Noob Q - Old Bottles Ok To Brew With

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philmud

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Hi guys,

Not sure if this is a silly question or not, but I was given 56 old beer bottles last night and I'm trying to figure out if they are OK to brew with (or if I should try to sell them instead).

The guy who gave me the bottles says that he thinks some may pre-date WWII (he found them under floorboards in an old house) - there are various kinds, lots of the old MBCV (Manufaturers Bottle Co. Victoria) tallies, quite a few shorter (but more squat) green bottles (these have very little writing, just some numbers at the base) and a number of amber tallies with "The Property of Richmond N.S Brewing Co Pty Ltd" embossed in a ring around the base of the bottle.

I have no idea whether crown seals will fit these bottles, or how to value them (I'd be pretty chuffed if they were worth enough to replace them with new bottles!) - does anyone brew in old bottles like this?
 
As a start, how about trying to cap it ?
 
If they are that old then maybe you should have a look around and see if they are worth anything as a collectable? you never know...and doesn't glass that old sometimes contain lead?
 
Hi Cambrew,
They are similar to the one pictured, but amber instead of green. I did a bit of googling and I don't think the ones I have are highly sought after. Still there's a few, be nice to trade 'em in for some swing tops or similar.
 
If you can cap them with an ordinary crown seal then you should fill them with home brew instead of swapping them, as long as they clean up ok. I reckon it'd be kinda cool to have some old bottles to use for brewing. I'm getting a bit bored with using Coopers and VB longnecks for my beer.
 
Well yeh just give them a go if they seal like normal then there is no reason not to.
 

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