Glass bottles

[apoole]

Hi all,

I'm a noob brewer & am about to put a black rock cider kit together in my coopers fermenter. I was given 60 330ml glass bottles (ex 'cleanskin beer' bottles) and a capper from the old man & was wondering if it would be safe to reuse these bottles or should I stick with the plastic bottles?

The bottles don't say "do not reuse" or anything like that...

Adam

 

[carniebrew]

As long as the stubbies are in good nick, no cracks or chips etc, there should be no problem with using them. Even the glass bottles with "do not re-use/refill" on them can be re-used many, many times...it's just the bottle manufacturer trying to cover their arse in case a home brewer stuffs up their priming rate, gets an infection in the bottle or bottles their brew before it's finished fermenting.

If you can avoid all of those catastrophes, your bottles can be re-used for many years to come....bottle bombs are nasty though, so take plenty of care.

 

[apoole]

Thanks mate! They've only been used once &
I'd like to use glass long term so I'll give them a try

 

[HBHB]

+ 1 - you'll find glass better all the way. But try to stick with amber bottles and avoid the clear ones unless you can store them away from bright lights/windows etc. brown glass protects your beers from chemical changes ( search skunked beer) caused by exposure to light, especially sunlight.

Martin

 

[NickB]

The bottles will be fine. Just makes sure 150% that you have reached final gravity and don't bottle too early, or over prime. The results of this can be catastrophic or even lethal! Do a google for 'bottle bomb' if you don't believe me!


Cheers

 

[Black Devil Dog]

I've never used 330ml bottles and honestly, it would be my least preferred option for several reasons, but only one that really counts.

Safety.

There are too many things, as an inexperienced brewer, that you might not have down pat and could cause bottle bombs. When I got into homebrewing first time around, all I used were PET bottles and I had so many gushers, if they were in 330ml bottles, I probably wouldn't have eyes today.

 

[MaltyHops]

Thanks mate! They've only been used once &
I'd like to use glass long term so I'll give them a try

Champagne bottles could be an option.

Pros: bottles dirt cheap; very strong; can use champagne stoppers

Cons: need to shield bottles from light (see post)

Obviously you would need a bench capper with larger sized "tirage" bell
- if your capper is a bench capper, ought to be able to get a tirage for it
and if not a bench capper, well it's the best capping option (especially if
you're going to use the 330mL bottles inany case)

 

[dicko]

Twst top bottles.... Ditch 'em,
Crown seal bottles.... Use 'em with full attention to correct bottling procedures for safety!

 

[Scottye]

I've never used 330ml bottles and honestly, it would be my least preferred option for several reasons, but only one that really counts.

Safety.

There are too many things, as an inexperienced brewer, that you might not have down pat and could cause bottle bombs. When I got into homebrewing first time around, all I used were PET bottles and I had so many gushers, if they were in 330ml bottles, I probably wouldn't have eyes today.

This fact shouldn't be overlooked, however it depends on how versed you are when you start out. Sure I know some people that have been brewing for 10 years that still get gushers, they have never done it the right way and are not open to instruction. I've never had an overcarbed bottle, I wouldn't say that I'm lucky because I always ensured the ferment was complete and I was very pedantic about cleanliness and sanitation, and priming. I've used all types from Cascade stubbies, Coopers long necks, and 330 LC and CRABBIES GB pints without issue.

As for the OP, Adam I would take on board what BDD says and make sure you are clear on and confident in your procedures
.

 

[philmud]

If you're worried about bottle bombs, instead of bulk priming your first batch try using the coopers carbonation drops - 1 per stubby or 2 per long neck. I did that for my first few brews and it worked great and no gushers/bottle bombs (though they could obviously still occur). I eventually stopped using them because I wanted to be able to use pint bottles.

 

[carniebrew]

I've used all types from Cascade stubbies, Coopers long necks, and 330 LC and CRABBIES GB pints without issue.

.

And to add to this, I've used 750ml twist top light weight VB bottles (inherited from my father in law who used to bottle his own pasta sauce in them each year) many times. They crown seal perfectly, despite some assumptions to the contrary. But i'd imagine they'd be the first to burst if anything ever went wrong. I've since picked up a heap of heavy roll top Coopers tallies which will replace the twist top tallies from now on.

 

[apoole]

Thanks for the advice everyone. The glass bottles
are crown top green glass & seem slightly thicker/heavier than (say) a peroni bottle of the same capacity. Would one coopers carbonation drop be too much for 330ml as two are used for 750mL?

 

[apoole]

Also, I'm thinking of using plastic bottle until I get a bit more confidence, jut thought I'd ask the question while I'm on the topic

 

[yum beer]

Thanks for the advice everyone. The glass bottles
are crown top green glass & seem slightly thicker/heavier than (say) a peroni bottle of the same capacity. Would one coopers carbonation drop be too much for 330ml as two are used for 750mL?

I use Blue Tongue bottles, 30ml crown top, never had a problem, but I'm very careful about allowing fermentation to finish and not overpriming.
I use 2/3 a carb drop for each bottle, chop them with a good heavy knife using near the hilt of the lade - about an inch down,
use 1 in each bottle or 2 small ends a bottle. Takes about 5 minutes to chop up and gives a nice fizz level. I full dop is too much in these bottles, you can taste the co2 and your pushing into overgassing.
Sanitation and patience are your friends.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

I use Blue Tongue bottles, 30ml crown top, never had a problem, but I'm very careful about allowing fermentation to finish and not overpriming.
I use 2/3 a carb drop for each bottle, chop them with a good heavy knife using near the hilt of the lade - about an inch down,
use 1 in each bottle or 2 small ends a bottle. Takes about 5 minutes to chop up and gives a nice fizz level. I full dop is too much in these bottles, you can taste the co2 and your pushing into overgassing.
Sanitation and patience are your friends.

You cut your carbonation drops? :huh:

Fark that.

 

[MaltyHops]

I use Blue Tongue bottles, 30ml crown top, never had a problem, but I'm very careful about allowing fermentation to finish and not overpriming.
...

Crikey! You must wash a lot of bottles!












Sorry, couldn't resist :lol:

 

[gTrain]

That is only 760 odd bottles. I'm sure once you got into the swing of things you could get through them.

The tough part would be finding a small bottle brush.

...or it could have a typo B)

 

[carniebrew]

Thanks for the advice everyone. The glass bottles
are crown top green glass & seem slightly thicker/heavier than (say) a peroni bottle of the same capacity. Would one coopers carbonation drop be too much for 330ml as two are used for 750mL?

One coopers carb drop is fine for a 330ml bottle. I admire yum beer's dedication in chopping the little bastards down, and he'd certainly get a better level of carbonation, but as BDD said, fark that!

You'll probably find 1 carb drop in a 330 bottle means you'll need to pour your beer pretty aggressively into a glass before drinking, to release some of the co2. Let the head settle, then get stuck in. But the quicker you move to bulk priming the better....I now carb my beers to around 2.7 volumes....I once estimated the carb drops carb a beer up to something more like 3.2. And the beauty of bulk priming is I can split my beer amongst 330, 375, 500, 640 and 750ml bottles without worrying about drop sizes. Bloody pain moving the bench capper up and down though!

 

[pk.sax]

I used to find one olly per grolsch bottle was plenty....

to each their own. Bulk prime ftw.

 

[dicko]

:icon_offtopic: Two words...........BULK PRIME!!!!


Cheers