Where do you get Bottles?

[cmdrico7812]

So I don't really want to buy new bottles from my LHBS or any other source. The average price is 50 cents per new bottle (for the standard 12 oz. brown glass). Why pay that much for something you can get for free (or mostly free). Up until now, with the exception of a few purchased cases of new bottles, my family and friends and my own drinking habits have been able to provide me with a steady stream of bottles to keep pace with my brewing schedule (my wife's family is from Ohio so they just give me all their bottles cause they just throw them away).

However, my new years resolution has been to increase my pace of brewing this year so I can establish a nice on hand supply of beer in case of friends visiting, family get togethers, the zombipocalypse, you know, whatever.

My question is where does everyone get their bottles without buying them? Michigan brewers, like myself, are in a unique situation since we have a 10 cent deposit on bottles (which was nice when I needed quick cash as a college student but not now when I'm trying to collect bottles to reuse). Does anyone have any suggestions, sources, etc. for obtaining bottles? Are there any taboos when collected previously used bottles?

Any helpful hints are appreciated. Thanks so much.

FYI: I don't keg as of late, and it's not an option right now so that's out.

 

[Glubki]

Friends, Family, place an ad on craigslist...

 

[ChshreCat]

All the bottles I buy are pretty expensive, but they come with beer in them. Other than that, I have friends who save their bottles for me and I make sure they get some back refilled.

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

Yeah, you're gonna have to bite the bullet and actually buy some commercial beers and drink them! OH THE HORROR

Recruit friends, family, etc to save their bottles. If you go to parties bring an empty case box with you to fill with empties. Sooner or later your friends will become trained enough and will save bottles for you all the time! It's great.

 

[chumprock]

DRINK!

Seriously. Last summer we went to the LHBS (which is also a huge beer store) looking to buy some gasket bottles. The rub? It cost two dollars more to buy a case of grolsh bottles FULL instead of EMPTY.

Also, if you lived closer to me I'd offer. I have cases stacked in my garage that SWMBO yells at me about every time the dang door opens.

 

[JMSetzler]

The deposit would definitely make it tough to collect bottles. There is no deposit in my city or state, but they have recently implemented recycling rules here. Every bar and night club in town has to put their glass in recycle bins that the city will pick up. I like to introduce myself to the managers of a few local places occasionally and tell them what I'm doing, and that I would like to rummage their recycle bins for some bottles. I haven't been denied as of yet. If they express any interest in what I'm doing, I try to remember to take them a bottle or two out of my next batch of home brew.

PS - I have recently discovered that it's REALLY EASY to remove the labels from the Budweiser American Ale bottles...

 

[keiths]

Just go to a party store and buy some emptys from them for .10 cents each they will let you pick what you want.

 

[CATFISHER74]

I have not started yet, but I'm friends with all the bar tenders at my local pub.
One day a week they have bomber specials everyone drinks i should start collecting the brown ones now.

 

[maltMonkey]

I tried going the commercial brew drinking route and built up a nice stockpile....however I brew WAY too often and the only way I could drink enough to keep up with my demand would be to quit my job and stay drunk 24/7.....sounds great on paper, right? Well the wife didn't think so......

I went to a beer tasting party sponsored by Sam Adams, during which I asked one of the party organizers what he was planning on doing with all the empties. He replied, "giving them to you". That night I took home 24 cases of empties. Took me 2 weeks to clean them all, but it was totally worth it.

 

[shaundesjardins]

Check your local classfied ads. You may not be able to get bottles for free but you may score a bunch of Grolsch or PET bottles for pretty darn cheap.
I bought 110 Grolsch bottles for $35 and then 120 or so PET bottles for $15 (no joke)
off of local ads. (craigslist, kijiji)

 

[Irish1225]

i just been drinking a few every night...i'm not upset by it

 

[kirscp]

Contact a bar, ask if you can go through their bottle recycle container. They don't get paid for the bottles, so they aren't out anything. You may be able to convience them to put the pop top bottles in a different container for you.

Contact the recycling center, ask if you can go through theirs .. Doubt they would let you, but its worth a try.

 

[CATFISHER74]

If you can stomach Coors light this looks like a deal you can talk down.
Craigslist

 

[k1v1116]

theres always the question how much does a free bottle cost? I have access to an unlimited supply of bottles through my friends father who works at a country club, but removing the labels is a bitch and fairly time consuming because they use plastic labels and really tough glue. If you have the time to spare it maybe worth it, otherwise if your time is valuable it may be cheaper to just buy the bottles.

 

[hungrymonkey]

I told my single buddies that I would hook them up with beer if they brought me empties.

Its been working so far.

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

I have never bought bottles. Been brewing for over a year now and we save every bottle we can.

 

[Jmac00]

I bought 110 Grolsch bottles for $35 and then 120 or so PET bottles for $15 (no joke)
off of local ads. (craigslist, kijiji)

Although kijiji is a great place to find great deals, i find when ppl are selling grolsch and fischer bottles, they sometimes think they have a gold mine on their hands. I personally just buy them back from the recycle depot, they put them aside for me. Charge .25 each....so $3 a dozen. You ended up paying slightly more (you still got a great deal), but lately i've seen ads with ppl selling these for 10 and 20 bucks a dozen.....(no joke)....you can almost buy brand new ones for that price. Just shop around, then you'll end up with lots of bottles.

 

[Poobah58]

I go down to the recycle center when I need bottles. Especially wine bottles.

 

[farmbrewernw]

Sounds like you need to get into kegging if your brewing that much.

 

[jdmartin]

The deposit would definitely make it tough to collect bottles. There is no deposit in my city or state, but they have recently implemented recycling rules here. Every bar and night club in town has to put their glass in recycle bins that the city will pick up. I like to introduce myself to the managers of a few local places occasionally and tell them what I'm doing, and that I would like to rummage their recycle bins for some bottles. I haven't been denied as of yet. If they express any interest in what I'm doing, I try to remember to take them a bottle or two out of my next batch of home brew.

PS - I have recently discovered that it's REALLY EASY to remove the labels from the Budweiser American Ale bottles...

Not only that, but they're really easy to cap - I just finished a batch tonight and had a few of these and they were hands-down better than my usual suspects - empty Newcastles. Yeah, I know they're clear, but I keep them stored dark and I like that I can verify they're clean. But they're a pain to cap compared to those Bud American Ales. I think I'm going to get my buddies to drink some of those.

Oh yeah, hello everyone! First time post, somewhat novice brewer (less than 2 years). Look forward to posting here, looks like a good group.

 

[JMSetzler]

Not only that, but they're really easy to cap - I just finished a batch tonight and had a few of these and they were hands-down better than my usual suspects - empty Newcastles. Yeah, I know they're clear, but I keep them stored dark and I like that I can verify they're clean. But they're a pain to cap compared to those Bud American Ales. I think I'm going to get my buddies to drink some of those.

Oh yeah, hello everyone! First time post, somewhat novice brewer (less than 2 years). Look forward to posting here, looks like a good group.

I actually went to a local bar this afternoon to get some bottles from their recycling bin. I have been out of this hobby so long that I didn't realize this place had quit selling many of the beers they sold previously. I went through several hundred bottles and only managed to pilfer 10 bottles that I could re-cap. There were a couple Sam Adams bottles, some Amstel bottles, and a couple I had never heard of before. I'm gonna try another place I know of next Sunday. I have almost enough to bottle my current 5 gallon batch, but I still need a few more...

 

[sirsloop]

Anyone have a line on cheap 7oz splits?

 

[pen25]

for me i get mine behind the bars in town. i just hit the dumpsters and try to find the bottles i want. its dirty and can be nasty but if its bad i wont even look. there are a couple bars that the dumpsters are low and arnt nasty at all really. and if you talk to the bar they may even save bottles for you.

 

[pen25]

theres always the question how much does a free bottle cost? I have access to an unlimited supply of bottles through my friends father who works at a country club, but removing the labels is a bitch and fairly time consuming because they use plastic labels and really tough glue. If you have the time to spare it maybe worth it, otherwise if your time is valuable it may be cheaper to just buy the bottles.

hot water works wonders on them.

 

[JMSetzler]

If my time was that valuable, I would probably just buy all my beer too

 

[Korben]

Midwest has a decent sale on... ez cap swing tops...

 

[half_full]

cmdrico, I have a bunch of bottles (12 and 22 oz) I'd like to give away. I just got my keg system all set and will not be using many bottles in the future. I can inventory and get back to you. I'm near Williamston, MI. I was actually just thinking about a CL freebie ad. They are dusty from sitting in the basement but are not goobered up from use. Also have some champagne bottles that I have used in the past. Let me know if you are interested.