoholic beer bottles. They are made of green glass but are pop top. I don't particularly enjoy the stuff so I would likely pour most of it out to use the bottles.

I can't order glass bottles because the embassy won't ship glass. However I see Austin Home Brew sells brown PET plastic bottles. The only problem there is the embassy also limits how many boxes I can receive at a time and bottles take up precious room that could be spent on beer ingredients.

Then there are plain old plastic soda bottles. I do drink quite a bit of soda so it wouldn't be a waste of money. But I'm not sure if the bottles are suitable for beer.

So that is where I stand. And advice?

 

[Pappers_]

Plastic soda bottles are fine for beer. Not the greatest aesthetically, I guess, but they will get the job done.

Bob, is it legal in Libya to possess alcoholic beverages? I mean, are you running a risk by brewing there?

 

[Revvy]

In a pinch soda bottles will do. In fact I have one brew buddy who bottles part of every batch in soda bottles with their labels still on, matching the color of the beer to the product on the label, (for example stouts and porters in Coke bottles, and ipas and other pale beers in vernor's ginger ale or ice tea bottles) this way he can take beer into places where beer bottles are not allowed. Like street fairs sponsored by budweiser where there is security at the entrances and the only beer available is overpriced bmc. Noone stops us with soft drink bottles in our hands. We walk right on through enjoying our real beer.

 

[Brewer_Bob]

Cool. I might give the coke bottle a try. Actually, the Pepsi Max bottles are a very dark plastic and might not look TOO bad.

Plastic soda bottles are fine for beer. Not the greatest aesthetically, I guess, but they will get the job done.

Bob, is it legal in Libya to possess alcoholic beverages? I mean, are you running a risk by brewing there?

I'm either going to have to change my location title or add a signature explaining it because this is going to keep coming up until I become more well known around here.

I am a diplomat with diplomatic immunity and am not bound by Libyan law. I brew on the confines of my diplomatic residence and will only share my beer with other diplomats.

 

[Brewer_Bob]

And now I have.

 

[Revvy]

Cool. I might give the coke bottle a try. Actually, the Pepsi Max bottles are a very dark plastic and might not look TOO bad.



I'm either going to have to change my location title or add a signature explaining it because this is going to keep coming up until I become more well known around here.

I am a diplomat with diplomatic immunity and am not bound by Libyan law. I brew on the confines of my diplomatic residence and will only share my beer with other diplomats.

I don't know if you can due to any gov't restrictions but I would love to see some pics of you brewing there at your residence. It's too awesome to think that you a diplomat are one of us homebrewers. I mean I know we come from all walks of life, and there are even celebrities who brew, but it really is cool to think that you are over there serving our country as a diplomat, and brewing. :rockin:

 

[Pappers_]

Bob, I didn't mean it judgmentally or to bust your chops, I was curious.

Do you speak Arabic? My oldest is interested possibly in a career in public/foreign service. He's lived overseas and has an ability with languages (he speaks Spanish fluently and is studying German now). He's also very interested in public policy. How did you get into your work?

 

[Brewer_Bob]

I don't know if you can due to any gov't restrictions but I would love to see some pics of you brewing there at your residence. It's too awesome to think that you a diplomat are one of us homebrewers. I mean I know we come from all walks of life, and there are even celebrities who brew, but it really is cool to think that you are over there serving our country as a diplomat, and brewing. :rockin:

I'd be happy to post pics. No restrictions on that. I am thankful for boards like this. It is a nice break from the surrounding culture that can be, frankly, a bit stifling at times.

 

[Brewer_Bob]

Bob, I didn't mean it judgmentally or to bust your chops, I was curious.

Do you speak Arabic? My oldest is interested possibly in a career in public/foreign service. He's lived overseas and has an ability with languages (he speaks Spanish fluently and is studying German now). He's also very interested in public policy. How did you get into your work?

Don't worry. I figure you were just looking out for my well being. I appreciate that.

I can read and write Arabic. I can speak it a little. It is a VERY tough language. In the course of my job I have been trained in Spanish, Khmer (the Cambodian language), and now Arabic. Arabic is definitely the toughest.

While my career is spent working at embassies I am not a member of the State Department. I am a US Army warrant officer. I am a military attache. Most of the people I work with, however, are State Department and they are members of the Foreign Service. That is the route I would recommend to your son if he want to pursue public policy while serving overseas.