Advice on Bottles

[mattc]

Hi everyone.
I need some advice on bottles.
I am just getting back to brewing after about a year or so (work etc).
I currently have heaps of longnecks, but i would like to switch to stubbie size.
Which, if any, of the commercial beers have bottles that i could use for long term use?
Then I can drink that beer while my brew gets ready
Thanks in advance.
Matt

[emnpaul]

Although I can't rule any in, as such, I can provide some info. working on the theory of more weight equals more glass, therefore stronger and more suitable:

Hieneken: 330ml, 251.5g crown seal. Green. No refill.
Cooper's: 375ml, 202.8g twist top. brown. no refill.
Crown lager: 345ml, 287.1g Crown seal. Brown. No refill. (Possibly changed to twist top in recent years, weight may also have changed)
Toohey's: 375ml, 190.9g crown seal. Brown. No refil.
VB: 375ml, 170.7g Twist top. Brown. No refil.

I won't bother going into the whole no refill thing as it's been done to death already. Brown is better as it filters more of the UV spectrum light that spoils beer and you're no doubt aware that crown seals are easier to cap.

There may be better options I haven't covered here but of the above bottles I'd go for the old crown seal, Crone Lager bottles , if you can get them. Although still marked no refill they are heavier and shaped with a narrow angle neck which to my mind gives them more structural integrity/support when being capped.

[earle]

I use Hahn Premium crown seal bottles that I got from a mate back when they were 375ml. Heavy so that means thick glass. He agve me some more when the size changed to 330/45?ml and they were still heavy glass, crown seal. Not sure what type of seal they have now though.

[gregb]

Bundaberg Ginger Beer bottles. Classic stubby, roll top, 375ml.

[Oliver]

Crown lager: 345ml, 287.1g Crown seal. Brown. No refill. (Possibly changed to twist top in recent years, weight may also have changed)

They have changed and are now twist top. Not that I could give two hoots because I wouldn't drink Crown Lager in a pink fit

Other candidates would be bottles used by many microbreweries such as Mountain Goat and Hargreaves Hill, which are 330ml crown seals and seem to be a uniform size between breweries (same supplier, I suspect).

Little Creatures uses some quite attractive embossed 330ml crown seal bottles.

One thing to remember is that out of a 23-litre batch you'll get 30 750ml longnecks, 60 375ml stubbies or 68ish 330ml stubbies. So unless you're into making work for yourself try and get 375ml stubbies is my tip!

That's the reason I stick to longnecks, and others choose to keg.

Anyway, each to their own

Oh, and welcome back to the fold.

Cheers,

Oliver

[big dave]

Like Oliver says, a few of the smaller breweries (Bright, Blue Duck, etc) use a common 330ml stubby, brown with a crown seal top. I have a good few of those. They feel pretty sturdy. Although I have used all sorts of 330/345/355/375 ml stubbies, crown or twist seal, and never had one break. 330ml seems pretty small to me though. I bought some 500ml bottles from a HBS, and that is more like it, but they were pretty pricey.

Stubbies are fiddly, but I usually do 6-10 per brew to give away to mates. My best man went to 1.5L PET softdrink bottles because he got sick of bottling longnecks. But that meant opening a bottle led to drinking multiples of four stubbies....

[Guru]

I always tend to bottle a mix of longnecks and stubbies. Mostly because I like a few stubbies for early testing of the brew to see how its going and occasionally taking to functions. The longnecks are obviously less work and I tend to use champagne bottles as they have crown seals and are really easy to cap. For the stubbies I use a mix of coopers twist top bottles and an assortment of other varieties. Like Oliver said the microbreweries tend to use crown seal bottles which are easier to cap.

[Oliver]

Forgot to mention the 500ml European (German or Czech, generally) brown crown-seal bottles. Possibly they are a good compromise between size and the number you'll need to cap.

See the Sourcing bottles thread for some ideas where to get these 500ml beauties and other sorts of bottles.

Oliver

[earle]

I also have colected a few cases of James Squires bottles, and Matilda Bay would also be good. Both have thick brown glass and roll top.

[chadjaja]

If you want a cheap import and great bottles pickup a case of Kozel from Dan's. A great dark lager in 500ml bottles and being mid strength its cheaper than most CUB products.

I get bottles when I do need them from the catering place across the road from work. The fill wheely bins and I just wheel away a bin, fill up the crates and walk the bin back to them

[mattc]

Thanks everyone

[big dave]

Little Creatures and Matilda Bay bottles are handsome too, with their writing or little angel in the glass. If I could be bothered doing up nice labels, I reckon a half dozen brews in LC stubbies would be a pretty present for this time of year.

[emnpaul]

I had a close look at some Asahi bottles last night. They look the goods.

Shame about the beer.

[RuddyCrazy]

I just use VB 750ml longnecks and most of them are twist tops but they still seal good using the crown seal bottle tops. Speaking of which after dinner finally time to bottle that lager brew I put on back on the 6th Nov. O'well they won't be ready for xmas but I will will be chilling a few for new years......

Cheers Bryan

[mattc]

ok, thanks guys, this gives me a starting point.
I have plenty of longnecks to use for now.
The reason i wnt to go to smaller bottles is so i can pour the bottle in one go, leaving the sediment behind.
I find when i pour a longneck, the second glass is never as good/clear as the first.
Is there anyway to stick to my longnecks, but avoid this issue?

[Oliver]

i wnt to go to smaller bottles is so i can pour the bottle in one go, leaving the sediment behind.
Is there anyway to stick to my longnecks, but avoid this issue?

Hi Matt,

Grab yourself a beer jug and pour from the longneck to the jug in one hit, then into the glass.

Or get yourself a 750ml glass

Cheers,

Oliver

[emnpaul]

Or get yourself a 750ml glass

Dan's have been running regular promos on litre steins of German lager. Admittedly at $20 they aren't giving them away but they are cool glasses and the beer is nice too, if you like that sort of thing.