Can we use 330ml lager bottles?

[morethanworts]

I've read some doubt as to the strength of standard 330ml lager bottles for use in homebrew. The horse has already slightly bolted for me on this one, because I recently bottled a Brewferm Abdij kit (one of the most high-gas styles, which I accordingly primed with 80g sugar in just 9.5L) in just such bottles. 10 days warm, a few days cooler and no explosions so far...

Out of interest, I weighed a Duvel bottle, which I've seen are definitely acceptable, and it was 25% heavier than a Peroni and a Bud bottle or, put another way, the Peroni/Bud bottles were only 20% lighter.

In any case, the original lager in them is pretty gassy stuff. So is there any real reason (or science) not to use them?

 

[RobWalker]

they don't cap very well, at least with standard crown caps. i found I had to bodge the caps on a little, which resulted in a lot of wear and tear on my bottle capper very quickly! 100 bottles odd and it's pretty fiddly to use now.

that said, no problem with containing the beer in my experience - just keep them outta sunlight because of the colour. :thumb:

 

[DirtyCaner]

Never had a problem reusing them and done it loads of times. :thumb:

 

[morethanworts]

Thanks :thumb: I didn't notice any problem capping, but I will yet have to see if they all sealed ok.

Planning an extract Abbey brew and need to accumulate more bottles. Multi pack at Morrisons, here we go again...

 

[RobWalker]

weird, must be my local caps!

 

[DirtyCaner]

May be your capper Rob?

One of my mates struggled to recap a St*lla bottle like I had, even using a similar 2 handled design of capper. I have been using the red Youngs caps with this.

DirtyC

 

[morethanworts]

May be your capper Rob?

One of my mates struggled to recap a St*lla bottle like I had, even using a similar 2 handled design of capper. I have been using the red Youngs caps with this.

DirtyC

Ooh, now it was some reddish caps I've had stashed away for many years that I used... I've been out of the homebrew game for around 8 years and I think the caps I used may pre-date that anyway.

I will check with a new cap before loading up on more multipacks...
[Added... ... Nope! Just pottered down the brewshed and some new gold crown caps courtesy of Wilkos seem to go on just fine with a two-handle capper. Tried a 330ml Peroni bottle. The old red caps I mentioned look identical in size]

 

[WelshPaul]

I use 330ml bottles all the time for my stronger beers. They're mostly San Miguel and Sierra Nevada bottles as they have no embossing and the labels come off easily, but I have also used Budweiser bottles that I have salvaged with no problems.
You're right about the Duvel bottles being heavier: I save these specifically for beers that will have a little more carbonation than most.

 

[graysalchemy]

I have about 300 bud bottles which I have never had any problem with :thumb: :thumb:

 

[boozy_shoes]

As others have said you'll be fine. I've bottled into the cheap green stubby bottles you get lager in before and they're very thin and light and I've had no problems with bottle bombs.

 

[RobWalker]

weird, thought it was the bottles! may be worth a test before you start so your beer isn't going bad on bottling day, but it's good to know that they can be used as they're so easy to pick up after parties :thumb: