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Newbies
we are just brewing our first batch with a Coopers kit. we are thinking of ordering more packages, and wonder about ordering more bottles. i have noticed that plastic bottles seem to be very unpopular and now am unsure what to do. any advice would be greatly appreciated. we're not sure how far we will take this, but we do like good micro beers, and hope this will be a successful hobby.
Well if you want to get into bottling with glass bottles, you are going to need bottles, caps and a capper. Bottles you can recycle from 22ounce bottles of beer you buy and drink, (or buy for around $12-14 for 12 at a local homebrew store) caps are a couple bucks for 100 and a capper is a one time expense of about $15-25 bucks for a standard capper. Personally I find it fun to use my capper to cap peoples drinks after they have opened them. 
Jarrod wrote:
Personally I find it fun to use my capper to cap peoples drinks after they have opened them.
That is a riot, I never thought of doing that! Cant wait to be the ahole this summer. Now that is entertainment.
Nick&Lori, welcome! Another way to collect bottles is easy, buy 4 cases of your favorite non-screwtop microbrew and pound them. If you are lushes like I am this will be quite easy, and a good excuse to get drunk.
The more reasonable way is to go to your local bottle return (if your state returns, MA does), and buy back a few cases of empties. I did this for grolsch bottles, and over the course of a couple months I was able to collect 8-10 cases of them. OK half I drank, but the other half I really did collect and buy back!
I agree with the "recycling" used bottles idea. Why buy empty bottles, when for a few more dollars you can get them "pre-filled" and have the enjoyment of emptying them?
And, let some of your similarly inclinded freinds know that a serious contibution of bottles will result in a ONE TIME, six pack of (12oz) homebrew. It's amazing how many you can rake in.
Preparing bottles - Some have pretty soluable glue, Bass for one. Put 'em in a hot sink with ammonia and the labels will fall off. Then into the dishwasher, minimal soap, a few drops. Maybe some Be-Bright, or another sanitizer
Go for 22oz'er if possible. Less cleaning, & how often do you have one beer?
My typical 5 gal. batch is 24 - 22oz & 8-10 12 oz.
Oh, yeah, welcome to the obession.
A better way to get some empties is to host a micro-brew tasting party. Get 6 friends to bring over a 6 pack a piece and you're almost there.
Getting bottles from the redemption center sort of sceeves me out for some reason. Even if I do clean and sanitize them. I just don't want to even handle them.
thirsty wrote:
....buy 4 cases of your favorite non-screwtop microbrew and pound them. If you are lushes like I am this will be quite easy, and a good excuse to get drunk.
Again, Thirsty...that is just F'ing awesome man!! I love your thinking..in fact I'm going to do a shot of Chivas 18 in your honor! Really, that was GD strong! whooooo! F Yeah!
I love plastic bottles. I got a case of half-liter PET bottles, and they're the best! I would only use one per batch, for some reason, but it was easy to tell when it was carbonated, because the bottle would get hard (hehehe)
If you keep the bottles after you drink them, then you don't always have to buy two full cases for each batch.
Welcome!
The guy across the street from me drinks nothing but Sierra Nevada, and Lucky for me, he drinks alot. I did 8 cases with nothing but these bottles, and the best part, these are absolutely the best bottles to take the label off of.
Aside from that I go to the Liquor store, and buy back empties. By the way Sam Adams light is the toughest bottle to get the label off of, that and anything Harpoon makes.
Brewski wrote:
Then into the dishwasher, minimal soap, a few drops. Maybe some Be-Bright, or another sanitizer
Make sure you leave out the rinse aid as this can effect your head retention. Or so I've been told, I have never washed bottles with it in but I'm pretty sure I read it somewhere, possibly jim palmers book. Anyway I always figured better safe than sorry.
Prost!
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