What is the deal with new bottle prices?

[tech413]

Are twist off bottles really a problem for most people, or has anyone tried them. All I have ever used is twist off BMC bottles and never had a problem. My dad brewed beer for ages the same way with the same capper, only I remove the labels. What problems do you guys run into with them?

 

[BulldogBrewer]

I've heard that SN is actually doing a lot to make sure they aren't sending out bottles that will break on homebrewers. If true, that's very cool.

 

[3PegBrew]

The Joy of Homebrewing (stealing words from Papazian) comes from drinking imports and other microbrews because of the pop tops. Why buy bottles when you can have fun drinking for the same price?

I am guilty of buying empty bottles but only as a last resort because I was short bottling THAT day.

 

[NorCalAngler]

I've heard that SN is actually doing a lot to make sure they aren't sending out bottles that will break on homebrewers. If true, that's very cool.

I don't know if they use them to help us homebrewers, but I can vouch their bottles are built like tanks. They're very thick and I like the stubby size because they fit standing up in the crisper in my fridge.

 

[MetallHed]

I have my buddies bring me bottles.. but sam adams costs about 12-13 bucks for a 12 pack here.. so it's not cheaper than buying new empties, when those are 12-13 for a case. a lot of bigger craft brewers have different bottles with their logo/name molded on to them (like SA and Widmer). I'm picky, I guess, and dont want the ones with a brewery name on it.. at least not for my self... those are the ones I give out to friends and family.

I have a local bar collect bottles for me, but the demand for craft beer in a bar is low, so I don't get much.

 

[mlyday]

Bells bottles are really good, smithwick is really nice and thick and dark. A cheap option for poptops is michelob amber bock. Drinkable and only 5 something for a sixer, it does have michelob imprinted on the bottle though.

 

[vicratlhead51]

+1 to the amber bock mlyday! Michelob also makes Shock Top in the same bottles, its similar to Blue Moon only a little more orange flavor. Maybe somebody already said this but a 24 bottle case costs 12 bucks at my lhbs and a 12 pack of Sam Adams is about 15 bucks locally, so wouldnt buying the bottles with beer in them cost over twice as much? (not that I'm against that, I'm always ready for an excuse to drink beer and most of my bottles are reused commercial bottles).

 

[tvtoms]

Thats how I did it: buy some 22 ouncers and some ez cap. Any others I can scrounge from the grocery store.

 

[sillyburt]

you can always try the costco microbrew brand. for the price opf a case ($18 IIRC) you cant beat getting the bottles that go with it.

 

[CaptainCoconut]

Is that Costco beer any good? You can't beat the price for bottles, and I'm sure it's not worse than BMC, but is it decent?

 

[curlyfat]

Sort of OT, but has anyone had luck with purchasing bulk bottles? I'm thinking of buying about twenty cases and brewing 50g of my pale

ale for Christmas. I can't seem to find wholesale prices through a google search or anything.

 

[Tinga]

big sky, bells and sierra nevada bottles are the best

 

[ChrisNH]

I have a friend who drinks a LOT of Sam Adams by the case. They make great bottles and the labels are easy to get off. Best part is.. I can replace them any time i want so I don't worry to much about getting them back..

For home use I have a few hundred Guinness Pint bottles from my extra-stout drinking days.

Chris

 

[wonderbread23]

I'm a big fan of reusing Russian River bottles (from Pliny and Blind Pig). They are 16 oz. which is perfect for pint glasses and are thicker walled than standard bottles. Only problem is the label glue is a pain to remove (usually requires goo-off). I have a nice stash that get reused time and again.

 

[jafo28]

Only Bottles I purchesed were the first two cases after that i've had coworkers and freinds bring in many cases for me, still have a case sitting in the trunk of my car. They really like the prospect of getting some free homebrew just by saving thier old bottles.

 

[lunchbox]

I don't get it. Places like AHS, Midwest HS, etc sell a case of 24 12oz empty bottles for anything between $12.95-14.99 a piece, not including shipping and taxes where it applies!

So, are those bottles any different from the standard bud, coors, or miller we buy in the grocery store? I can almost always find a case of 24 from those domestic beers for roughly the same price as the empty bottles where I live. There is always one grocery store that is running a sale on those beers. So what is the deal with the empty bottle prices in the home brewing shops????

Makes me wanna do this: buy a case of bud, give it to a friend and say: "hey buddy this is a gift for you, just make me a favor, don't throw the bottles away when you finished because I want to recycle them". This would make me very popular among my friends, specially now during football season!

It's really not that difficult. Your LHBS buys empty bottles by the hundreds. BMC buys them by the millions.

 

[erykmynn]

big sky, bells and sierra nevada bottles are the best

+1 on Sierra bottles. The labels come off really easily and they are the short, sturdy type. Even if you're not big on SNPA you can typically find 12's of the seasonals or others.

 

[Hannable1975]

+1 on Sierra bottles. The labels come off really easily and they are the short, sturdy type. Even if you're not big on SNPA you can typically find 12's of the seasonals or others.

This would apply to me - I am in fact on my third SNPA of the night - but readily admit me that it flat out tars my tummy up! :cross:

Thinking about trying the "Tumbler" - I love Brown ale - but around here only available in a 12er. Worth it?

 

[Indyking]

Hi, did not mean to revive this thread, but, just thought I would share something for those who have not yet come across the same problem.

I will never get Heineken bottles again, well, at least, not a bunch of them at the same time. I think they look cool, but the labels, 3 of them per bottle, are way too hard to come off. I got a bunch of them at once from a local bar and spent a good deal of time to remove the labels even after they had been soaked on PWB for hours! It sucked!