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Bottles for Home Brew!

donaghs

Hi, I've a question about getting beer bottles.

I've a plastic bin of home brew fermenting, nearly ready now. In anticipation I've been storing the bottles from the beer I regularly drink each week, and any others I can get my hands on. But I'm still short and need over 20 more fairly soon.

I've asked in pubs, and even off-licences to see if they had any spare bottles. No luck. I'm considering the easy option of just buying a few bottles, but does anyone know if this is possible? And where they could be purchased, preferrably in Dublin city centre.

I don't want to drink 3 times as much beer as normal just to get some bottles. And the only other option I can think of is hanging around a glass recycling centre on a Saturday!

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BeerNut

I've yet to meet the dried-on crud that boiling water and a bottle brush won't take care of instantly.

rubadub

BeerNut wrote: »

I've been told never to let any soap near a surface which will have beer on it.

Good point that I forgot about esp. with worn glasses or bottles where it can be embedded in the scratches. I always rinse my glasses well from the dishwasher. I have also heard milk can be bad to put in glasses due to the fat.

BeerNut wrote: »

The contact time for sanitising is never going to be more than about ten minutes, so I think the metal will be safe.

Yes, should be fine for short durations. I am just thinking of people with dried on crud who might want to steep overnight, so maybe just plain water is best.

oblivious

rubadub wrote: »

I actually use bleach in work to test the quality of stainless steel products, it can corrode metals in a matter of hours, depending on strength.

So true, you will never see bleach been sprayed in a tissue culture hood

rubadub wrote: »

Tesco "value" bleach is good, since it is cheapo stuff there is no thickener and no perfume in it.

Yep and some of the expensive ones have are fourmlated to prevent rinising

sunnyjim

You're right - forgot about soaps ruining the head!

Ok, homemade no-rinse sanitiser it is!

BeerNut

I've been told never to let any soap near a surface which will have beer on it.

The contact time for sanitising is never going to be more than about ten minutes, so I think the metal will be safe.

sunnyjim

Yeah, I'm sketchy about putting the metal near any hypochlorite solution. I think I'll use soapy water, and then settle for a good rinse.

rubadub

If there is dried on yeast etc on those caps I would leave them steep in water with washing up liquid for a day or so. Be careful with sanitisers and metal, bleach and other chemicals used are strong oxidisers, i.e. they will attack the metal. I expect some are fine to use though.

I actually use bleach in work to test the quality of stainless steel products, it can corrode metals in a matter of hours, depending on strength.

Tesco "value" bleach is good, since it is cheapo stuff there is no thickener and no perfume in it.

BeerNut

As a surface, it's no different from the glass. Wipe off anything stuck to it and immerse it in sanitiser.

sunnyjim

I'm more refering to the ceramic lump which is holding the rubber seal in place

BeerNut

sunnyjim wrote: »

Can anyone recommend how to clean the metal parts of the swing top?

I'm looking at one now and trying to figure out why you'd want to. The beer doesn't touch the metal.

arse..biscuits

My Bulmers bottle is 750ml.It worked perfectly. I think I'll try to get my hands on more of them, that would really cut down on the washing rinseing and capping.

sunnyjim

BeerNut wrote: »

That's what I use, though I don't bother with the oven bit, just rinse before filling. You can make your own no-rinse sanitiser out of bleach and vinegar.

That's excellent! I was thinking that I need something like that, a no-rinse option. I might rinse out right away with water just incase, and bottle right away.

Can anyone recommend how to clean the metal parts of the swing top?

arse..biscuits

BeerNut wrote: »

Don't the large ones (as opposed to the pint ones) have some sort of screw top? Screw top on glass probably isn't a great idea.

Not sure, the one I have at home doesn't have a screw top. Maybe its the pint bottle. I collected a load of Tyskie bottles from a friends house last night, he was delighted that I saveed him a trip to the bottle bank. Going home now to bottle.

BeerNut

sunnyjim wrote: »

Last time I used a massive plastic bin, filled with steriliser.

That's what I use, though I don't bother with the oven bit, just rinse before filling. You can make your own no-rinse sanitiser out of bleach and vinegar.

sunnyjim

I actually got the swingtops for 80c each. The company I got them off shipped a duplicate order a week a after the first one, and I've just gotten an email telling me I can keep them because it was their mistake!

72 500ml amber swing tops. Nice little array I've got now.

Any suggestions on how to clean them? Last time I used a massive plastic bin, filled with steriliser. The bottles were then rinsed well and ovened at 150C to dry them. The metal swing top parts were rinsed in warm water.

Any suggestions on what I should do instead?

donaghs

guildofevil wrote: »

donaghs; are you anywhere near Phibsborough? I haven't been to the bottle bank since before Christmas, so I have a shed full of brown glass bottles. Want to pop over and rummage?

Thanks for the offer Guildofevil. I'll check my schedule and get back to you with a PM tonight or tomorrow. I know buying bottles with beer in it makes more sense. But I miscalculated how much beer I'd drink before my beer was ready for bottling.

BeerNut

rubadub wrote: »

Also any swingtops I ever got were fairly thick glass.

That's probably because of the German tendency to re-fill. The labels always come off like a dream too.

rubadub

oblivious wrote: »

True, but make sure they are brown. Also a number of brewery's are moving to thinner glass bottle

Yes, warsteiner is the only €1 brown bottles that spring to mind. In case people do not know the brown is to filter out sunlight as I think it is UV rays that can cause the hops to give a skunky smell. Green would be better than clear, but brown is best.

BeerNut wrote: »

I would never buy empty bottles. Sure, for a bit more than €1.67 you can buy a brown 500ml swingtop filled with Flensburger, which is much better value

That is great value, esp for beginners who have not forked out for capping machines & caps. Also everybody loves the gimmick of having a swing top

:pac:

Also any swingtops I ever got were fairly thick glass.

BeerNut

sunnyjim wrote: »

One time we had tons of pallets of grolsh going very cheap, e11 for 20 bottles. My one regret...

If it's any comfort, green glass is much less suitable for beer than brown.

sunnyjim

Hmmm... I see!

I worked in an alcohol wholesalers for 3 years. One time we had tons of pallets of grolsh going very cheap, e11 for 20 bottles. My one regret...

oblivious

BeerNut wrote: »

Last Flensburgers I bought were in Sweeney's in Glasnevin and DrinkStore on Manor Street.

As north side as it gets!:P

BeerNut

sunnyjim wrote: »

And ventured into the southside!

Last Flensburgers I bought were in Sweeney's in Glasnevin and DrinkStore on Manor Street.

sunnyjim

I couldn't find anything with swingtops in my local off license... Maybe I should have gone further abroad... And ventured into the southside!

kenmc

Agreed. Empty bottles are a waste of money. When you buy beer in a shop it usually comes with an empty bottle surrounding it, which is a dead handy to stop it falling all over the place as you try to carry it home. You can use these empty bottles then afterwards, or better still, sell them to some mugs on the web

guildofevil

The man has a point and if the ICB tasting sessions are anything to go by, it hasn't hurt the sales of Flensburger.

BeerNut

I would never buy empty bottles. Sure, for a bit more than €1.67 you can buy a brown 500ml swingtop filled with Flensburger, which is much better value

sunnyjim

I bought 500ml amber swing-top bottles from brew-it-yourself.co.uk. Inclusing delivery, it cost e60 for 36 bottles.

I ask the esteemed members of the board - how much would you expect to pay for 1 of these bottles? Just interested in how much people would pay for them.

BeerNut

kenmc wrote: »

Presumed he meant pint, which is what I only ever saw in the pub being decapitated as normal.

There's a bigger glass bottle sold in the off trade. Looks like home brewer's gold, until you notice there's a screw-cap arrangement under the foil.

kenmc

BeerNut wrote: »

Don't the large ones (as opposed to the pint ones) have some sort of screw top? Screw top on glass probably isn't a great idea.

Wouldn't know, never drink it. Presumed he meant pint, which is what I only ever saw in the pub being decapitated as normal.

guildofevil

donaghs; are you anywhere near Phibsborough? I haven't been to the bottle bank since before Christmas, so I have a shed full of brown glass bottles. Want to pop over and rummage?