Bottles Bottles Bottles

[mborja]

Hello all, just figured I'd start a new casual topic. I wanted to share my bottling techniques using 40oz bottles. I found it was cheap and easy to assemble a batch of brown, glass, 40oz malt liquor bottles with screw top caps. They have so far proven to be excellent for bottling homebrew, and I use about 15 of them for a standard 23L batch.

I am from Maine, USA and my local marts are stacked with cheap 40oz bottles of Natural Ice, Milwaukee's Best, and Pabst Blue Ribbon. The worst part is just having to drink my through them, but it's nice to only have to clean, sanitize, and prime 15 bottles. I use exactly one tablespoon of dextrose which primes perfectly, and have also found that the screw top caps do a good job of sealing, not a flat bottle yet.

So what do you have the best luck with?

 

[wabster]

I bottle almost exclusively in the traditional Aussie 750ml "King Brown" bottle with a crown seal, as I now have quite a collection of them.

However they are getting harder to get as most breweries now use the lighter thinner screw top 750ml bottles. I never use stubbies, 375ml or imports 330ml to bottle.

While collecting them I bought a few cases of Coopers tallies with a view to keeping the bottles.

We don't have larger beer containers here unless you count the 5 litre mini-kegs of Heineken etc.

If I want to use larger containers, I use up to 2 litre plastic soft drink bottles primed proportionally.

Cheerz Wabster.

 

[Mick74]

Cooper's tallies/longnecks are definitely my favourite but the Pet have found a place in my bottling regime too. I also use grolsch swing top bottles when they come my way - I've had a few flat beers with these though.

 

[praxis178]

Cooper's tallies/longnecks are definitely my favourite but the Pet have found a place in my bottling regime too. I also use grolsch swing top bottles when they come my way - I've had a few flat beers with these though.

Grolsch swing tops (150ish)
English speciality beers 500ml crown seal (40)
Aussie crown seal long necks (60)
Stubbies: 330, 345, 375ml all crown seal (~720)

That list is in order of preference and how many I have in my "brewery", everything is brown glass except the swing tops and some of the 500ml English ones (8 clear ones there), and three cartons of import Euro trash 330ml bottles. They're in the back somewhere and if I get desperate will get used.

As I bulk prime it really doesn't matter what bottle size I'm going into....

 

[superdave]

Bottled with champagne bottles for one brew; the downside is requiring a corker, but the upside is they are better at keeping the sediment in the bottle due to the shape.

 

[Dazza_devil]

We don't have larger beer containers here unless you count the 5 litre mini-kegs of Heineken etc.

We do have the Darwin Stubbies.
I think they are 2.25 litres (I think that calculates to around 76 oz) but I'm not sure if they are crown seals or any good for re-use.
You wouldn't need many for a batch but your beer would want to be clear. I find the 750ml Coopers bottles the best. Just decant into a jug and pour into a glass.
I like having a variety of different sized bottles for each brew, bulk priming makes this a pleasure.

 

[brocky_555]

I use a variety of bottles all crown seal exept the grolsh. I have alot of champers bottles and have found the same thing with the sediment, it tends to hold it in the bottle better. But I don't use corks, I have a cap that you press on with a bench capper it is a bit larger than a normal bottle cap, you have to buy a special bell for the capper but the bottles are thicker and they are all very dark green. Even a local brewery up here uses them so if they do why not use them. I use a variety of methods to prime depending on what mood takes me whether I feel like bulk priming or using the drops of just using a measure for just plain white sugar. I have a Darwin stubbie and they are 2 litre 4 carb drops should do that nicely. This is the first time I have used it but they are a crown seal and the glass is pretty thick so it should be ok for many batches to come.


Cheers Brocky

 

[RobboMC]

I find a 750 ml bottle is just about the right amount after a day at work, so I don't get an open bottle left lyinga round,
but when I do only want a single glass the Coopers PET screw caps do keep the beer OK overnight.

I like being able to feel the CO2 pressure in the PET, but I feel the beer does oxidise after 12 months.

I use both PET and glass, anything which is potentially brew comp material goes in glass, just so I can easily
know which is which, but the PET are far easier for volume brewing of megaswill.

I've got around 130 PET now, and well worth the investment. I've only had about 3 leaking caps in 5 years having bottled
close to 2000, that's not a bad average for a cheap cap

 

[raven19]

As long as they are clean, I dont mind what size.

Usually a mix for me, some long necks, some smaller ones. Whatever is clean and on top of the stack in the shed generally.

 

[JaffaMan]

Alls I use is 345ml bottles (from the Matilda Bay range), For some reason I like what carbonation I get with these, due to me using suger drops for priming.

Last year me and the misses went through a massive Matilda Bay peroid, it was a coulple of months before I started brewing and knew I'd need the bottles. Anyways I have enough to do about 3 and a half 23L brews, theres over 200 bottles, all Bees Nees, Fat Yak, Bohemian and a couple of Alphas.

Oh yeah there all crown sealed.

 

[praxis178]

Alls I use is 345ml bottles (from the Matilda Bay range), For some reason I like what carbonation I get with these, due to me using suger drops for priming.

Last year me and the misses went through a massive Matilda Bay peroid, it was a coulple of months before I started brewing and knew I'd need the bottles. Anyways I have enough to do about 3 and a half 23L brews, theres over 200 bottles, all Bees Nees, Fat Yak, Bohemian and a couple of Alphas.

Oh yeah there all crown sealed.

Speaking of MB, anyone notice that they have cheapened up on their bottles? They used to have "Matilda Bay" in raised lettering on the shoulder of their 345ml bottles, but on the last few I cleaned de-labelled today this was missing. So are these new bottles still made by ACI or have they changed supplier? If so the strength/quality might also have changed.....

I know that there are some VERY cheap liqueur/wine/beer bottles coming out of China right now (I got to look at some samples the other day, look OK, but finish and glass clarity/quality seems on the low side IMO).

 

[gallowesque]

Mostly Coopers Tallies which helps because I get to drink the sparkling ale that comes out of them first :icon_drunk:

Have used PET bottles but found quite a few flat beers along the way so would only use them on the cheap supermarket kit beers with no additives or anything.

 

[aking]

Bottled with champagne bottles for one brew; the downside is requiring a corker, but the upside is they are better at keeping the sediment in the bottle due to the shape.

I got caps and a bell to fit my bench capper that takes care of champagne bottles without the risk of corks.

Alot of wineries seem to be using these instead of corks on all but their super premium bubbles

 

[mborja]

Nice variety we have going here, CHEERS ALL!

 

[Hatchy]

Mostly Coopers Tallies which helps because I get to drink the sparkling ale that comes out of them first :icon_drunk:

Have used PET bottles but found quite a few flat beers along the way so would only use them on the cheap supermarket kit beers with no additives or anything.

What he said except I try to steer clear of red label these days, that stuff makes a mess of me. I'm up to about 25 dozen Coopers longnecks. I've got some crown seal stubbies, PET & champagne bottles but I reckon I'll be kegging before I need to use any of those.

 

[Bigbott]

G,day All,

I use them all what ever i can get hold of PET ,Glass,old Orange juice bottles ive even
reused some 2l flagan bottles from my mate that works at the pub i think they had
port or Muscat in them they worked a treat to,

Anyway check these couple out how close are the Extra dry ones !!
the one with the cap still on is the origial one,







Cheers Rob.

 

[Pete2501]

G,day All,

I use them all what ever i can get hold of PET ,Glass,old Orange juice bottles ive even
reused some 2l flagan bottles from my mate that works at the pub i think they had
port or Muscat in them they worked a treat to,

Anyway check these couple out how close are the Extra dry ones !!
the one with the cap still on is the origial one,

View attachment 35993View attachment 35992





Cheers Rob.

Does the one on the left taste as bad as the one on the right? h34r:

Teds are the devil.

I've used the NT 2ltr bottles and the usual 330-375 ones also some flip top grolsch. The big grolsch pretty big and easy.

 

[boriskane]

Speaking of MB, anyone notice that they have cheapened up on their bottles? They used to have "Matilda Bay" in raised lettering on the shoulder of their 345ml bottles, but on the last few I cleaned de-labelled today this was missing.

my beez neez that i bought a couple of days ago still has raised "Matilda Bay" lettering, maybe theyre phasing them out or something.

 

[praxis178]

my beez neez that i bought a couple of days ago still has raised "Matilda Bay" lettering, maybe theyre phasing them out or something.

Washed two cartons worth wed/thurs this week and all lacked the lettering, how I noticed is there were two of my empties from the night before (light ale) which have been in service now for about 6 months or so. Did take a few bottles before I clicked as to what was different! *That's* how boring washing bottles is!

>>>start shameless plug<<<
BTW if there is anyone looking for some 345ml bottles I have 10cases up for sale, link at what I think is very reasonable price considering the work need to get them ready for use.
>>>end shameless plug<<<

 

[the_yobbo]

My collection of beer bottles is pretty random. As a rough estimate, I've got (in order of preference)
20 King browns (crown seal)
60 Redback bottles (crown)
30 Crown lager bottles (crown)
30 Crown lager bottles still to be drunk and I think they are twist tops now
And then collecting beer bottles from Friday after work drinks
24 Stella bottles (crown)
40 Carlton draught (twist)
24 Extra Dry (twist)
40 more random bottles, generally twist tops.

Anyways, does anyone have anything against twist tops? I haven't had any trouble with them. After capping each bottle (weather twist or crown seal), I rotate the bottle 180degs and use the capper again on them, to ensure a good seal is made. It's pretty much habit now, don't know if its the normal thing to do.