some bottles weaker than others?

[shlegminitism]

I'm about to start bottling, so i'm rinsing out the ones i've been saving and sticking them in the dishwasher. I noticed that 2 of the bottoms from a 6er of samuel adams that i bought have a more pronounced inward dip (can't think of any other way to describe it) along the vertical line where i guess the bottle was constructed and the sides were melted together. I was wondering if it could be possible that it was thinner along that line and if it were a bottle bomb hazard.
Anyone noticed this in certain types of bottles?

 

[Revvy]

Yeah, there's several different types of bottles out there, made by different manufacturers, even within the same companies bottling line (if the beer is bottled in different plants). If you re-use bottles you will notice all sorts of them...some darker that others, some thinner seeming, some with whirls on the bottoms, some with ridges,, some with dimples....and they work fine for our purposes.

 

[Homercidal]

I used Bass a lot and you can see through them easier than most others. I'm not sure if the color is just lighter, or if the glass is thinner. They do look thinner to me though.

 

[shadowmage36]

The major thing to worry about is if you're going to be re-using them for a beer more carbonated than the one that was originally in them. That's the reason some Belgians (e.g. Ommegang, Affligem, and the like) come in very thick bottles, because they're carbonated to 3 or 4 volumes and higher. Normal 12 oz. bottles can't take that kind of pressure and may well become bottle bombs if you attempt to carbonate that high in them. However, for a standard batch of beer with 3/4 cup of priming sugar for 5 gallons, you'll be fine using practically any commercially available beer bottles.

Except screwcap bottles. They require special equipment to re-cap, and most people don't bother with them.

 

[shlegminitism]

cool, sounds good. Anyone go to bars looking to salvage throw away bottles?

 

[shlegminitism]

And how to you guys find these posts so quick? The efficiency at this forum is amazing.

 

[Revvy]

It's called the "new posts" button on the row below the thread name.

 

[ibrewit]

Reuse of decent commercial bottles is cost effective and smart thing to do. But you should keep in mind that those bottles are manufactured for a single use and to then be recycled. For most, "normal" CO2 volumes they will work fine.

If you can get your hands on old long neck returnable bottles you will see that they are much thicker and heavier as they were meant for reuse. Treated right these can last a lifetime.

 

[sea2summit3]

cool, sounds good. Anyone go to bars looking to salvage throw away bottles?

I have found some great bottles this way but be careful. Its better to make have a friend who is a bartender to put some aside for you. If the bottle has been tossed around (like they do in bars) is could have microscopic cracks. I've had the neck of a couple bottles explode when capping. Having my wrists slam down so close to shards of glass is a little nerve racking. Therefore, I only reuse bottles that I know have been handled gently. If I drop one and it doesn't break, I still toss it in the recycling!

 

[JollyToper]

They all hold beer great but after your first batch you will develop a preference for certain brewers bottles because their labels come off easier than others. Sierra Nevada is great in that respect. The labels float off after sitting in hot water for a while. Piece of cake. Others require scraping and soaking and more scraping and soaking. Have fun!

 

[FlashRedGLS18T]

Sierra Nevada's labels are awesome to take off! I have some Paulaner....ugh....nightmare to remove.

 

[pilotdane]

Another word of caution about bottles from a bar. Look inside and toss the ones with cigarette butts inside.

 

[shlegminitism]

Fuller's and Samuel Smith's labels come off easy too. I was at taco mac last night trying to scavenge bottles with little luck. The bartender did suggest going to a recycling center. he said some of them actually sell bottles for pretty cheap prices. Seems like he said around 11 cents a bottle, which is plenty reasonable, i think. I hope thats actually the case.
Anyone acquire bottles this way?


i think i'm gonna ask this as a separate post so others curious about ways to acquire bottles can find it. I dont see an option to delete this last post, but if any of the head honchos want to do so, it is fine by me.

 

[BangorBrewer]

In my experience, some redemption centers will give them to you for five cents (or whatever they give for them). You might even be able to trade some of your pop bottles and cans. Offer to look through unsorted ones or to buy entire cases - that way they don't have to re-sort/re-pack.

 

[JFry]

Paulaner is a thicker quality glass and the labels slide right off. Probably the easiest to remove. Kostrizer (a german black beer) is also thick glass with easy to remove labels. I soak my bottles in a solution of B-Brite (3 heaping tablespoons) to a sink full of warm water +/- 7 gallons.