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In bottling, does kind of bottles really matters?
We are a fast growing community of both experts and enthusiasts. In bottling beer and wines, is it necessary to use appropriate kind of bottles? Can I use a twist-offs like old Budweiser bottles? Please give me some idea and information you know about this?
Twist-off bottles are not optimal for use because, from what I have been told, they may not seal as well as the regular type, due to the way the traditional capper seals them. I have also heard (Not sure is this is true at all or not) that you can more easily break the twist-off bottles when capping or opening them with pry-off caps. I have just found it best to avoid them.
For best results, I have always gone with brown pry-off style bottles. Brown glass filters UV rays much better than green bottles, eliminating off-flavors & odors. I have heard good things about bail-top bottles, and have even found some in brown glass (Litre sized as well, I love that!), but have yet to pick any up. I just don't bottle all that often, but when I put down a Barley Wine or a Mead, I will definitely be using those bottles.
i've only bottled one batch of beer, but i learned something that i think is important:
look at a bottle of beer (forget twist-offs altogether, they are not an option).
at the top there is the lip that the cap wraps around, below that there is another bump. i don't know it's real name, so i am going to call it the "shoulder".
if you look at a bottle of guinness and hold it up next to a bottle of sam adams, you'll notice that the "shoulder" on the sam adams is about 1/2" lower down on the neck of the bottle than the "shoulder" on the guiness.
i've got one of those two-handled, butterfly style bottle cappers. it basically grabs onto the shoulder of the bottle and pulls that towards the bell and that's how it caps bottles.
what i found out is that it REALLY doesn't like the kind of bottles where the shoulder is close the lip (guinness, becks, bass all were like this). and it worked REALLY well on sam adams, new castle, and a couple of micro-brews that had the 1/2" seperation which i was talking about.
Generally, as long as the type your using provides a good seal (and as a bonus is somewhat impervious to light) your in the clear. If you don't particularly care what your bottles look like, you might want to try the plastic bottles many homebrew supply stores carry. They are totally fool-proof in terms of the capping procedure...just twist on the cap. They can also be had fairly cheaply in my experience. They come in several colours: usually green, brown or clear. I would go for the brown or green.
If your using a capper and bottle caps, definitely avoid using twist top bottles. I can't see you getting any kind of an adequate seal.
I've never used twist-off bottles. I wouldn't want to chance losing any of my home brewed beer to cheap bottling. I also wouldn't use the plastic bottles due to any phenolics your beer might get from the plastic. Also, plastic can pick up flavors that might give the next beer an off-flavor. Why chance it? I do not recommend using green or clear bottles due to beer becoming 'light-struck' and developing off-flavors. Always store your homebrew in dark and cool areas.
I have used grolsch (swing-top) bottles before, and you can buy new rubber rings for bottles that need the rubber replaced. These bottles are generally 16 ounces. The only problem I have had with them is when having used them for mead that was aged for many years, the rubber gasket sometimes deteriorated to the point that the mead became oxidized. This would not be a problem with beer that is consumed much quicker.
For people interested in entering your homebrews in competition:
Most competitions require brown/amber 12 ounce bottles without any defining raised lettering (like Samuel Adams) or labeling (like on corona bottles). If you are entering a mead or barley wine some competitions will allow nip bottles.
Nip bottles are generally 6.75 ounces and come in green, they are also called champagne splits. You can enter larger bottles in competition but it would be a waste of the beer. You need to enter three (3) bottles per entry and only a few ounces per judge is used. If you like to use 22 ounce or other large bottles consider bottling a small amount of your homebrew in 12 ounce bottles for competion and the rest in large bottles.
Cheers,
MzIce
If you are new to bottling beer, then get the kind of bottles that they sell at the homebrew store. They are much thicker, make a good seal when capping, and are amber to keep the light out. The reason I recommend these bottles for new brewers is because they are thicker than most, so they can hold more psi before they explode. If you accidentally use too much sugar or your beer is not quite done fermenting, then it might exert a lot of pressure on the bottle. The bottles intended for homebrewing are more lenient about this.
I agree, avoid twist off caps.
Also as you may read elsewhere here, the bottles not intended for refilling are usually not as thick as the refillable ones, making them more likely to break.
Never use twist-offs for all the reasons already mentioned.
You don't necessarily need to buy new bottles from the homebrew store. Just start recycling bottles.
Ask your friends to save beer bottles from their parties. Just make sure you retrieve them and get them rinsed within a day or so. I also have a homebrew friend who collects bottles when she's at the bar.
Also, when buying store-bought beer, stick with brands that don't come in twist-off bottles. Sam Adams & Corona. But, if you're planning on entering any of your homebrews in contests, keep in mind that clear-glass bottles, like Corona, aren't acceptable (only brown or green glass). Also, there are some bottles where the glass is on the thin side, or the lip of the bottle is then. Try to avoid these.
I have used both twist off and non twist bottles. I have personally never had a problem with my twist offs NOT sealing, but I agree that this is not the best choice.
Non twist are definitely the best. When you buy a sixer, save the bottles. I used to ask coworkers for bottles in exchange for free beer. Got LOTS of bottles that way.
But in a pinch, you can use twist off, just not the best way to go.
Also, you can use clear bottles as long as you keep them in a dark place. I have even used a few green bottles, but most bottles are dark anyway.
I stay away from green...they seem to be thinner and if you are not careful the beer can that skunk flavor from being light struck.
If twists off can't be trusted to seal right, would it help to use a sealing wax like on some wine bottles.
I really don't know I'm just asking.
Total newb here.
Marv.
I frequently used a few green and clear bottles for beer, just keep them in the dark. Now I save them for my new endeavors, maple wine, mead, cider and perry.
I highly recommend a bench capper, no twist offs ever, and swing tops are cool as long as the gaskets are good.
I just read an interesting article that basically says it is ok to use twist off bottles, if you take some precautions. Now, I have never used twist offs, and I never buy a six pack a beer that has twist offs because I don't want to use them, but according to the author, if you use a bench capper, which does not need to grab the bottle to seal the cap, you can get just as good a seal and you won't break the bottle. According to him (and he is a brewmaster at a microbrew) the big boys bottling technology works on the same principles as a bench capper, and if they can get a good seal on a twist off, then anybody can. Like I said, I never tried it, but it was interesting as I have always heard that you can't get a good seal on a twist off bottle.
I was told not to use twist offs... What I did to save some cash was went to my local Beer Depot and asked to buy some return cases at cost.... a big kettle of hot water boiled the lables off very nice and a bottle brush for the insides... I was a little skeptical at first but I had the oppertunity to check out the condition of the return cases... TheJet
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