Bottling soda: glass or plastic?

[Mountainsax]

We want to make a first batch of rootbeer. Is it better to bottle in glass or plastic (PET)?

 

[HebrewedsoIbrew]

Glass is more expensive as you have to buy a capper and bottle caps and also invest the time to scrape off the beer bottle labels, or just buying beer bottles themselves. but everything pretty much comes in plastic so it's cheaper and easier. But There's this great homey feeling of looking at capped beer bottles with your product in them, it's a great site to look at.

 

[Mountainsax]

Do you have to use new caps on plastic bottles each time?

 

[MrFoodScientist]

How are you carbonating? With yeast?

I've reused plastic soda bottles and it's fine to just reuse the caps as long as you sanitize them with something other than bleach. I made that mistake and ended up with an off-flavor. Use an iodophor or star-san.

I like to carbonate in a keg and then bottle in glass from there. All the nostalgia, none of the explosions.

 

[Mountainsax]

We don't have any kegs yet so we will be bottling with yeast.

 

[HebrewedsoIbrew]

Do you have to use new caps on plastic bottles each time?

Yeah you have to use new bottle caps each time, they're cheap, you can get 144 of them on amazon for less than seven dollars.

 

[Crazy8]

Just to add to this and give you another brewers thoughts, I have done both. I would say for smaller batches and for the beginner, plastic may be the way to go. The great thing about plastic is they are cheep or even free and when the carbon starts to build you can feel it in the bottle. When you squeeze the plastic bottles, they will feel like they are about ready to burst. At that point, you stick them in the fridge for a day maybe even two and then enjoy.

Glass is nice because it can handle higher pressure. However, if they blow, they blow violently. I woke up once at 3am to a 1 gallon bottle bomb. Actually, correction, the way I sleep my wife had to wake me up. Everyone else in the house woke up from it. I do use bottles and if I make a big batch ill do all 5 of my 1gal. glass carboys and use however many 2L plastic pop bottles I can get my hands on.

Good luck to you and your brewing.

 

[z-bob]

Plastic *soda* bottles (not water bottles) are safer and can handle more pressure than glass beer bottles. I like 1 liter bottles, like tonic water comes in; it's a good size.

Plastic bottles are not as good for beer or wine that you're going to age for a while -- unless you want it to oxidize for some reason (like sherry) Oxygen can permeate thru the thin plastic where glass is impermeable. They work just fine for at least a few months. This is not an issue for soda.

Also you don't have dangerous shrapnel from the bottle bombs.
And you don't need a bottle capper.

Glass bottles look better, and they're traditional.

 

[spacefish]

I've made ginger ale using 2L pop bottles and it worked great. I would definitely suggest that for your first time. Very easy and good results. I also tried bottling it in glass after that, but it lost a bit of carbonation.

I tried to use some "EZ cap" glass bottles (glass bottles that seal using a wire clamp and a plastic gasket) to make root beer, but it didn't work. Anyone know if these are not good for carbonating? I thought they should be airtight enough.

 

[rocketsan]

EZcap are standard fare for beer carbing, so you must have muffed something up...

 

[KD28]

I use alotta ez-cap and Grolsche bottles. Only ever had 2 bottles that didnt carbonate. I knew they were getting worn and threw those 2 gaskets away.

 

[Stuntman]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWcRDMAA8RE[/ame]

I am a one glass at a time guy. This is what I am going to try.