Bottles

[Peter Dear]

Hey guys.
I currently use 750ml PET bottles, purely because they came with my kit, and they are pretty cheap to purchase when I need more. Plus I'm a beginner at all of this, so the fact I don't need to worry about capping etc is a weight off of my shoulders.

I'm hoping to move up the home brewing advancement ladder and wouldn't mind bottling in glass bottles.

So which are the best 750ml and 330ml glass bottles??? Can you buy them or are a particular brand worth reusing?? I've heard rumours about emersons bottles, what about the 750ml speights bottles?? ( I have easy access to these, so would be preferable! )

any advice surrounding the capping of glass bottles would also be appreciated.

Thanks

pete

[Justin M]

In terms of glass - all bottles are generally as good as each other. However that said, I find that 330ml bottles are tedious to fill - the bigger the easier bottling day becomes. I use 500ml bottles generally - but have been known to use the 1 liter water bottles that are around as well.

I would personally go with the 750ml speights bottles if you can get your hands on them easily enough.

[Chris Banks]

Hey Pete
I tend to go for 500ml bottles for three reasons
Most craft/ imported beers come in them.Epic,Emmersons,Harringtons,Three Boys, Wigram /Wychcraft,Fullers,etc etc
500ml fits in most large beer glasses in one shot!
and they divide into Litre brews exactly so its simple to work out how many you need! eg 23l =46 bottles
But theres nothing wrong with 330 (just not the thin ones) or 750ml (the old fallback)either!

[denimglen]

Swappa crate bottles are good, made to be reused so that's good. Just a bit of a pain in the arse cause you have to decant into a jug if you want to avoid sediment - unless you have a 750mL beer glass.

500mL bottles are nice, the Emersons type, and Epic and Harringtons are my favourite as they're unmarked, as above, just fall short of filling a pint glass.

I also like the plain brown 330s that Epic, Tuatara, Invercargill/Yeastie Boys beers come in, they look stronger than your average Heineken and similar 20 dollar a dozen beers. Macs and Monteiths seem to only last one fill before the necks break off upon opening.

I'd go bench capper over twin leaver type, just make sure the bench capper is easily height adjustable.

[James P]

I'm with DG, and I keg!!! I buy Harrington's, Epic, Emersons and Wigram for the bottles... oh and the beer! :)

[Alelover]

I stick with 500ml bottles from the same sources as above, I use 90-100 per brew, so 330s would be a nightmare. I really need to move to casks.

[denimglen]

"I buy Harrington's, Epic, Emersons and Wigram for the bottles..."

Haha same here, well kinda. If I'm standing in the store tossing up between two beers I'll go with the one that has the more suitably reusable bottle haha.

[James P]

The squat bottles (Emersons) are great for keeping in the house fridge.

The larger ones (Harringtons) sort of come across as "I've have a big cock" when there is a side by side the shorter ones, alas they still have the same volume.

[JoKing]

I love those "Big Cock" bottles! My 2009 Barleywine will be bottled exclusively in them!

[JoKing]

The bottles make up for something I lack.