A Few Newbie Questions

[lopeman]

Hey guys, first of great site you have here!!!

I'm pretty new to the home brew world, fairly typical set up, coopers kit and very little knoledge but alot of eagerness. . .


SO a few questions. . . . i have a bench capper, does that mean that i can use pretty much any kind of bottle, stubbie, l/neck, vb stubbie etc, or are some bottles stronget than others. i know that the brown ones are the way to go in terms of light and stuff.

Whats an average price for second hand bottles?

also, the hydrometer and the temp guage in the coopers kit, are they accurate or should i purchase some better ones?

thanks guys

 

[warra48]

Hi lopeman, welcome to the exciting world of homebrewing.

The bench capper will cap any of the bottle types you mention, both roll tops and screw tops..
Most of the modern screw top bottles are made of relatively thin glass, but still do the job well.

The absolute best bottles are the Coopers longnecks. They are a roll top, and of heavy guage glass.
Probably the next best are the heavier gauge litre bottles, such as Grolsch swing tops, English ale bottles, German weiss bottles etc.

I don't know about prices for bottles, I've never paid for any. I use bottles from my own consumption and what's been donated to me. Most of mine are recycled from the bins at my golfclub!

The hydrometer in the Coopers kit will be fine. The thermometer is one of those stick on ones? If so, they are OK and close enough for what you need as you start out.

The best advice is to read the stickies on this site on the basics of starting brewing etc and how to get the best from or improve on kit brews.

 

[Bribie G]

Hey guys, first of great site you have here!!!

I'm pretty new to the home brew world, fairly typical set up, coopers kit and very little knoledge but alot of eagerness. . .


SO a few questions. . . . i have a bench capper, does that mean that i can use pretty much any kind of bottle, stubbie, l/neck, vb stubbie etc, or are some bottles stronget than others. i know that the brown ones are the way to go in terms of light and stuff.

Whats an average price for second hand bottles?

also, the hydrometer and the temp guage in the coopers kit, are they accurate or should i purchase some better ones?

thanks guys

The bench capper should handle all sizes of bottle by sliding / locking it on the central 'tower'. Modern screwcap beer bottles work ok and in fact a bench capper is the best tool for capping this type of bottle as it doesn't subject the rather fragile lip to shocks, which would happen with a hand and hammer capper.

The best bottle are the true crown seal bottles such as the heavy Coopers 750ml tallies. I've collected about 40 of these by the simple method of buying and drinking Coopers B)
Many 330 ml stubbies are still crown seal, and some can be bought cheaply as cartons of euro lager. For example Oettinger for around $30 at BWS

However for home brew the most convenient bottles are the brown PET ones from the home brew shop or supermarkets, they can be used numerous times, around $15 for 15. When I started brewing I used 2L soft drink bottles from ALDI (Regal cola 99c a bottle) and just tipped the cola down the sink.

I never thought I would ever post this piccie again but here goes:



The system got me going just fine, but since then I have gone onto kegging and keep an assortment of bottles to bottle off the excess, enter beer in competitions etc.

The stick on thermometer strips are ok at first but after you have cleaned out the fermenter a few times with very hot water they can tend to 'stray'. Best to get a good glass or digital thermometer.
The hydrometer should be just fine.

 

[TidalPete]

Hey guys, first of great site you have here!!!

I'm pretty new to the home brew world, fairly typical set up, coopers kit and very little knoledge but alot of eagerness. . .


SO a few questions. . . . i have a bench capper, does that mean that i can use pretty much any kind of bottle, stubbie, l/neck, vb stubbie etc, or are some bottles stronget than others. i know that the brown ones are the way to go in terms of light and stuff.

Whats an average price for second hand bottles?

also, the hydrometer and the temp guage in the coopers kit, are they accurate or should i purchase some better ones?

thanks guys

Welcome to the forum lopeman. :icon_cheers:

You can cap every Australian beer bottle with your capper but brown crown seal bottles (The ones with no screwtop [Cheers Screwy ]) are the best to use.
They are the refillable type whereas the screwtops have thinner walls & are not really meant to be refilled although plenty of brewers do so. Never used stubbies. Too much work in cleaning, etc IMHO.
Of the crown seals Pickaxe brand (South Aust) has thicker walls & is the strongest TTBOMK. I can get a dozen crown seals (XXXX) from my LHBS for around $12 but you it all depends where you are?
Put your location below your avatar so others in your area can be of help.
I would use your Coopers gear for the moment but you will be better off in the long run obtaining a better quality & more accurate hydrometer & thermometer.
Take a good look through the "Articles" section at the top of this page for informative info to get you started.
Good luck with it.

TP

PS --- Geez I'm slow today.

 

[chappo1970]

Wot the other guys have said.

I found any heavy crown seal is best especially the Coopers for some reason. If you put more details in your signature you might even get a few thrown your way by local brewers. If you are in Brisbane I have some you can have to get you started.

Other than that keep your eye on the forum from time to time some brewers offer tallies up in the AHB Market thread for pretty cheap after a spring clean of the brewery.

View attachment 34237

I loved your "Goonies"

 

[TidalPete]

Slightly :icon_offtopic:

The old Coopers bottles used to be "Pickaxe" brand. Are the new-shaped Coopers made by the same mob?
Just curious I guess. :icon_cheers:

TP

 

[SeanAU]

Hi lopeman,

Same boat as you. I was just in the hunt for some coopers longneck bottles (i'm in Sydney, not sure where you are). Looking around on ebay, they tend to be going from anywhere from 40c to over $1 per bottle... From what I can see, they're mostly going for about 60-70c per bottle, in varying lots of 30,45,60,90 etc...

The twist-top longnecks (VB, carlton etc) are going for about $25-35 per 100 on ebay... A lot cheaper, though I ended up opting for the coopers' thicker glass, rightly or wrongly....

I asked here on the marketplace forum a day or so ago and had some lined up within about 3 hours. If anyone is likely to have a few crown seal bottles laying around to sell, they're going to be here!

Cheers,
Sean.

 

[lopeman]

Ok thanks guys, I have quite a few of the coopers 375ml stubbiew (screw top) and just wanted to make sure they would be ok.

Yeah sean am currently in the process gettin some of the same guy you got them from. . . . actually PM'ed him from your post.

 

[np1962]

Slightly :icon_offtopic:

The old Coopers bottles used to be "Pickaxe" brand. Are the new-shaped Coopers made by the same mob?
Just curious I guess. :icon_cheers:

TP

All SA longnecks were made by Adelaide Bottle Co. These were the Pickaxe brand bottles.
ABC is no longer around. Disappeared around the time container deposit came in and the bottles were then made with thinner walls and were not meant to be refilled.
Coopers saw the sense in looking after the homebrewer as they are the largest supplier of kits etc in Aus and now have their longnecks made with thicker walls suitable for refilling. These are the newer shape bottles.
The thinner walled bottle are used by many brewers but you need to be very careful of carb levels and cleanliness and never use them if chipped or cracked. This includes ALL stubbie sized screw top bottles and most other 330-375ml bottles and larger bottles that do not come from Coopers products.
Bottle Bombs are dangerous!

Cheers
Nige

 

[MarkMc]

Welcome lopeman

I've just started my forst Coopers kit too. Not expecting the stick on thermometer to last too long as I have submerged the ber pot in the bath in an attempt to keep it cool. Will let you know if it comes off.

Good luck.

Mark

 

[manticle]

also, the hydrometer and the temp guage in the coopers kit, are they accurate or should i purchase some better ones?

thanks guys

I don't need to add much but in regards to your question about the hydrometer: I don't know the one that comes with the coopers kit but the one I first got was a Brigalow and only read as far as 1040. The average kit is 1040 but it is possible to brew outside that level. If your hydrometer reads significantly beyond that (hopefully as far as 1100) and reads 1000 in a vessel of 20 degree water then you should be fine.

Stick on temp guages are always problematic but may give you a rough indication, particularly if kept dry.

 

[lopeman]

Ok so it is safe to use say a 375ml crown larger bottle?? I just wanna make sure i'm not going to blow the whole operation up