Why Use Glass Bottles?

[Strange Dog]

Why use glass bottles. From what I've read, PET bottles are cheaper, lighter, easier to cap and detonate more safely. So why should I use glass ?

 

[Batz]

Why use glass bottles. From what I've read, PET bottles are cheaper, lighter, easier to cap and detonate more safely. So why should I use glass ?

Why use glass?

Go grab hold of a PET bottle of your beer, now grab the same beer in glass......say no more!

 

[Strange Dog]

But if you are storing your bottles in the dark where no one can see them, and you are pouring them into a glass to avoid sediment, doesnt PET win ?

 

[roo_dr]

But if you are storing your bottles in the dark where no one can see them, and you are pouring them into a glass to avoid sediment, doesnt PET win ?

Well if that is the plan why not just store the entire batch in one big can...

 

[going down a hill]

Would you buy beer from the bottle-o in plastic? I wouldn't, ever.

 

[kelbygreen]

glass lasts longer, it wont impart different flavours, its easier to clean as the PET as the little dimples in the bottom. be few more reasons but in the end it comes down to why not keg?? lol I hated cleaning and filling 60 tallies a brew pain in the arse. just rinse fill 2 lts water with sodium perc shake the hell out it put little threw the lines and leave 15-20 mins or when you get another beer tip it up till you get another beer rinse and flush lines with clean water then sanitise keg and lines hook the fermenter up threw the beer out and go have another beer come back when its almost drained, wait few mins force carb get another beer then burb and start drinking lol

 

[Phoney]

PET bottles are cheaper

What, cheaper than free?

Unless you're buying longnecks & tipping the contents down the sink

 

[Greg Lawrence]

Why use either when you have kegs?

 

[waggastew]

I have used PET's from the start (up to bottling my 20th brew) and this is my experience. For anything you are going to drink within 6-10 months PET's work well, are easy to clean and store. Over 10 months you risk losing carb as the plastic is slightly permeable. I recently bottled in glass an RIS which I plan to drink over the next few years as I did not want to take the risk.

Stew

PS. The big advantage with glass is you tend to buy the bottles pre-filled with yummy beer (usually Coopers). $15 for 15 empty plastics or $45 for 12 empty glass ones + a case worth of Pale Ale......

 

[Strange Dog]

I've only bottled one brew (my first) and have yet to drink it, but it is becoming clear that if I am going to become self sufficient I'm going to have to collect a hell of a lot of bottles to allow for time it takes from bottling to being able to drink anything. I figure that if I stick with the hobby I will probably end up kegging but in the meantime I am trying to keep it cheap and a combination of homebrew PET bottles and 1.25L softdrink bottles seem easier to get than glass, and I also dont need to spend $50 on a bench capper. I can understand preferring to drink from a glass bottle though, I'm doing it as I type (stella, as I have another week to wait before sampling my first brew).

 

[Batz]

But if you are storing your bottles in the dark where no one can see them, and you are pouring them into a glass to avoid sediment, doesnt PET win ?

Think PET bottles are made for brewers like you, if it suits you then go for it.

 

[Phoney]

Why use either when you have kegs?

Because kegs are a PITA to take to a mate house / BBQ / party / camping / beach / park etc & keep cold.

Also, when you brew a 21L batch and keg 19L, what do you do with the surplus 2L?

 

[kelbygreen]

make a counter pressure bottle filler then you are set but again more outlay lol I fill from the tap if drinking that night but get a heap of head so need to take 1/4 more then you would of as can only get 3/4 full when filling so want a CPBF but buy a carton of coopers to take so they lasts me about 1-2months

Well the suplus 2L is mostly trub anyway so if you do try to get it out you put heap more yeast in your keg. Look at it this way the losses (well when AG) is alot more then kit or extract but its cheaper. So like my next batch 5.17kg grain 60g hops yeast and all cost $24.69 for 21lt knock out into fermenter. But in there I got about 700ml loss to mash tun dead space and about 2 lts to kettle loss so really its close to 24lts but can only get 21 into fermenter.

but you think of it $24.69 even at 19lts (which I think I get closer to 20lts in mine but its almost chocker.
say $1.30 a lt
so works out 55c per 425ml or a schooner
go down the pub and they want $5.20 for a VB so cant see the loss!

Oh and thats for a beer thats about 5.6% and has good bitterness and hop aroma so in the pub prob pay $8 or so a schooner or in bottle shop $5 for a 365ml bottle

 

[pk.sax]

I've only bottled one brew (my first) and have yet to drink it, but it is becoming clear that if I am going to become self sufficient I'm going to have to collect a hell of a lot of bottles to allow for time it takes from bottling to being able to drink anything. I figure that if I stick with the hobby I will probably end up kegging but in the meantime I am trying to keep it cheap and a combination of homebrew PET bottles and 1.25L softdrink bottles seem easier to get than glass, and I also dont need to spend $50 on a bench capper. I can understand preferring to drink from a glass bottle though, I'm doing it as I type (stella, as I have another week to wait before sampling my first brew).

Lets see, bench cappers don't cost that much, they cost ~30 bucks from K mart and thats the superautomatica ones with replaceable bell.

Secondly, plastic, you gotta buy them ALL the time, and they do fowl up. If you get an infection or scratch a bottle on the inside trying to clean.. bye bye $$.

Glass,.. well, once you got a supply of free glass it costs you nix. I'm sure if your friends knewyou brew they'd let you have their weekly bottle collections. You can collect enough stubbies for a batch over a bbq. Over time you're gonna drink different, new beers, some really radical ones too... some of the nicest come in 500 ml bottles, well, these also happen to be pretty tough bottles. you'll end up building a collection of sturdy bottles. Cleaning is a breeze, rinse with HOT water and spray a little starsan in each. My routine was to rinse them out with hot water, drain upside down in a milk crate and then turn over and spray a squirt of starsan in each before starting to fill. Can't get easier.
Even if you forget to drain & rinse your beer bottles straight after pouring, stick them all in a dishwasher at highest temp and let em have it. Glass does just fine while the plastic actually starts to warp.

As Batz said, they must've had had a target market in mind when they invested in making plastic bottles!!!

btw, bottling in clear plastic cola bottles risks staling your beer through the hops decomposing. Might not affect you if you just use kits, but its a chance otherwise.

 

[Phoney]

make a counter pressure bottle filler then you are set but again more outlay lol I fill from the tap if drinking that night but get a heap of head so need to take 1/4 more then you would of as can only get 3/4 full when filling so want a CPBF but buy a carton of coopers to take so they lasts me about 1-2months

Well the suplus 2L is mostly trub anyway so if you do try to get it out you put heap more yeast in your keg. Look at it this way the losses (well when AG) is alot more then kit or extract but its cheaper. So like my next batch 5.17kg grain 60g hops yeast and all cost $24.69 for 21lt knock out into fermenter. But in there I got about 700ml loss to mash tun dead space and about 2 lts to kettle loss so really its close to 24lts but can only get 21 into fermenter.

but you think of it $24.69 even at 19lts (which I think I get closer to 20lts in mine but its almost chocker.
say $1.30 a lt
so works out 55c per 425ml or a schooner
go down the pub and they want $5.20 for a VB so cant see the loss!

Oh and thats for a beer thats about 5.6% and has good bitterness and hop aroma so in the pub prob pay $8 or so a schooner or in bottle shop $5 for a 365ml bottle

If you're looking at saving money, kegs don't really come into the equation. It's purely for convenience.

I spent close to $1000 to build my kegerator (chest freezer + 4 kegs + taps & bits + c02 tank + temp controller). That's more than I spend on beer (brewing or otherwise) for a whole year. If I was doing the sums to save cash I would have stuck with bottling.

 

[kelbygreen]

well ok I will add how I used to do things. when you empty the bottle then you rinse them under the tap and shake get the yeast out then I always had a pot or a fermenter or 2 filled with napsan just drop them in there next day get them out and rinse again and hang on the bottle rack that napisan eats any organic material right off them only bottled brushed ones I got from guys that never washed them out and mould was on there just soak scub and soak never had a infection.

Also back on losses sorry. 2Lts in a fermenter isnt much when I was bottling the last 20-30ml was left in the bottle from the yeast being disturbed so there is about 400ml lost there plus the 1lt or so left in the fermenter so I didnt pull all the yeast out

 

[kelbygreen]

yeah thats true phoney, But I guess when you get into it cost saving isnt always the first thing you think about. I did get into brewing to save money but as you you can do it cheaply but then you get into it and it cost you money you will get it back after a few years but it does cost lol But its a hobby and I raced RC cars most I spent about $1800+ to build and I had 3. then every race you broke or wore something out and fuel is $60 for 4 lts plus the time tuning them and maintaining them I was prob spending $100 a week on them and gain nothing from it but enjoyment. Where beer making I am spending money but to save money and drinking beers I never would of been able to by as if I came home with a carton of 330ml bottles and cost me $90+ my misses would kill me now I can brew 2 cartons for $25 lol but the gear I buy she still tries to kill me for just put it on credit and say it cost a bit less lol

 

[Strange Dog]

OK I am starting to see the benefits of glass. I dont often buy tallies and I dont have any local friends so any glass I get will be what I have already drunk from. I usually get through a carton of Stella each weekend. Is bottling in Stella Artios stubbies OK? I also have about a dozen Tooheys New tallies but they are threaded. Is it OK to use one of those cheapo hammer cappers on these bottles? If it works out I will get a bench capper in a month or two. I know they dont cost heaps but so far I have spent more than $100 and have yet to drink a single drop !
I will be investing a bit more in gear later on but the first few months I need to keep it cheap. Once I start saving money by not having to buy a carton every week I will have more money to spend

 

[TidalPete]

You're not a real brewer if you can't bottle in glass.
You're not a real brewer if your carbonation regime blows glass all over the shop.
You ARE a real brewer if you can bottle in both without any mishaps but glass is better by far.

TP

 

[bignath]

Is bottling in Stella Artios stubbies OK? I also have about a dozen Tooheys New tallies but they are threaded. Is it OK to use one of those cheapo hammer cappers on these bottles? If it works out I will get a bench capper in a month or two. I know they dont cost heaps but so far I have spent more than $100 and have yet to drink a single drop !

Yep, have a mate who uses a variety of bottles. One of the varieties is Stella. His beers are fine.

Yep, it's ok to use screw cap bottles. You'll still get a good, airtight seal.

IMO, it's a waste of time using a hammer (hand capper). All they do is break glass (eventually). Mine was good for a short while, but i suspect the repeated smacking of the lid onto the bottle, weakens the glass, and then all of a sudden i was snapping them off in my hand. Dangerous stuff. This is my opinion only, it's a long way from being factual, just my experience.

Do it right and get a bench capper. Don't go for a lever capper as a halfway compromise, just go by a bench capper. They are worth their weight in gold.

I mostly keg my beers, but i still have a decent collection of glass so i still use them. You cannot go past a bench capper for bottling beers in glass.

Lastly, this will sound really arrogant and rude - im not intentionally going for that angle though.
$100 isn't a whole lot of money to spend on something that saves so much in return.
Example: a typical "home brew kit" from the supermarket costs around $85-90. It makes two and a half boxes of beer for that outlay.
Two boxes of your typical aussie beer over the counter will set you back pretty much that same dollar figure if not more. Even if you only do two batches in your life, the second batch will cost you around $20 and save you another $90-100. I'd spend that money saved on a decent capper in a heartbeat, before i'd even tasted the first.

I'm sure i will get flamed for this last paragraph - completely expected, but i'm not trying to stir shit, just trying to highlight how far in front with savings you already are...
Even though you haven't tasted a drop yet, trust us, unless you've really fucked something up, your first beer will make you want to make another......and another.....then a few more..... :icon_cheers:

Cheers n beers,

Nath