Bottling for Beginners

Last Updated 5 May 1996

This document is provided as an introduction to bottling beer; it is NOT designed to describe a step-by-step bottling process. For detailed information, see the link to John Palmer's How to Brew... off of my main Beer Page. This Bottling for Beginners is best read 2 weeks prior to your first bottling session, so that you have time to collect bottles and think about your first bottling attempt.

SO, you have 5 gallons of beer bubbling away in your closet and now you have to start thinking about bottling. The materials that you will need are easily attainable. Here are a few General Types of bottles you should look for:

• Long Necks: These bottles are all over the place, but, there are several different styles. One thing that makes this type unique is that it has a smooth bottle lip that will fit a standard bottle cap.
  • Returnables: This type is referred to a lot in many of the beer-related literature. They are designed to be used several times by the brewers, so they are strongly constructed, and feel heavier than other bottles. They may look a little rough in appearance initially, but they are a great addition to any brewer's bottle stash. Sometimes, you'll see this type of bottle referred to as a bar bottle. Be careful; some authors will say that these are the only type bottles to use, but we'll see differently soon.
  • Micros: Many of the Micro-Brews come in long-neck recappable bottles. The specific brewer will be different across the country, but the bottle style will generally be the same. These bottles are fine for homebrewers and make up a majority of my collection. A widely available option is the Sam Adams bottle. Again, look for the recappable smooth lip that characterizes this type of bottle.
  • Imports: Many of the European import beers are also useful for home brewers. Amstel Light is one example. One note in this category is to realize that many of the Mexican imports seem to be much lighter in construction than other bottle types. Try it - hold a Carta Blanca in one hand and a Sam Adams in the other; you should be able to feel the difference. The Mexican imports are alright to use for bottling, but they may not hold up as long as the heavy-duty returnable bottle discussed above. If you have your choice, avoid the light-weight Mexican imports, but if you are just getting started, they will work fine for you (for a while). Again, look for the recappable smooth lip that characterizes this type of bottle.
• Twist-Off Bottles: You will find a lot these bottles in the long-neck style, but I list them seperately because of their twist off top. Some common examples are Bud and Coors, as well as some big Micros like Pete's Wicked or Sierra Nevada. Some brewers use these bottles with success, but if you are just starting out, I'd steer you away from them. Although they are widely available, they are light-weight and the delicate twist-top lip may not hold up very well over several bottle sessions.
• Flip Top Bottle: These are the cadillac of beer bottles. They have a plastic or ceramic cap that is connected to the bottle via a hinged, stiff-wire cage. These bottles may be referred to as Grolsch-type bottles. They are generally made of heavy glass, and their reusable hinged cap eases your bottling day stresses. If you can find these, then use them (or better yet - send them to me!).
• Champagne Bottles: They are constructed of heavy glass and have a smooth lip that will take a standard bottle cap, so we can also use these bottles for our homebrew. The large size may make them impractical for most of your bottling, but they might be nice for special occassions/gifts. One word of warning: You'll need a bench style capper to cap these bottles. Due to the larger diameter of the bottle neck, the double wing cappers won't work without special modification. For this reason, I don't use champagne bottles for my homebrew.

• 12 oz: I recommend that you always keep some of these bottles around your brew-haus. If you want to sample your beer, you can pull out a 12 ouncer instead of a larger bottle. Also, I like to give away some of my beer to friends and family, so these bottles make perfect give-away bottles. If you don't get the bottle back, then it is easily replaced.
• 16 oz: You'll find a few pint bottles - probably British ales. The German 1/2 litre bottles are around 16.9 ounces. They are also a good find.
• 22 oz: These large long-neck bottles can cut your bottling/capping work in half. They also make great gifts for special occassions. Plus, do you usually have just one 12 ounce beer, or do you generally go back to the fridge for just one more beer? Well, with the big 22 ounce home brew, you can tell your spouse, "Honey, I'm only going to have ONE beer tonight." Several of the Micro-brews are available in this size; Sam Adams might be the most widely-distributed example. Pete's Wicked used to be a good source, but he has gone to twist-off bottles recently. Some brewers use twist-offs with good success, but I would steer a new brewer away from the twist-offs.
• 16 oz swing-top: This type bottle is the main-stay of my bottle collection. I always have a few pints of brew in the fridge in these bottles. One pint is good with dinner, but one more for dessert is even better! Grolsch is the only example that comes to my mind right now in this area.
• 22 oz swing-top: A convenient large size and an easy to close cap - what else could a brewer desire? I keep a few of these around so I can share a beer with a neighbor. Plus, it makes a nice pour into my yard or half-yard glass. If you look around, you might find a French beer called Fischers in this type bottle.

How many bottles do I need for a batch of home brew?
The general home brew batch is 5 gallons or 640 ounces. I always bottle with a mixture of bottle sizes; some 12 ouncers to give away, 16 ouncers for me, and maybe a few 22 ouncers for special occassions. As a general rule, I break out the following mix on bottling day:

• a case (24) of 12 ounce bottles
• Twenty-two 16 ounce bottles

• Brown: this color provides the best protection from light. Most of the bottles you find are brown, and I'd recommend these as your first choice.
• Green: helps to protect the beer, but not as well as brown glass. I use a lot of green 16 oz Grolsch bottles, so you should have good luck with these. I tend not to collect green 12 oz bottles only because the brown ones are so easily available.
• Clear: provides almost no protection from light. A commercial brewer who uses clear bottles runs the risk of delivering skunky beer to the consumer, or he uses some sort of chemistry to reduce the risks of skunking. I avoid commerical beers in clear bottles, and I don't have any clear bottles in my collection. However, some friends of mine like to have at least one clear glass bottle to admire the color and clarity of their home brew. If you store your beer in a dark place, then you could use these bottles and limit your exposure to skunky home brew. Some commercial examples of clear bottles include Miller, Corona and Sam Smiths.

• Drink them: if you only have 2 weeks until your first bottling session, it might be tough to drink this much beer in order to collect the bottles. You could have a party and have your friends help you drink the beer. Also, put out the word to your friends to save their empty beer bottles for you. I have found that most people will gladly do that - especially if you bribe them with a promise of some home brew. If a friend returns a batch of bottles to me, I usually promise them a small "dividend".
• Beer Distributors: this is your source for the returnable or bar bottles. They may cost about a nickle a piece for the deposit, but they are well worth it; the heavy duty cardboard cases that they come in are even a better deal.
• Bars: you may get bottles for free here or maybe for the recycle rate of 2 cents a piece. I have traded home brew to a local bartender for my 16 ounce flip-top Grolsch bottles. It has been a great deal for both of us. This is also a great source for the six-pack holders you will need in your operation. Be sure to consider how you plan to store all these bottles.
• Buy them: most brew supply stores will sell bottles of all sizes. Although I did receive a dozen flip-top bottles as a present when I started brewing, I don't recommend this route. Bottles are easily available much cheaper than through these commercial sources.

On bottling day, a quick soak in a sterilizing solution and a good rinse should be sufficient to get your bottles ready. If you did the harder/longer work prior to bottling day, then your work should not be too hard. A bottle washer with a pump spayer and faucet-mounted bottle rinser make this job a little easier.

The only thing I warn you against here is do not use a soap-based product to clean your bottles. Despite rinsing, the soap film that remains will have a negative effect on head retention. Other than that, you need to weigh the advice that people offer you here. I don't prefer the dishwasher method because I don't think that the neck opening is large enough to get much water "inside" a bottle in the dishwasher. I have had good luck with my technique, so I'll stick with it. If you have other ideas, then drop me a note.

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