Reusing bottles - How many times?

[Hockeyhunter99]

When i started brewing two years ago, i was told that my bottles would need to be changed out about every 4 or 5 batches. i have been going through my bottle collection and i don't know how long some of these have been used.

wondering if there is a limit to the number of times a bottle can be used?

also wondering if there are any types that should be avoided. same guy mentioned darker browns were better than light browns because the light ones would break easier. (bottle bombs)

 

[wetzie]

I only have limited experience but we rinse our bottles immediatly after use. There is no residue in the bottom when we go to wash and saitize them. I would imagine we are good for many re-uses.
I haven't any bottles break yet and we use whatever we can get our hands on.

 

[starrfish]

Glass should be good forever with the proper care.

 

[mixedbrewer]

I have bottles in my collection that are 4 years old and have been used over 20 times. They still do the job.

 

[ChandlerBang]

When i started brewing two years ago, i was told that my bottles would need to be changed out about every 4 or 5 batches. i have been going through my bottle collection and i don't know how long some of these have been used.

wondering if there is a limit to the number of times a bottle can be used?

also wondering if there are any types that should be avoided. same guy mentioned darker browns were better than light browns because the light ones would break easier. (bottle bombs)

Was whoever told you that selling bottles?

 

[simco999]

My mate has bottles he claims are over 20 years old - as long as they are sound and not cracked they should be fine.

 

[boostsr20]

lol

 

[Special Hops]

Unless somehow they become chipped or cracked - I cannot see a reason you could not re-use bottles a bazillion times.

I am not sure who told you that. But they do not know what they were talking about.

 

[NWMOBrewer]

If you're changing your bottles, send me your old ones!!!

 

[damnyankee]

I've canned food for decades using the same canning jars and you can do the same with glass beer bottles. This is the beauty of using glass as your storage vessel for food, beer, wine, what have you.

 

[integrator]

tell whoever told you that they are an idiot....

 

[Ichthy]

I have some old exchangeable bar bottles that are probably 20 years old or more. I've been using them often and have never had a bottle neck break.

If it ain't broke don't fix it...

 

[RugenBrau]

I think some the newer bottles have limited time in the commercial industry because the glass is thinner today and the heat that they exposed to when cleaning. If you compare a bottle from 20 years ago you can see the difference. Homebrewing.....use them again and again.

 

[Ichthy]

Very true, my old bar bottles are much heavier than new ones.

 

[sgillespie]

I've read (Mr Wizard) that the bottles used in commercial beers are "1 way" and that they are only designed to be used once, but bottles you buy from a homebrew shop are "2 way" and they can be used any number of times. My guess is that these terms were created arbitrarily, so don't read into them too much

For this reason, if I am reusing bottles from a craft brewer, I only use them once with homebrew and then throw them away. Probably wouldn't be a problem to reuse them a few times, but I've had bottle bombs once and don't want to risk it again, as SWMBO was quite angry after the 1st incident

 

[integrator]

I've read (Mr Wizard) that the bottles used in commercial beers are "1 way" and that they are only designed to be used once, but bottles you buy from a homebrew shop are "2 way" and they can be used any number of times.

For this reason, if I am reusing bottles from a craft brewer, I only use them once with homebrew and then throw them away. Probably wouldn't be a problem to reuse them a few times, but I've had bottle bombs once and don't want to risk it again, as SWMBO was quite angry after the 1st incident

I have some commercial bottles that are just fine. Also New Belgium has some thin, light bottles but they work over and over for me. And I think it's a crapshoot at the local shop....I've seen really good bottles, and really cheap bottles.

Personally I would not worry about it.

 

[Ichthy]

I'd venture to say that bottle bombs are almost always a result of too much priming sugar, not letting your beer attenuate properly, or from an infection, not bottle quality. As long as you aren't torquing the bottles when capping them, there's no reason they shouldn't last.

 

[sgillespie]

not letting your beer attenuate properly

After much thought, I'm fairly certain this was my problem in my one exploding batch

 

[Special Hops]

I've been brewing for 10 years now and reuse my bottles all the time. Even thinner glass bottles are fine. They may be "designed" for single use. But that does not mean you can't use them over and over again.

Back in the day - commercial bottles were a lot stronger. But you saved them and brought them back to the store. They ship them back to brewery and they would get refilled, over and over again. The bottles had to be thicker to stand up to the abuse.

If you take care of them you should not have any problems.

 

[SKMO]

Holy cow just when you thought it was safe to come out of the brewshed...... Something Else to worry about. Thanks internets!

I've got bottles 20+ years old. The whole "idea" is about as ridiculous as it gets. Who makes this S**t up anyway?

 

[McGarnigle]

I think some the newer bottles have limited time in the commercial industry because the glass is thinner today and the heat that they exposed to when cleaning. If you compare a bottle from 20 years ago you can see the difference. Homebrewing.....use them again and again.

I think this is it. If you bake your bottles for sanitizing, you supposedly weaken them. But most of us don't use the oven for sanitizing (I occasionally do).

 

[BeerWars]

I have Miller Lite twist offs that have been used more than 5 times.

Never had a flat bottle or a bottle bomb.

 

[Hockeyhunter99]

would putting them in the dishwater make them weaker??

 

[McGarnigle]

would putting them in the dishwater make them weaker??

I would doubt it, but if the dishwater had scented dish soap, you might worry about getting it all out.

 

[Malintent]

Actually it would depend on what cycle you are using on the dishwasher... if it is in 'sanitize' or 'heated dry', you are likely weakening the glass with each cleaning.

 

[dvdanny]

I used to oven sanitize my bottles and my 22oz i pick up used through craigslist. Guys said he made about 50 batches with them, and I still use them now. Never a single break.

Glass is inert (technically it isn't but it'll take decades before you ever see it) and as long as you don't fill up the bottles while they are burning hot outta the oven, it should stay that way.

 

[McGarnigle]

Actually it would depend on what cycle you are using on the dishwasher... if it is in 'sanitize' or 'heated dry', you are likely weakening the glass with each cleaning.

Oh, dishwasher. I thought he was talking about soaking them in dish water in the sink.

 

[starrfish]

I would doubt it, but if the dishwater had scented dish soap, you might worry about getting it all out.

I run thin wine glasses through the dishwasher on the dry cycle all the time, much thinner glass than beer bottles. No weakening of glass. If this was true I wouldn't be able to pick up my wine glasses, they are 10 years old!

Dishwasher heat will not damage glass. If it did it wouldn't be on a "dish"washer.

I do not use standard dish detergent on bottles though, usually just water and heat. I have used b-brite or 1 step if they where really cruddy. I do a final vintinator squirt with starsan just before bottling.

 

[nutty_gnome]

I've recently discarded a few bottles because there was some strange discoloration below the 'beer level' in the necks of the emptys. When empty and thouroughly rinsed you can still see where there was beer in the bottle; below the beer line it looks lightly 'frosted' and above it looks clear. Water does not rinse this away so I just toss those bottles. I dont know why its happening. Anyone ever see something like this?

 

[passedpawn]

I've recently discarded a few bottles because there was some strange discoloration below the 'beer level' in the necks of the emptys. When empty and thouroughly rinsed you can still see where there was beer in the bottle; below the beer line it looks lightly 'frosted' and above it looks clear. Water does not rinse this away so I just toss those bottles. I dont know why its happening. Anyone ever see something like this?

No, that's weird. What color are the bottles?

 

[juslod]

I've recently discarded a few bottles because there was some strange discoloration below the 'beer level' in the necks of the emptys. When empty and thouroughly rinsed you can still see where there was beer in the bottle; below the beer line it looks lightly 'frosted' and above it looks clear. Water does not rinse this away so I just toss those bottles. I dont know why its happening. Anyone ever see something like this?

I have seen this too and wondered how it was forming. I also have been getting a ring at the neck where the beer level is, almost like a mini-krausen that is hard to remove. I have so many bottles coming in from friends that I just recycle bottles that an oxyclean soak doesn't clean

 

[remilard]

tell whoever told you that they are an idiot....

I would be very busy and unpopular if I took the opportunity to tell every homebrewer who said something wrong that they are an idiot.

 

[nutty_gnome]

They are brown. They were recycled from some random commercial brew. I still have some sitting around, I'll see about taking a picture.

 

[remilard]

I've recently discarded a few bottles because there was some strange discoloration below the 'beer level' in the necks of the emptys. When empty and thouroughly rinsed you can still see where there was beer in the bottle; below the beer line it looks lightly 'frosted' and above it looks clear. Water does not rinse this away so I just toss those bottles. I dont know why its happening. Anyone ever see something like this?

Beer stone. Try some CLR or star-san mixed 2-3 times as strong as the instructions indicate.

 

[nutty_gnome]

Why does it happen on only a small fraction of bottles?

 

[nebben]

One million times. Or, whenever the bottle cracks or breaks, throw it away. Whichever comes first!

 

[remilard]

Why does it happen on only a small fraction of bottles?

Hard to say but the fact that water doesn't rinse it away and it doesn't happen in every bottle makes me doubt that it is organic. If it is inorganic Occam's Razor suggests beer stone and acid is the correct protocol anyway.

In any case either acid or caustic will clean it. I would try the acid first as it is easier to get and handle an acid (CLR) that will remove beerstone with a reasonable contact time than it is to work with caustic.

 

[Malintent]

I run thin wine glasses through the dishwasher on the dry cycle all the time, much thinner glass than beer bottles. No weakening of glass. If this was true I wouldn't be able to pick up my wine glasses, they are 10 years old!

Dishwasher heat will not damage glass. If it did it wouldn't be on a "dish"washer.

I do not use standard dish detergent on bottles though, usually just water and heat. I have used b-brite or 1 step if they where really cruddy. I do a final vintinator squirt with starsan just before bottling.

You may be quite surprised to know that the THINNER the glass the STRONGER it is, with respect to heat resilience.

put an empty beer bottle and a wine glass in your freezer for an hour. Then take them both out and immediately drop them into a pot of boiling water. Your wine glass will (probably) survive. your beer bottle will explode.

Also, note that I never said you couldn't put them in the dishwasher.. I said to just not use the sanitize or heated dry cycles, which, if you check your dishwasher's manual, are cycles not recommended for most items.

 

[Beer604]

I've recently discarded a few bottles because there was some strange discoloration below the 'beer level' in the necks of the emptys. When empty and thouroughly rinsed you can still see where there was beer in the bottle; below the beer line it looks lightly 'frosted' and above it looks clear. Water does not rinse this away so I just toss those bottles. I dont know why its happening. Anyone ever see something like this?

It happened to me on my first batch. I used some
white bottles, (corona I believe) and they got skunked.
It tasted like crap and had the yellowish discoloration in the bottle.
Now I'm paranoid about light hitting my brew, and throw out the
white bottles.

 

[nutty_gnome]

This place is great. My bottles look just like the ones in this thread.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottle-frost-what-156490/

Apparently I am not the first to see this.