Using Commercial Beer Bottles

[tangent]

you buy bigger caps and a bigger capper head, ask your local HBS dude
bulk priming and racking really couldn't be easier, do some reading here and use the SEARCH feature

 

[Phoenix]

My 330 bottles have never seemed over gassed, but these do tend to be the ones i drink first of a batch and i keep the champers bottles to shelve.

You cap champers bottles, need bigger 'tirage' caps and matching bell end for the bench capper. Champagne is two stage fermented, first with the caps, then they release, take out sediment, then they cork.

Good for us, we, (well me) just cap the once. Nice looking bottles, strong as all buggery. Champagne is stored under higher pressures than beer. Those bottles take some punishment.

[post="94030"][/post]​

Cheers, thanks for all that. Numerous things there I didn't know.

 

[peas_and_corn]

My two cents on reusing bottles is that some breweries use crappier glass than others- I have been warned by other brewers that west end uses cheaper glass and that their bottles are prone to breaking. I have only had one bottle bomb and it was a west end bottle (not mine; friend left it at my place. I don't buy west end). I like the standard crownie bottles, becks ones are quite good, the best idea is to not use them too many times, as each time they get weaker.

I'll also vouch for bulk priming, it's a great idea. I had several beer cordials in one batch (it was my now ex's fault, she forgot to add the priming sugar), and it isn't a good feeling pouring a flat beer (like VB ). Also, it makes it easier to avoid explosions due to over carbonating.

Boozy- what size bubbles do you get from the drops? I found they gave more soft drink size bubbles than beer size bubbles... but probably due to the fact the batch I used them in was crap. I quite liked eating them, though. mmm... sweet.

 

[Boozy the clown]

P&K, the drops sem to nearly always give me decent size bubbles. One of my brews that i used honey in had big soda water sized bubbles in it, not so good.

Back to thin glass in bottles, mate of mine used to work for ACI in brisbane, had said that they made the glass as thin as possible, so much so that the brewery was comlaining about bottles acutally breaking as they were on the production line.

 

[Steve]

Pheonix - I use longnecks, stubbies, brown ones, green ones, crown seals, twist tops, grolsch swing tops and never had one break. Regarding priming grab yourself a double ended sugar scoop (one end for longnecks, the other for stubbies) and use that with sugar instead of carb drops. Get a few brews under your belt before buying another fermenter....once you have another fermenter you'll be racking to secondary and bulk priming in no-time (all helps for a better beer) :beer:
Cheers
Steve

P.S. Start buying and drinking some longnecks to get your stocks of bottles up. Also Col in Kambah sells them pretty cheap.

 

[DrewCarey82]

So what is the verdict? Can you use commercial beer bottles? Can I use my Becks bottles? If not, what characteristics do I need to check for in a bottle for it to be usable (other than crown caps?)?

[post="93942"][/post]​

Welcome, Twist tops are fine as long as you have a decent bench top capper, trust me fork out $45 @ big w for a brigalow one does the job great on any bottle seal.

I've used for months and have a fantastic seal on every beer.

 

[nonicman]

Some bottles don't appear to have the right sized top for standard crown seals. I think it was Hollandia (cheapish Dutch import). Saved the bottles from a case last year. First attempt at capping used a fair bit of force on the bench top capper and broke the bottle, tried again but with no success. I could be mistaken and just stuffed up the capping (as I don't have any of these bottles around to double check), but I'm fairly sure that tops of these bottles are not designed for use with the standard crown seal. Be good if someone can yay or nay this observation.

 

[Trough Lolly]

Another vote here for bulk priming and getting a decent bench capper - the bulk priming ensures that any vessel that holds a seal will do since you don't have to stuff around with adding priming sugar to each bottle - eg, Grolsch swingtops, Darwin Stubbies, etc and buying a good quality bench capper will see you right....er, until you start kegging!!

Cheers,
TL

 

[Phoenix]

Welcome, Twist tops are fine as long as you have a decent bench top capper, trust me fork out $45 @ big w for a brigalow one does the job great on any bottle seal.

I've used for months and have a fantastic seal on every beer.

[post="94167"][/post]​

WOW! I didn't realise you can purchase a capper at Big W. I might have to have a look on the week-end, as that seems to be about half the price of the ones at my local HBS.

....er, until you start kegging!!

[post="94175"][/post]​

Yeah I was reading about that, it sounds cool. But guess stick to basics for now.

Cheers guys.

 

[wee stu]

I obtained a new Coopers Pale Ale long neck today, and they appear to have gone back to the good old days of crown tops. Not as sturdy and robust as the old pick axe bottles but more elegant and capper proof than the twist top versions. Worth looking out for in your bottle sourceing travails.

Boozy, I agree with you, champagne bottles are excellent as home brew bottles. Bulk priming is the way to go though, consistent and accurate priming of every bottle in a batch, no matter what the size of the vessell.

awrabest, stu

 

[Steve]

Phoenix - its worth spending the extra $20 or so to get the ventomatic capper from Cols. He will even scribble the date of purchase on the bottom in case something happens to it in the next 2 years - you get a replacement no questions asked. Never used a Brigalow capper so cant comment on them.
Cheers
Steve

 

[warrenlw63]

Sparkling wine bottles kill several birds with the one stone.

It allows you to go to the good bottlos and aquire yourself some much-needed and earned imported beers or whatever takes your fancy and justify the expense by buying your SWMBO a nice bottle of sparkling whatever she likes. Everybody is a winner. You also can tell her, don't worry hon! I'll get rid of the bottles for you. :lol: You'll earn brownie points by not shirking your domestic responsibilities and most probably ehancing your conjugal ones all on the same bill. :wub:

Warren -

 

[Phoenix]

Phoenix - its worth spending the extra $20 or so to get the ventomatic capper from Cols. He will even scribble the date of purchase on the bottom in case something happens to it in the next 2 years - you get a replacement no questions asked. Never used a Brigalow capper so cant comment on them.
Cheers
Steve

[post="94191"][/post]​

hmmmmm... that sounds pretty good.

 

[OCC]

brewing is all about looking after yourself while keeping her happy,
if she's not happy you'll be looking after yourself in more ways than one.
:beerbang:

 

[Phoenix]

Update

So I just went down to my local bottle shop, and picked myself up a case of long necks (Carlton Draught). At the shop I noticed that many of the other long necks (other than Coopers and Tooheys New) were using what appeared to be the same bottles. I thought that must be a good sign.

Anyway, once I got home I had a closer look at the bottles to see if they had the same NO REFILL printing on them. Lo an' behold, they did. Further, I then noticed three letters that I remembered from this thread, ACI. I had a quick look at my becks bottles, and they are also from ACI.

Then, I noticed that they're actually screw tops, not crowns. I assumed (incorrectly, and not drinking long necks normally) that all long necks where crowns.

So in summary, now I have 12 bottles with the following concerns:
1. Twist tops - but ppl here have said they cap fine.
2. Still got NO REFILL - but ppl seem to not worry about this
3. ACI - one guy said to stay away from these (but now it seems they make most bottles)

One good thing is, that they're 800ml rather than the 'standard' 750. Why is that good, because at least for the first time I use them, I will still being using one ferm and thereby just sticking with carb drops. Sure they may come out under carbed, but at least my mind might sleep a little easier thinking they wont blow.

Anyway, I think I'm starting to get the idea here. Basically there are no hard and fast rules about bottles, but you just need to give it a go and hope for the best. And in general, no one seems to have normal commercial bottles explode on them.

Guess it's just the not knowing.

Anyway, cheers all.

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

1- As you said, they are fine.
2- Remember the days when bottlers gave a refund on bottles because they re-used them? It's a mixture of that and the fact that they don't want to get sued if you fill them with a product other than theirs and something goes wrong. So no worries there.
3- DO NOT be at all concerned by who actually made the bottles. The only ones I've ever seen problems with are Carlton Cold clear bottles and Stella Artois (spelling) bottles...the Stella ones have cut up a couple of barmen I know upon opening

PZ.

*EDIT* I also meant to say don't worry, just use the bottles man, everything will be fine

 

[Phoenix]

No worries. Good post, appreciate it.

Now for the waiting... Feels a bit like when you're a kid at christmas waiting to open the presents. But now it's waiting to bottle the first brew and then finally drink it.

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Feels a bit like when you're a kid at christmas waiting to open the presents.

I feel like that too...I'm getting a set of stainless pots for Christmas...I'd rather it was a surprise because then I wouldn't know...can't bloody wait!

Give it a while and you'll be confusing family members too with requests for unusual presents like cookware :lol:

PZ.

 

[Uncle Fester]

They instructed to take only one sample just before bottling to ensure that the SG is at 1004, and only then to bottle.

If you draw the sample slowly, the air lock will reverse bubble, but no liquid will make it's way back into the fermenter. As long as you have a good seal on the fermenter, your brew will be protected by a layer of carbon dioxide on top of the beer.

To be the Devils Advocate, if you were to follow the Morgan's suggestion, what would you do if you took a reading, and it was 1010?

You cannot bottle, because the brew is not 1004 (Which I have only ever achieved brewing a cider), and you have now blown your measurement window of opportunity.......


2 readings the same over consecutive days is the most accurate.

M

 

[Phoenix]

To be the Devils Advocate, if you were to follow the Morgan's suggestion, what would you do if you took a reading, and it was 1010?

[post="94317"][/post]​

First up, I made a boo boo and the instructions actually said 1005.

But say I did that final reading and it was 1010. Assuming I'd made any necessary temp adjustments, I think I would simply write down that measurement, and leave it for another day. If the next day I found that it had not moved I would make the assumption that fermentation had indeed completed and I would bottle. However if on the second day I found yet another change, I would simply have to wait one more day.

But if nothing else, I will just think it over a little more at the time.

Hopefully thought it should all be fine. They recommend 5 days, but I'm giving it slightly more than that. This is because I've brewed on the Sunday, and will not check for bottling until Saturday. So about an extra 24 hours in there.