Which bottles? Noobie problem.

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FatDad

'Semper in excretum sum sed alta variat'
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Does anyone have a guide of which bottles to use for various brews?

I've heard a lot of contradictory information about which bottles to use for various brews - wine (not so much), beers, ciders, ginger beers/ales, punch etc. I have some saying glass, other plastic, some say screw tops are fine others say not.

If you want to produce brews and keep them for a while what are the bottles and tops you choose and why?

Also, has anyone come across any good ways of securing cheap (or even free) suitable bottles, apart from drinking yourself silly to get the empties of course.

As ever, any helps is much appreciated.
C
 
I use a mix of plastic and glass bottles for my beer. Glass bottles are a mixture of bought from brew store and commercial bottles. I ask friends and family to keep bottles for me which helps.

In terms of which are better; plastic are much quicker and easier to bottle with, and are good for letting you know how the carb is coming along. Glass looks and feels more professional, and I think the beer stores better in it.
 
I started with plastic but am moving over to glass, some members say plastic bottles can leach chemical into your home brew because water bottles are not designed for alcohol, they are also not best for long term aeging as they are air permeable.
Screw tops are fine, the metal caps thread wear over time but can be replaced by plastic ones.
 
Not used plastic but started with glass bottles (emptied bottles from friends, local pub and stuff I've bought/drunk) and am very happy with the glass.

I have gone through a couple of manglers mind (the two handled cappers) which seem to wear for me afer 4-5 bottled brews and are a bit tempremental with certain bottles (they don't like wychwood bottles).

If you go for glass bottles I would recommend jumping straight to a bench capper if budget allows - I bought this one recently for £26 and am very happy with it, not fussy about type of glass bottle and looks and feels like it should give years of trouble free service: http://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=558
 
I use glass and have got my fellow alcoholics and a few people in pubs saving them for me. A few full ones in return now and again keeps everyone happy.

I've learnt by trial and error which bottles work with a twin leaver capper, most are okay just avoid wytchwood brewery (hobgoblin etc) and rekorderlig cider.

I find magners bottles are great, easy to cap and an overnight soak in soapy water and the labels fall off on their own.
 
I use a mixture of glass swing tops and crown top bottles, the swing top bottles aren't cheap though (The Worthing brewing shop sell em at 16 quid for 12)..... I don't like plastic personally. :drink:
 
I use a mixture of glass swing tops and crown top bottles, the swing top bottles aren't cheap though (The Worthing brewing shop sell em at 16 quid for 12)..... I don't like plastic personally. :drink:

I use swing top bottles that I bought from The Range at a great price of £9.99 a dozen. I bought about 120 of them, but they have stopped selling them now.

All is not lost though. The Homebrew Company are selling the same ones for £19.95 for twenty, which is only 4 less than the Range sold them for for that much.

https://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.u...b7201e6eb9518854e5b&keyword=swing+top+bottles

Looking at the photo, they are the same bottles, and I have been really pleased with mine. Shutting the lid is so quick and easy. Works a treat.

10cfbc6101d7b1a83ceccb953910f374.image.204x204.jpg
 
I use glass bottles and a bench capper is a must, I also use one plastic bottle in every batch so you can feel the bottle carbonating :cheers:
 
I use swing top bottles that I bought from The Range at a great price of £9.99 a dozen. I bought about 120 of them, but they have stopped selling them now.

All is not lost though. The Homebrew Company are selling the same ones for £19.95 for twenty, which is only 4 less than the Range sold them for for that much.

https://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.u...b7201e6eb9518854e5b&keyword=swing+top+bottles

Looking at the photo, they are the same bottles, and I have been really pleased with mine. Shutting the lid is so quick and easy. Works a treat.

10cfbc6101d7b1a83ceccb953910f374.image.204x204.jpg


You could get bottles full of beer for that price! Unless you're in a hurry for them of course.
 
For juice wine I use all plastic bottles now, had a go with glass/corks but gave up

cider-wise I now have a stock of about 5 dozen Grolsch swing-top bottles, that I bought when on offer as Asda (from time to time they sell them for £1.66 each). I don't particularly like Grolsch but hey ho, I had to empty them somehow haha. I also use brown PET plastic bottles that I got with a Coopers started kit, that are good for seeing how fizzy the contents are.
 
When I'm in need of more glass bottles I do a round of the local bottle banks on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, I'd easily get 20+ suitable ones on one sweep (a lot more if I wanted 330ml ones)...
 
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