Which beer bottles you use?

[BrewingWisdom]

Hi
I intend to use a flip top style beer bottles.
Do they have to be in Amber colour or the transparent ones are just fine?

 

[RM-MN]

Amber or brown bottles block out the UV light that causes skunking of your beer. As long as you keep the bottles out of the sunlight or other strong UV light source the clear ones work just as well.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Amber or brown bottles block out the UV light that causes skunking of your beer. As long as you keep the bottles out of the sunlight or other strong UV light source the clear ones work just as well.

But most commercial beer brands use transparent bottles with exposure to lights in a supermart or store. Just curious .

 

[D.B.Moody]

But most commercial beer brands use transparent bottles with exposure to lights in a supermart or store. Just curious .

You are a home brewer. You can do better than a commercial brewer. Listen to @RM-MN: he is right.

BTW: I like my Grolsch swing tops and usually do 6 per batch, but my clear Samuel Smith bottles are my favorites, and I usually do 6-9 of them and they get labels. I like seeing my beer in them. The attached was from when I was doing some comparison batches last year.

 

[RM-MN]

But most commercial beer brands use transparent bottles with exposure to lights in a supermart or store. Just curious .

Most supermarkets or stores don't have strong sources of UV. The florescent light are weak sources and usually far from the beer display. Just don't carry the bottles out into the bright sunlight without something to cover them.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Most supermarkets or stores don't have strong sources of UV. The florescent light are weak sources and usually far from the beer display. Just don't carry the bottles out into the bright sunlight without something to cover them.

Ofcourse in my country no one is stupid to drink a beer in a broad daylight without inviting trouble lol
Most of the drinking is inside behind closed doors.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

You are a home brewer. You can do better than a commercial brewer. Listen to @RM-MN: he is right.

BTW: I like my Grolsch swing tops and usually do 6 per batch, but my clear Samuel Smith bottles are my favorites, and I usually do 6-9 of them and they get labels. I like seeing my beer in them. The attached was from when I was doing some comparison batches lastnyear.
View attachment 763033

My favourite is growler swing tops in big 1,2 lites volume but can't afford the shipping cost is too much from China.

 

[z-bob]

I mostly use 500ml screw-top plastic bottles now. I buy cases of flavored water that I don't particularly like from Costco just to get the bottles. I also use brown glass bottles with crown caps; 11 oz, 12 oz, and 22 oz. And I have just a few 1L brown glass fliptops that I bought many years ago; I wish I could find more just like them. Those 1L bottles are great for taking beer to homebrew club meetings.

I use clear and green glass beer bottles for cider and sparkling wine, and also those 750ml fliptop lemonade bottles that kinda look like a wine bottle.

I've been recycling a bunch of my 12 oz brown beer bottles because I have too many.

 

[MaxStout]

I have at least 12 cases of 12oz long necks, more than I'll ever need. For beers I want to carb at higher levels, I have a bunch of Grolsch swing tops. I keep those in cardboard boxes so light isn't a problem.

For wine and cider I use 200ml clear bottles.

 

[RM-MN]

I have at least 12 cases of 12oz long necks, more than I'll ever need. For beers I want to carb at higher levels, I have a bunch of Grolsch swing tops. I keep those in cardboard boxes so light isn't a problem.

For wine and cider I use 200ml clear bottles.

You need to explain why you can use the clear bottles for wine and cider but not beer. Not everyone knows.

 

[MaxStout]

You need to explain why you can use the clear bottles for wine and cider but not beer. Not everyone knows.

A 200ml pour is just about right for me with wine & cider. Too small for beer--need at least 12oz.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

So I decided to buy these growler style 3 litre size bottles. I will put replacement swing tops on them for a tight seal. Good selection ??

 

[Beermeister32]

No. Terrible choice. Use 500 ML brown glass, either crown caps or flip tops. Perfect size for a pint glass. Remember you need to decant the yeast when you pour a glass, leaving behind some yeast in the bottle. Large bottles mix the dregs into the second pour, terrible idea.

Protect the beer! Individual servings! Brown glass!

 

[RM-MN]

Protect the beer! Individual servings! Brown glass!

Did you ever consider that those big bottles were perhaps single servings? Since drinking outdoors is prohibited in the poster's country (actually, drinking alcoholic beverages is prohibited) the clear glass isn't a problem.

 

[Beermeister32]

3 liter individual servings. Now that's what I call drinking!

 

[BrewingWisdom]

3 liter individual servings. Now that's what I call drinking!

You don't know me I can drink that in one go lol.
Just kidding actually 1.5 liter is a norm for me when i start drinking during weekends. And even more when a friend joins you. So after two or maximum three occasions that growler will be empty. Won't cause a oxidation problem either.
You should not be surprised these growler style beer bottles with swing tops are made to store and use beer for a long time. Specially in old times for carrying a beer from a craft brewery to its intended destination.
They are efficient actually. They save your time ,easy to manage and take less storage space .Filling up 48 small beer bottles is a pain in the ass.

 

[BasementArtie]

500ml amber flip tops for IPAs and anything light in colour. 450ml green Grolsch flip-top bottles for my Imperial stout and Irish stouts (I still store them away from the uv light, they just look so thick and dark in those green bottles). Recycled Belgian 330ml crown cap bottles (mainly westmalle/duvel shape) for high carbonation up to 5vol/co² or Belgian beers in general for authenticity. Then I have some 750ml amber Belgian style flip tops for sharing bottles

 

[hotbeer]

I use what's standard here in the USA. 12 fl oz long neck bottle with crown caps. I prefer brown because that's accepted as a color that will be most readily understood as a bottle of beer where I am from. And brown is generally the best container color for any food or pharmaceutical that is photosensitive.

Any color works though if it can be kept from long term exposure to light. Commercial brewer's and grocery stores get away with clear, green or other glass colors because beer doesn't stay on the shelf long enough. Though I'd swear most every green bottle of Heineken and many a clear bottle of Miller tasted skunky back in my teenage years of the 70's.

Don't assume all long neck bottles use the same size cap. I think the UK version of the tad more than 12 fl oz bottle uses a different size cap. Probably good idea to check the OD of the bottle lip before ordering caps.

 

[BasementArtie]

I use what's standard here in the USA. 12 fl oz long neck bottle with crown caps. I prefer brown because that's accepted as a color that will be most readily understood as a bottle of beer where I am from.

Any color works though if it can be kept from long term exposure to light. Commercial brewer's and grocery stores get away with clear, green or other glass colors because beer doesn't stay on the shelf long enough. Though I'd swear most every green bottle of Heineken and many a clear bottle of Miller tasted skunky back in my teenage years of the 70's.

Don't assume all long neck bottles use the same size cap. I think the UK version of the tad more than 12 fl oz bottle uses a different size cap. Probably good idea to check the OD of the bottle lip before ordering caps.

The other way around the EU equivalent is 330ml. 12 fl.oz long necks are 350 ish ml. I think all smaller bottles use 26mm crown caps though.

 

[hotbeer]

Actually I probably was thinking about the 375 ml Belgian long neck bottle.

Here in the US the standard 12 fl oz bottle uses the 26mm cap you talk of. But I think the Belgian and other larger bottles from other countries use the 29mm cap.

But I haven't checked to be certain. It's just what I recall reading and maybe just random babbling.

 

[Golddiggie]

The only beer I recall seeing that used clear bottles was Corona. Everything else used brown (or green for that crappy beer from DE ). For bottles, I used the brown or blue swing tops. I wouldn't put homebrew [beer] into clear bottles, ever. Light blocking (not clear) is best. IF you keep the clear bottles in the dark and never expose them to light/UV for any length of time you MIGHT be OK. But why risk it? If you're taking the time to brew your own why go with packaging that puts the brew at risk?

I've been kegging for ages (got my first setup in 2011). I would bottle part of a batch off keg, once carbonated, for taking places. Since I started brewing again (in 2020) I switched over to filling cans (for the part that didn't stay in keg).

 

[BasementArtie]

Actually I probably was thinking about the 375 ml Belgian long neck bottle.

Here in the US the standard 12 fl oz bottle uses the 26mm cap you talk of. But I think the Belgian and other larger bottles from other countries use the 29mm cap.

But I haven't checked to be certain. It's just what I recall reading and maybe just random babbling.

I don't know if in the US it differs or not but all the Belgian beers in europe seem standard 330ml and 750ml. The former almost always being crown capped 26mm the latter sometimes crown capped 29mm or corked and caged.

 

[Elric]

You don't know me I can drink that in one go lol.
Just kidding actually 1.5 liter is a norm for me when i start drinking during weekends. And even more when a friend joins you. So after two or maximum three occasions that growler will be empty. Won't cause a oxidation problem either.
You should not be surprised these growler style beer bottles with swing tops are made to store and use beer for a long time. Specially in old times for carrying a beer from a craft brewery to its intended destination.
They are efficient actually. They save your time ,easy to manage and take less storage space .Filling up 48 small beer bottles is a pain in the ass.

go back and read Beermeister32‘s post again. When a brewery fills a growler for you to take it has already been carbonated in another vessel. Unless you will have a brite tank or fermenter capable of completely carbonating your beer, you will need to bottle condition.Bottle conditioning leaves a layer of sediment at the bottom of the bottle and you need to pour carefully to make sure it doesn't resuspend in the beer. Pouring multiple times from the bottle will guarantee that the sediment will resuspend, and being a larger bottle there will be more of it doing so. Also, are those bottles you chose pressure rated and if so to what level? Last thing you want is them bursting on you as the beer is carbonating and sending glass shards and beer everywhere. Again, this isn't something that is really an issue when you take home a growler from a brewery as the beer will not be gaining any more pressure, and is filled at standard air pressures. Your bottles also look to be far thinner glass than a standard beer bottle or growler and that extra handle section if hollow (which it appears to be) would be a very likely point of failure.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

go back and read Beermeister32‘s post again. When a brewery fills a growler for you to take it has already been carbonated in another vessel. Unless you will have a brite tank or fermenter capable of completely carbonating your beer, you will need to bottle condition.Bottle conditioning leaves a layer of sediment at the bottom of the bottle and you need to pour carefully to make sure it doesn't resuspend in the beer. Pouring multiple times from the bottle will guarantee that the sediment will resuspend, and being a larger bottle there will be more of it doing so. Also, are those bottles you chose pressure rated and if so to what level? Last thing you want is them bursting on you as the beer is carbonating and sending glass shards and beer everywhere. Again, this isn't something that is really an issue when you take home a growler from a brewery as the beer will not be gaining any more pressure, and is filled at standard air pressures. Your bottles also look to be far thinner glass than a standard beer bottle or growler and that extra handle section if hollow (which it appears to be) would be a very likely point of failure.

Well what if I carbonate them in another bucket before I bottle them. As teached by palmer in his "how to Brew" book.
Secondly I researched a lot and this is all I found. The place where I live my resources are limited. And its not about money it's about availability. Getting glass bottles shipped from another country is risky, because they can easily get broken in the way and it's a possibility the supplier won't refund me.
If you know someone in the US who can ship to my country let me know please.

 

[z-bob]

Well what if I carbonate them in another bucket before I bottle them. As teached by palmer in his "how to Brew" book.
Secondly I researched a lot and this is all I found. The place where I live my resources are limited. And its not about money it's about availability. Getting glass bottles shipped from another country is risky, because they can easily get broken in the way and it's a possibility the supplier won't refund me.
If you know someone in the US who can ship to my country let me know please.

Can you buy non-alcoholic carbonated beverages in resealable plastic bottles there? You can use those and reuse the caps.

The bottles you pictured look like they would be great for something (perhaps fermenting small batches of wine or mead) are probably okay for storing beer that's already carbonated, but I would not try to bottle-condition beer in them. Unless maybe British style ale that is carbonated to very low pressure.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Can you buy non-alcoholic carbonated beverages in resealable plastic bottles there? You can use those and reuse the caps.

The bottles you pictured look like they would be great for something (perhaps fermenting small batches of wine or mead) are probably okay for storing beer that's already carbonated, but I would not try to bottle-condition beer in them. Unless maybe British style ale that is carbonated to very low pressure.

Well initially a wheat ale is exactly i am going to brew.

 

[Elric]

Well initially a wheat ale is exactly i am going to brew.

Wheat beers are one of the most highly carbonated styles so it would be a poor fit for those bottles. Your best bet is really reusing pop/sparkling water plastic bottles assuming they are available there.

Heresy here, but I haven't bothered to read Palmer's how to brew (I’ve skimmed it but not read through) and considering buckets are not pressure rated I don't see how you could carbonate in a bucket before botttling. Are you perhaps confused with a bottling bucket where you rack the fermented beer into a second bucket with the priming sugar? This is just meant as a way to evenly mix the priming sugar with the beer before bottling, the carbonation is then done in the bottles. If he does have a section on carbonating in a bucket please share as I have no idea how that would work.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Are you perhaps confused with a bottling bucket where you rack the fermented beer into a second bucket with the priming sugar?

Yea that's what I meant.
But why can't carbonation be done in another plastic bucket, those have a sturdy thick plastic which can easily take the Co2 pressure?
If plastic bottles can take the pressure which have a way thinner plastic than buckets ,then why are buckets not safe for carbonation ?

 

[Elric]

Yea that's what I meant.
But why can't carbonation be done in another plastic bucket, those have a sturdy thick plastic which can easily take the Co2 pressure?
If plastic bottles can take the pressure which have a way thinner plastic than buckets ,then why are buckets not safe for carbonation ?

Bucket lids will burst off at pressures required for carbonation. They were not designed to hold pressure. Frequently they will leak enough that airlocks on them won't even bubble as even at less than 1 psi air can start sneaking out of the lid. To carbonate at room temperature you are looking to generate around 20+ psi.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Bucket lids will burst off at pressures required for carbonation. They were not designed to hold pressure. Frequently they will leak enough that airlocks on them won't even bubble as even at less than 1 psi air can start sneaking out of the lid. To carbonate at room temperature you are looking to generate around 20+ psi.

Would the plastic bottles available here for Pepsi/coke and other carbonated beverages will work?
Also our local brewery here produce carbonated malt and barley drinks(non alcoholic)for general public in glass bottles. I think they too should work.

 

[Elric]

Would the plastic bottles available here for Pepsi/coke and other carbonated beverages will work?
Also our local brewery here produce carbonated malt and barley drinks(non alcoholic)for general public in glass bottles. I think they too should work.

Pepsi/coke plastic bottles are exactly what I was talking about. They may be thin plastic but they are rated to over 100 psi (way more than glass beer bottles).

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Pepsi/coke plastic bottles are exactly what I was talking about. They may be thin plastic but they are rated to over 100 psi (way more than glass beer bottles).

This too should work but I will be needing a bottle capper and bottle caps. The size of bottle caps is also a issue.

 

[Elric]

This too should work but I will ne Beeding a bottle capper and bottle caps. The size of bottle caps is also a issue.
View attachment 763306

Yeah, the added complexity of sourcing additional materials is why I was suggesting the pop bottles, they are really the easiest option.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Yeah, the added complexity of sourcing additional materials is why I was suggesting the pop bottles, they are really the easiest option.

It too should work with a screw lid. And the volume is 500 ml.

 

[z-bob]

These are by far my favorite bottles. They hold 500 ml, and they handle high pressure very well. I peel the labels off, and wipe off the glue with a paper towel with a little naphtha. The caps are reusable. One liter bottles that look about the same but are fatter are very common and they work just as well, but it's not as handy a size. Some of my friends that I share with don't like the plastic bottles just because they are plastic -- but they still take the free beer.

 

[jambop]

Amber or brown bottles block out the UV light that causes skunking of your beer. As long as you keep the bottles out of the sunlight or other strong UV light source the clear ones work just as well.

I use reclaimed 750 cl Belgian style beer bottles which I have converted to swing top and 75 cl swing top bottles that I have bought ... they are intensely brown in colour .

 

[bwible]

The only beer I recall seeing that used clear bottles was Corona.

Landshark and High Life both come in clear bottles. But they are twist offs and not bottles you would re-use. I don’t recall if Corona bottles are twist off are not.

Miller has a patent on skunk free hops and I haven’t had a skunky High Life. I’m not sure about Landshark but its made by “Margaritaville Brewing Co, St. Louis MO.” There’s only one brewery in St. Louis, MO that I know of. I buy that all the time in the summer and I haven’t had a skunky one yet, whatever they are doing,

 

[jerrylotto]

If you are going to pasteurize your beer and chromatographically remove anything that can photo-oxidize, then clear bottles will work for you. If you are home brewing, brown bottles are safer to use. If you have to use clear (or green) bottles, I would put them into a black plastic bag for storage.

 

[SeeMont]

Would the plastic bottles available here for Pepsi/coke and other carbonated beverages will work?
Also our local brewery here produce carbonated malt and barley drinks(non alcoholic)for general public in glass bottles. I think they too should work.

Call it Dumpster Diving, I have been using one and two liter plastic soda bottles for decades. Free, strong and reusable. If you are bottle conditioning / carbonating, easy to tell when your brew is ready. I can take my home brew on the river as well as to tailgating events without the fear of breaking a bottle.

 

[Inclinejj]

I found a company to send me out 6 plastic growlers. I am experimenting and hope to be able to bring them to Baseball and Football games to tailgate with. Glass is not allowing in the parking area and tailgating. I know canning would be easier but I don't have room for a can sealer in the garage.