Reusing beer bottles

[boochuckles]

I have been saving up some beer bottles I have been drinking from the store. I have been saving the bottles and the twist caps. Bottling day is soon approaching and I was wondering if I can use these. I plan to sanitize everything, I'm just concerned as to the twist caps. If I really screw them on tight is that going to work? Or should I just wait and save up for the bottle capper? I have some 1 liter Mr Beer bottles I have been using, but I'd like to start using bottles rather then plastic.

Thoughts? Has anyone done this? Am I setting up for a total FAIL?

Thanks for any help to come

 

[glick]

You're setting yourself up for failure. You can't reuse twist off bottles, even with a capper. The caps won't seal. I'd use the pet bottles you have rather then bothering with twist off bottles.

 

[Rev_Dizzle]

your best bet is bottles that have PRY off caps, not twist off, those bottles, plus new crown caps and a handheld or bench capper. The twist off bottles are not reliable to recap.

 

[boochuckles]

What about reusing the twist caps? I know I can't cap a pop cap on a twist bottle. I have the original twist caps to reused

 

[Rev_Dizzle]

You're setting yourself up for failure. You can't reuse twist off bottles, even with a capper. The caps won't seal. I'd use the pet bottles you have rather then bothering with twist off bottles.

^^ yes this, use the plastic you have

 

[feinbera]

You probably won't get a good enough seal to carbonate your beer just twisting twist-off caps back on. Think about a 2-liter bottle of soda you open then leave in the fridge; you have to drink it before to long, or it goes flat.

A wing capper is $20 or less at your local homebrew store, and caps are pennies per dozen; if you'd like to bottle in glass, this is the way to go.

 

[kh54s10]

You definitely can not reuse the caps. They will not seal properly.

Some have had limited success using twist off bottles, new crown caps with a bench capper. A twin handled capper will not work.

Best bet, ask friends to save pry off type bottles and buy a capper.

 

[Hello]

As I understand, a bench capper will cap twist top bottles but it's not worth it. Get pry off bottles and use those mr. beer bottles.

After all the work you put into brewing, why risk the end result with a bad bottling process?

 

[DaNewf]

I'm not sure if the twist off bottles in Newfoundland, Canada are different from those in other places but I've had absolutely no problems capping them with a wing capper. However I do buy caps from LHBS I do not reuse the ones that came on the bottles.

But now that I think about it why wouldn't twisting the (sanitized) cap back on and then setting it with a capper not give a good seal. Seems like it should work but I don't think I'll bother to experiment unless the cost of fresh caps goes thru the roof for some reason.

 

[retread2]

I cap twist off bottles with 2 antique bench cappers and have no problem with them...after all that's how the breweries cap them.

 

[kh54s10]

I cap twist off bottles with 2 antique bench cappers and have no problem with them...after all that's how the breweries cap them.

Not to quibble, but I seriously doubt the breweries cap with antique bench cappers.

They also do not refill and cap twist off bottles. They get new bottles and caps and they run through very expensive filling/capping machines.

 

[eltorrente]

I cap twist off bottles with 2 antique bench cappers and have no problem with them...after all that's how the breweries cap them.

Really? You think breweries employ an army of people on the assembly line - standing there capping twist-offs with antique cappers?

 

[ericbw]

What about reusing the twist caps? I know I can't cap a pop cap on a twist bottle. I have the original twist caps to reused

In surprised no one has mentioned one thing. It's the bottles that are the problem. New caps will work on twist off with a wing capper. They might not seal perfectly, but some pry offs don't work perfectly.

But the bottles are thin and could break when you bottle.

 

[prince4118]

I have bottles 5 23 liter batches and have used all twist offs from beers Iv got from the store and haven't had a single I carbonated beer or bottle break

Edit: 23 liters is approx 6 gallons

 

[pumpkinman2012]

Spend the $11.99 and buy a case of bottles and another $3.99 and get the proper caps, why set yourself up for failure?

 

[brewmeister13]

I accidentally got some twist offs mixed up in my regular bottles and capped them with a bench capper. All the twist offs were undercarbed and most picked up an infection from improper sealing. If you have a more dependable way to bottle, use it.

 

[unionrdr]

Yup. 23L equals 6.072 USG,or 62-67 12oz bottles. One thing I liked about modding Cooper's beer cans,it gave more beers! But partial mash has been a great trade off. And I can still use Cooper's cans as the extract part of the beer. Works great. And I have the required bench capper myself,but after breaking the thin glass necks on those bottles...nope,no mas. Pop top bottles all the way. Even Aldi's import beers are pop-top,& the price is really good.
Like Wernesgruner pils. Brown bottles with a crest with hop bines on either side of that on the neck of the bottle. Very cool & different. And then there's always Sam Adams,I use their bottles the most & are the ones I use for giveaways. Or Michelobe bottles. Get the pop tops & they have the fused neck style with the ring between the base of the neck & the top of the shoulder. Cool old fashioned style.
So there's plenty of style in the pop tops to get a good look as well bottles that will seal well & last a long time. I've been using some of my bottles for going on 3 years,& only had to toss one. The lip got chips out of it. That will no longer seal very well.
Oh,& by the way...be prepared for a growing collection of beer bottles. I got to appreciating the labels as art. Plus a remembrance of beers I drank/enjoyed.

 

[boochuckles]

SWMBO said I can't get any more new toys. I do not have a capper. I have been saving the twist caps on a couple of 12 packs I drank from Shipyard. The caps where on there so tight i had to use a jar opener to twist them off. I feel like I can twist them back on pretty tight. I was never planning on using pop caps on twist bottles. I just can't spend money on new bottles, caps, and a capper yet. After this weeks brew day, idk if we are going to have it in the budget to do another batch when i have an open fermentor. So i have these bottles and I think they can work. I am a n00b and a bit hard headed but am willing to listen to reason. The only thing i can think is that the pressure is going to push on the hand tighten seal. I just hate the plastic and the size of a 1 liter bottle. I have been making big IPAs and sometimes 1 bottle is too much...

Thoughts?

 

[unionrdr]

You have to lay down the law with swmbo. They don't understand this stuff. Explain to her why the pop top bottles,bench capper & caps are a basic necessity of the brewing process & can't NOT be used. Have her read some of these responses as well. She has to be given to understand that this is a NEED,not a WANT.

 

[mcmeador]

You probably won't get a good enough seal to carbonate your beer just twisting twist-off caps back on. Think about a 2-liter bottle of soda you open then leave in the fridge; you have to drink it before to long, or it goes flat.

I think an open bottle of soda going flat has more to do with too much open space in the bottle for the carbonation in the soda to escape to rather than the seal on the bottle.

I did a bit of an experiment on my second homebrew when bottling. At the end of bottling, I only had enough beer for about half a bottle, so I bottled it and capped it. Later when I opened the bottle, it made the usual hissing sound of CO2 escaping, but the beer was completely flat.

 

[unionrdr]

That's why they need a week fridge time,to get co2 into solution. It's not a quick process. Plus it needs time for any chill haze to develope & settle out as well.

 

[boochuckles]

I NEED to pay the mortgage. I WANT to have bottles. I have PET for the time being. She is SWMBO for a reason. If left to spend without asking, I would not have a roof over my beer bottles...

I'm going to bottle PET tomorrow but I think I'll fill 2 twist off bottle as a trial run.

 

[Hello]

I NEED to pay the mortgage. I WANT to have bottles. I have PET for the time being. She is SWMBO for a reason. If left to spend without asking, I would not have a roof over my beer bottles...

I'm going to bottle PET tomorrow but I think I'll fill 2 twist off bottle as a trial run.

That's your best bet. Trial and error. Once you see the results, it'll help you decide how to proceed in the future.

Initial start up costs for brewing can be mildly pricey if you want to get everything at once but basics like a hydrometer, bottles and a capper, and some way to control temps are pretty essential in my opinion.

 

[kh54s10]

If you have to choose between the mortgage and about $25 for a capper and caps, (You can ask friends for empty commercial bottles = free.) I suggest you find a cheaper hobby.

When starting out there are a lot of things that you will need or want to progress. Price per brew is nearly twice as much when using extract kits than when you go all grain and buy ingredients in bulk.

 

[unionrdr]

That's your best bet. Trial and error. Once you see the results, it'll help you decide how to proceed in the future.

{Initial start up costs for brewing can be mildly pricey if you want to get everything at once but basics like a hydrometer, bottles and a capper, and some way to control temps are pretty essential in my opinion.}

The 2nd paragraph says it all. Needs & wants are different things. You NEED proper pop top bottles to properly contain your beer,which also means you NEED a 4 buck bag of 144 caps to put on with a $25 wing capper. I have a Red Baron wing capper that needs a new bell. Get a new bell for it & it's yours,free! Just tell her to make sure she/you buy bottled beers in pop top bottles from now on. And have friends save'em for you. I got a few hundred bottles pretty quickly that way,with sturdy craft beer 12 pack boxes. They're compact & stack real well. Here's a pick of my brewery,with lots of re-purposing & dollar store/sale stuff;
http://[URL=http://s563.photobucket.com/user/unionrdr/media/PICT0004_zpsef5e6404.jpg.html] [/URL]
I had many different craft brewery's boxes,but replaced them with Leinenkugels,since the have seperators & multi-layer tabbed top flaps.
The fermenter stand is an old printer stand from Staples that now holds all my brewing stuff. It can hold 3 ale pails & a bottle tree/vinator. That's a 20 quart,5G SS stock pot with lid on the bottom,polished form a nested set of for for $25 @ Giant Eagle. The gallon jugs are for local spring water,25c per gallon. SunnyD 1 gallon jugs next to the BK are for measuring water,Starsan,& PBW solutions. Behind those are 1/2G plastic vodka jugs for blow offs. Tubing is from home depot. Measuring cups,spoons,spray bottle,& funnels are from Dollar Tree,1 buck for each set. That's an orange home depot bucket with Barley Crusher grain mill on top for storing & grinding my grains. The lil 12 pack cooler is great for de-labeling bottles & for setting empty bottles on while filling on bottling day. That's the 45 bottle tree,vinator,& super Agata bench capper on the left,all by Ferrari. Ya just gotta know where to look!
Or,more precisely,what the Mechanic says to max-

 

[boochuckles]

If you have to choose between the mortgage and about $25 for a capper and caps, (You can ask friends for empty commercial bottles = free.) I suggest you find a cheaper hobby.

When starting out there are a lot of things that you will need or want to progress. Price per brew is nearly twice as much when using extract kits than when you go all grain and buy ingredients in bulk.

Pretty blunt there buddy. You don't know my personal situation so try not to judge. I don't really have any friends that drink pop top beers. Bud Light and Coors Light are the main go to for the beer drinkers I know. I'm just anxious to move onto better equipment. Asking questions and for ideas is a good way to see if others have been there and thought to do what I have thought. I was lucky enough to get 3 Mr Beer LBKs and about 25 1 liter bottles from my cousin who stopped brewing. I'm going to keep on with what I have for now but continue to grow as a brewer where I can.

unionrdr:

That is a really nice setup. I hope to be able to get there one day myself. I just need to have more patience about getting better equipment. IDK what the "bell" is on a capper but I would be willing to take you up on that offer. PM me

 

[unionrdr]

Thanks. There's a lot of hand-me-down re-purposed stuff mixed in with kit stuff,on sale stuff,cheapy store stuff & the like. PM comin...

 

[ericbw]

Pretty blunt there buddy. You don't know my personal situation so try not to judge. I don't really have any friends that drink pop top beers. Bud Light and Coors Light are the main go to for the beer drinkers I know. I'm just anxious to move onto better equipment. Asking questions and for ideas is a good way to see if others have been there and thought to do what I have thought. I was lucky enough to get 3 Mr Beer LBKs and about 25 1 liter bottles from my cousin who stopped brewing. I'm going to keep on with what I have for now but continue to grow as a brewer where I can.

unionrdr:

That is a really nice setup. I hope to be able to get there one day myself. I just need to have more patience about getting better equipment. IDK what the "bell" is on a capper but I would be willing to take you up on that offer. PM me

You might also find root beer in brown PET bottles that are 16 oz or maybe eve 12oz. I would give those a try, especially with new caps. I've reused plastic caps, and sometimes they work sometimes they don't screw on tight. But plastic caps are like 20 cents each, which is expensive for one use.

 

[SEndorf]

Honestly, I'd wait till you get the 30 bucks to bottle properly. A shame to spoil a good brew session.
On another note, not all pry off bottles are the same. I learned the hard way after breaking 4 tops on my last batch. I asked my LBS what I may have done wrong. His first question, "Were they Summit bottles?"
Yup
Don't use short necked bottles. They aren't strong enough.

 

[MindenMan]

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale bottles are built like tanks, and they are short. I reuse them many times w/o trouble.