Price of bottles

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daveooph131

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Where have you found the best price on bottles? I am getting ready to bottle my first batch and I think I just want to go with 12oz amber bottles, but am looking for the best deal. Thanks.
 
the best deal is to buy them full and get the fun of emptying them. they come free with the purchase of beer. :)
 
Go to just about any LHBS, Liquor Store, or even gas stations and ask if you can sort through their returnables... almost all have been willing to give 'em up for $0.10 a pop to cover Michigan's returnable value.

The LHBS is by far the easiest, as they have the highest number of cappable brands ...
 
the best deal is to buy them full and get the fun of emptying them. they come free with the purchase of beer. :)

Exactly!

Personally, I think the best deal on bottles comes from Guinness. I can't drink enough of the stuff, and you don't have to soak them in oxiclean to delabel them. Just score the plastic label with a knife or razor and peel it right off.

Spending money on empty bottles just seems like a rip-off to me, unless they're swing top bottles. Those I would be willing to pay money on.

To the OP: If you don't drink enough beer to keep up with your bottling needs, and you can't get friends to donate empty bottles, you might try contacting some local bars and resturants. If your state doesn't have a return fee on bottles, they're likely just going to throw them out anyway. Most of the time they'll let you come carry them away for them, or will let you take them for the price of the return fee.

If you don't like either of those ideas, you can get some cheap PET bottles that will last for a very long time with reusable caps (no need for a capper) online. Just do a quick google search. Also, the Mr Beer bottles (available on Amazon.com or through MrBeer.com) are a pretty decent buy at about $14 for 8 1 liter bottles, about 2 gallons worth.
 
I agree with Llama. I love bottling in Guiness bottles. They seem a little thicker/sturdier than standard bottles. The labels are really easy to remove too. You can always find Guiness on sale somewhere too. Some of the Michelob "craft" offerings are really cheap and definitely drinkable. They are doing that rebate program right now too. If you drink enough, you can get the bottles and beer almost for free.
 
I couldn't keep up at first, so I made a deal with some friends to get more.

They give me a case of empties, and I give them a full 6-pack (which they then have to return the bottles). It worked so well that I've got more bottles than I'll ever use... especially now that I've started kegging.
 
If you happen to live near western MA, you can have as many as you want, free! I ain't shipping, but I've collected a TON of bottles that I'll likely never use again.
 
The best price is free! Go to a local bar or pub, sit down and have a couple of pints and befriend the bartender(s). Explain to them what you are needing and see if they would be willing to let you have the bottles. Here in Tennessee they do not have a charge on the bottles. My brother-in-law is a bartender and I can have as many as I want.
 
Put your location in your profile. As Bird offered, there are a lot of us who have gone to kegs who have cases and cases of bottles we'd love to give away.

Chad
 
I needed four cases of bottles for opening night presents. I paid $15 a case for them at the LHBS.

Then I realized I could have put a few more bucks and bought full cases of beer, then dumped the beer in a keg and washed the bottles.

I don't think I'll be buying empty bottles ever again.

B
 
I like the Sam Adams bottles. The beer inside is pretty decent too (as long as it's not the cherry wheat). I have had 3 of them shatter along the top when opening, after bottling with them. Probably my fault, pressing too hard when capping or something, but it was only the SA bottles that have failed. :( Oh well, 3 out of several cases doesn't hurt too bad.

Terje
 
My LHBS / Beer / Wine Store has beer tastings every friday. I snagged 24 New Belgian bombers one time, and I just go back when I need more...
 
Let everything dry thoroughly, THEN Grab it with needle nose pliers, and it's out in .002 seconds. Otherwise you will spend several minutes trying to grab that slippery little fcuker and give up and give up anyway

Fixed that for you.
 
there are people on craigslist nearly every day in every city giving them away for free.
 
Dude one lady on craigslist here in Dallas, wants .50 cents a bottle for a lot of 150. I would rather go to the store and load up on full cases of beer and drink up like everyone is saying....
 
one other way is hit deep elum and hit the dumpsters. i just grab the ones off the top. also pick up boxes and cardboard dividers. actually you would be better off hitting west end as it is less of a bmc crowd i think. if you get a bench capper you dont have to worry about if its pry off or not
 
I tried asking the local bartender after a few if he could maybe save me a few of the pop top variety. Suffice it to say, he got a laugh at home brewing and let me keep my bottles but never bother to set any aside for me. I'd prolly try a place that serves actual food, they'll probably sell more pop tops and less swill. (Bud Lime)

But whatever, this bar has 3 taps (bud, bud, or busch) and 0 beer selection. I only go because it's the one my co-workers hit. (and the only one open at 7 am, at the end of our shift)
 
Did they change the Harp bottles? They used to be (i.e. circa 90's) ever-so-slightly smaller at the mouth and caps often go on crooked. They work but not as well as most. But I haven't tried using a Harp bottle that was made after the mid-late 90s.
 
This is probably a really stupid question... I am brand new to home brewing, someone gave me a Mr. Beer kit and I just bottled my first batch. I want to get some real bottles to use, I'll probably start buying Guinness bottles to use. My question is regarding caps, is there a special cap needed or are caps like a one size fits all type thing? Thanks!
 
This is probably a really stupid question... I am brand new to home brewing, someone gave me a Mr. Beer kit and I just bottled my first batch. I want to get some real bottles to use, I'll probably start buying Guinness bottles to use. My question is regarding caps, is there a special cap needed or are caps like a one size fits all type thing? Thanks!


One size fits all, with a caveat. Some European bottles (Bass comes to mind) don't work well with most wing cappers; bench cappers are fine, and I think you can get a different bell for the wing cappers to make them work. I can't recall whether Guinness are like this or not; I've never tried capping a Guinness bottle. Virtually any domestic beer that's not a twist-off will be fine (Sam Adams works great because the labels come off very easily); they're all the same crown size and shape.
 
I get my bottles from a little tourist shop near my place of work that happens to sell beer and wine, as well as having beer on tap. I pay them the .05 (OR bottle refund) that they pay their customers. I get all the 12s and 22s I need.
 
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