Bottle choice

[Notlaw]

Not sure if it matters much, but what do people tend to prefer? Does everyone tend to go for 500ml brown glass? Anyone use PET bottles? What about capping; is everyone using crown caps or have an opinion on Grolsch style tops?

 

[Hoppyland]

Most of mine are 500ml brown glass, crown caps. I've quite a lot of clear glass as well, but try to store these in boxes in the dark. I've a few 660ml (Brewdog) bottles, but they're not really a convenient size despite the lure of having to wash & sterilise less per brew! I've also a lot of their 330ml ones. The latter are supposed to be for the stronger beers I'll be brewing - but it hasn't happened yet & I'm wondering if I'll ever use them!
The last time I used swing-top bottles was about 40 odd years ago, trying to brew cider in Saudi Arabia. Original contents was apple juice, conveniently. Stored them in my bedroom. Boy, they made great bottle-bombs! What a mess..........:whistle:
Not the bottles fault of course.....

 

[MyQul]

I use a mixture of 500ml bottles (both swing and crown tops) 330ml bottles, 1L growlers (swing top) as well as 5L mini kegs

 

[GHW]

I use any 500ml glass bottle I can get my hands on, brown, green, clear, etc though my dad gave me ten grolsch swing top 440s which I have yet to use.

My faves though are Sam smiths bottles, the pint sized ones. They're a work of art in themselves.

Nicest one I have was from a Peroni special edition I picked up at Venice airport to use up some euros. It's weirdly bell shaped, a bit like aspalls cider but fatter and shorter. Can't post pic as I have no idea where it is in the shed

 

[LarryF]

500ml PET, £13.65 for 40 on eBay, delivered.

 

[Leon103]

I have a mixture of bottles that I have collected over the years, all glass. Some swing but mostly capped. Mini kegs is the ways forward though.

 

[cheapbrew]

yeah it looks like mini kegs and a party star taps are gonna be big.

otherwise for bottles its what you prefer to use I guess, or in my case what I can find or scrounge.

 

[Motorhomebrew]

MINI KEG, MINI KEG, swing top, MINI KEG, MINI KEG, pet bottles, MINI KEG, MINI KEG. mainly MINI KEGS. Bottle the rest,,,,,,,did I mention MINI KEGS????? Ha ha ha.

 

[Notlaw]

MINI KEG, MINI KEG, swing top, MINI KEG, MINI KEG, pet bottles, MINI KEG, MINI KEG. mainly MINI KEGS. Bottle the rest,,,,,,,did I mention MINI KEGS????? Ha ha ha.

Someone mentioned mini kegs to me, you ever heard of 'em?

:twisted:

 

[Motorhomebrew]

Someone mentioned mini kegs to me, you ever heard of 'em?

:twisted:

Ha ha. I love um , used with a party star deluxe tap its awesome.

 

[dad_of_jon]

Not sure if it matters much, but what do people tend to prefer? Does everyone tend to go for 500ml brown glass? Anyone use PET bottles? What about capping; is everyone using crown caps or have an opinion on Grolsch style tops?

brown bottles and crown caps all the way for me from 330ml to 660ml but not wychwood bottles they killed my last capper :-(

or the older thornbridge bottles - soo damn dark you can't see them fill up

 

[J4mie]

Mostley 550ml/pint newcastle brown ale bottles the rest are 500ml clear. Ive started to collect chimay bottles now. Crown caps for the lot

 

[Cqr]

500ml clear bottles
May start keging

 

[JapanBrew]

500 ml dark bottles. Different color caps for beer styles.

 

[Cwrw666]

I've got a total mixture - 500ml, 1 pint, even a few 660ml swing tops which are great if you're just having the one bottle!:lol:
Colours - mostly brown but quite a few green and the odd clear one as well. Swing tops make bottling that much quicker but personally I prefer the ritual of taking off a crown cap so I mostly crown cap these days.

 

[wfr42]

2 PBs, mostly brown 500ml crown caps, got 24 swing tops along with demi johns i bought which i'm going to use for my AG efforts.

i have a half dozen or so 330ml and 660ml bottles, I tend to do one 660ml and 2 330mls from each batch. Keeping the 660ml aside for xmas and the 330mls as early taster bottles. I too use different coloured caps to distinguish different beers..

 

[Gaspode]

I started off only using 500ml PET, the Coopers ones but have built up a selection of glass bottles now through buying, begging, being gifted etc.

Also have a couple of mini kegs, the ones with the tap at the bottom for when I have friends round and we are likely to get through a bit more volume. Even use 1 litre mixer bottles for turbo cider as one glass never seems enough.

Whatever I do use I always use at least one PET though as it helps for estimating how carbonated the latest batch is.

 

[MartinHaworth]

Used 500ml PET for the first year, but recently was given a load of Grolsch swing top bottles, and somehow the beer seems 'better' out of glass. This may be mere sentiment.

Martin

 

[Covrich]

I have mostly brown 500ml, I have a few clear ones which I always do a couple in just to see the colouring as it clears when conditioning.. I store in brown boxes covered with a towel anyway..

I have a few St Peters Green bottles too which are different

 

[MattL]

I started with the supplied PET brown bottles with the Cooper kit. I seem to have a steady supply of Ilkley Brewery bottles or Saltaire Brewery bottles from a mate who keeps bringing them round ...its like I'm the recycling centre! The labels are a bugger to get off though!