[NotQuiteASmallHolder]

Afternoon all,

Once I've got my seeds and vegetables going my next project is to start home brewing. I've done a little research on the interwebs and there are plenty of starter kits out there which will get me going however my query (probably quite a daft one) would be can anyone foresee any issue in my using empty cider and ale bottles for storing this in provided they were properly cleaned and I got myself some caps for them?

Given they had the booze in them to start off with I assume they would be okay?

I have quite a collection of empties in the summer house and it'll save me the trip to the recycling!

Thanks

Chris

[DavidandCollette]

Provided that they are sterilised and dry there should be no problem. Couple of years ago i needed bottles for cider. It was cheaper to go to the supermarket and buy bottles of grolsch with swing tops than buying empty ones. Had to empty them of course....

[GribinIsaf]

can anyone foresee any issue in my using empty cider and ale bottles for storing this in provided they were properly cleaned and I got myself some caps for them?

Chris

That's what we do,  plus bottles salvaged from neighbours curb side recycling boxes. We started off with a simple capper you had to hit with a mallet but after a couple of smashed bottles got a bench capper, which I would recommend from the start.

[BKeeper]

I have been home brewing for circa 40 years and have always used re-cycled bottles.

For beer I originally used 2pt cider flagons (the brown glass ones with screw top and orange rubber seal). Now I use 75cl swing top pressure bottles which have a red rubber/plastic seal.  You can either buy these bottles new from a glass supplier or do as I did and slowly collect them from friends who I know purchased fizzy pop from M & S. and the like. These bottles can also be used for champagne type wines.

For still red and white wines I use ordinary green wine bottles (not screw top) salvaged from the skip. Once the wine has been fermented I store it in gallon demijohns until it is required for use.  I then bottle a demijohn in to six wine bottles and use an ordinary push fit cork.  I do not need to use a corking machine at all. Store the bottles upright.

Always make sure that any bottle you yourself have not already cleaned is properly sterilized. (If that makes sense!)

 
 

[cloddopper]

For several months every Saturday & Sunday morning  I used to go to several wedding reception venues & collect all their punted heavy glass champagne bottles , By the time I got several hundred I started getting  wine bottle & half bottles in blue , green ,white & brown glass . some had a fair punt in them too .

 Most times I gave the person present when I got the bottles a fiver as it helped pave the way for them to take care with the bottles till I collected them .

When I got my final car boot full from a place I also said thank you & that I didn't need any more for the time being . I found that it always made it easier if I needed to go back get more bottles later on .
 If you can get hold of a few slightly damaged plastic crates that are divided up to hold bottles it's a good idea ,  for they make great draining racks for inverted cleaned sterile bottles once you've got every thing scrubbed & sterile .

[naturelovingfarmer]

It might be a little cliche, but we only use mason jars. You know, the jars you put food in when you preserve it in a pot. I don't think they can handle something as powerful as champagne, but they can handle beer, cider, cyser, mead, pyment, perry, and some of the fizzy wines.

Positives:
Mason jars are cheap.
You can buy them anywhere.
It's easy to fit them on a shelf.
The wide mouth jars stack.
The French will scoff at it.
Easy to clean

Negatives:
... Hold on, I'm thinking.

[Rupert the bear]

It might be a little cliche, but we only use mason jars. You know, the jars you put food in when you preserve it in a pot. I don't think they can handle something as powerful as champagne, but they can handle beer, cider, cyser, mead, pyment, perry, and some of the fizzy wines.

Positives:
Mason jars are cheap.
You can buy them anywhere.
It's easy to fit them on a shelf.
The wide mouth jars stack.
The French will scoff at it.
Easy to clean

Negatives:
... Hold on, I'm thinking.

Dont buy the pretend ones from Home bargains...........  dont ask,just dont

[Womble]

Don't worry, Rupert. You're not the only one to fall for that one.


We just asked friends to save empty beer bottles for us, and swapped them for refilled ones until we had enough in circulation.


What I hadn't realised though, is that you can also re-use the original caps as long as they're not too bent out of shape. We now open caps carefully, and hence get several uses out of them.

[naturelovingfarmer]

The real canning jars are made by the Mason company, or the Ball company. The two brands have different lids, so be sure you get enough lids for the kind you get. A company called Golden Harvest makes Drinking Jars, which are a canning jar with a mug handle, perfect for some homemade beer. I drink my morning coffee out of one daily.