Why doesn’t beer come in PET plastic bottles?

[kpr121]

I'm going to suggest recycle-ability... You can't just wash out a can or plastic bottle the way you can a re-usable glass bottle.
In this order, it's:
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle

This may have been true when nearly all breweries used returnable bottles (and might be the reason everyone is so comfortable with glass now), but I would question whether glass is actually more recyclable than plastic/aluminum in these days.

If BMC could get people to accept drinking their beer out of plastic** and still sell the beer for $23 a case, you bet your ass they would.

**Assuming plastic is cheaper than glass, which with Coke and Pepsi’s current distribution would lead us to believe is true.

 

[unionrdr]

I'm going to suggest recycle-ability... You can't just wash out a can or plastic bottle the way you can a re-usable glass bottle.
In this order, it's:
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle

With PET bottles,you blast them clean as you can inside. Then soak'em with some PBW inside. Then blast with water again. Also,you drill out the center of a 2L pop bottle cap to fit over the stalk of your vinator to be able to pump them full of sanitizer. The opening on the PET bottles is bigger than pop tops.

 

[CBMbrewer]

Originally Posted by hughmac View Post
I'd LOVE a home aluminum can setup!
Me too! I've considered buying the Bud/Bud Lights in the aluminum bottles and a bench capper, since that would be the closest us homebrewers could get.

Working at Starr Hill taught me to have a lot of respect for canned beer. However, the canning process itself is a genuine PITA from hell. Takes about 3.5 hours to do one pallet of about 70 cases as opposed to 10 to 15 minutes for the same amount of bottles. And this is with the same set up that Oskar Blues uses. Might just be Starr Hills particular way of doing it but when I think about the time and effort it took to package craft beer in cans I want to pull my eyes out... then I buy a sixer of Dale's Pale and forget all about it

 

[unionrdr]

Sounds like a canner has to run a bit slower than bottle cappers.

 

[StonesBally]

Cans may be superior to bottles in the sense that they are impervious to light and oxygen, but they are all lined with a BPA containing plastic liner to keep the contents of the can from corroding the can itself. Plastics still often contain bpa, and if they do not the replacements may not be any better. In order to be truly safe from chemicals contained in plastics, I would recommend only using glass or stainless fermentors and glass or stainless bottles. Here is a link describing some test results of the replacements for plastics with bpa, http://www.rodale.com/bpa-replacements. I will not tell anyone how to do things, do them how you like. I for one will try to remain as safe as possible and use glass and stainless as much as possible.

 

[Phipps]

I would imagine it has to do with the cost associated with handling and recycling. Not sure about else where but here in Ontario Canada they pay 10c on the bottle for returns, allows for a steady reusable supply, no return on plastic. The cost and ease (labor cost) of capping glass is much less I would imagine, PET has to be screwed on. Cleaning and disinfecting, plastic can be porous and retains o flavours where glass doesn't and glass can be autoclaved for sterilization, PET can't and they would therefore have to rely on chemical alternatives which would have higher error rates, potentially harmful to consumer, more of a chance of affecting the product.

Personally, and I have only brewed a couple batches but half my bottles being PET and the other half being a mix of glass ez-cap and pop offs I have noticed a distinct difference in the amount of time it takes for the beer to carbonate in the PET vs glass. Most of my beers have been fully carbonated in a week to a week and a half where the PET tend to take at least 4-5 days longer to reach the same level and retain a sweetness as if it is the yeast that is being affected and not the gas pressure/retention.

 

[hughmac]

Bet you lived in Japan, not dontja....

Dude, I was JUST about to mention the awesomeness of Japanese vending machines.

おいしい！
Oishī!

 

[unionrdr]

The Cooper's PET bottles have a nylon coating iside that's supposed to help slow down o2 absorption. Got that from their head man for brewing manager guy. PB2 on Cooper's forums.

 

[CDGoin]

Aluminum is the most efficient from a recycling perspective, and personally I prefer glass, then can, then plastic if I'm drinking from the packaging. Although style matters too: an American Light Lager somehow just tastes 'right' from a can.

With my renewed interest in bottling (doing lotsa small batches), I've been considering PET quarts. Somehow I just can't pull the trigger though. I wish 2.5-3 gal cornie keg prices weren't so ridiculous these days! Shoulda stocked up in the '90s.

I'd LOVE a home aluminum can setup!

I was looking at these two options:

http://www.aluminumbottles.com/resources/ElementalSpec_ATK31.pdf

I am almost positive I could get the price down to a $2 or less on these with a bulk order..

How many do you think would be interested..? Enough for 3 batchs would be less than $200 and no capping, etc..

Also as for plastic bottles :

http://www.airseacontainers.com/16oz-amber-boston-round-plastic-bottle.html#page=page-1

I just hate to cap, and I never drink just one or two beers so 16oz to 34oz (1L) bottles would work great.

 

[CDGoin]

BTW anyone reuse Miller Lite 16oz al bottles..? with the screw caps..?

See a few threads now that mentioned the Bud ones, but not the Miller ones.

 

[Johnnyhitch1]

Can's make it look like a low quality beer...plastic would do the same thing.

Little of topic but...
Heady topper, abrasive, furious, jai alai, snake handler all of 21st admendment and sixpoint to name a few...

Cans allow no light penetration, easier transport from non-glass breakage and less skunking to hops. I dont know why more brewerys arent canning, besides cost of course.

If i know a beer is great, the new packaging/rebranding will not detour me from buying it in plastic/cans.

 

[Phipps]

When I go camping (before I started making my own) I would go searching for plastic, most provincial parks around here don't allow cans or bottles. Plus glass is heavy and glass and cans need to be hauled back out where as plastic can be burned.

 

[kpr121]

When I go camping (before I started making my own) I would go searching for plastic, most provincial parks around here don't allow cans or bottles. Plus glass is heavy and glass and cans need to be hauled back out where as plastic can be burned.

Dont tell STONESBALLY you are burning plastic!