Beer bottles

[Barrelled]

Hello, I received a home brew kit for Christmas along with a 40 pint kit for lager, which I made up straight away and then drank.(wery nice). The kit included a compression barrell which is what I used for the lager, the only problem I found with this is that I couldn't drink all the brew before it degassed and the flavour changed... So since then I've been bought a couple more kits and thought I would have a go at bottling it this time, so effectively it would last longer.
I've had a look around at various bottles online and cannot decide which is the best option? which is where I hope you, the experts will be able to advise. Should I go for plastic screw tops? Grolsch type swing bottles? or the other option is to buy a capper and use my own bottles. I have a steady supply of newcastle brown ale pint bottles but would the caps fit these? are they a standard size? is there a better option freely available? what is the best capper to buy? as I can imagine that they are put under alot of stress. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thankyou - Adam

 

[Aleman]

For short term storage, litre pet bottles are fine, but for longer term then reusing beer bottles with a crown capper is the way to go.

Personally the best capper to get is a bench capper like this

Its a bit more expensive in the short term, but will cap any bottle you put under it (including Champagne bottles - They take bigger caps ) which the same cannot be said of the wing cappers.

The brown Bulmers/magners bottles are ideal for reuse, and your local pub will often let you have them for nothing, as they have to pay to get them taken away. Although any heavy brown beer bottle is suitable. . . . My preference is for the Bernard Cerne Pivo bottles which are brown swing tops (like grolsch ones only in brown) . . . which also don't need a cap or a capper.

 

[unclepumble]

Just to add, to AM's Post, when bottling if you use clear newcastle brown bottles, you need to store them in closed cardboard boxes or in a cupboard where light can not get to them, otherwise the light will reacte with the hop compounds in your beer and make it taste skunky.

Therefore Brown bottles are best.

By the sounds of it you have a cheap keg with no gas injection valve, if you want your beer to last longer in the keg, go to your local homebrew shop and buy a new cap with an s30 valve about £7, and a bottle of co2, this way you can add gas to the keg and keep your beer fresh, the co2 bottles are refillable.

UP

 

[Beer Belly]

For short term storage, litre pet bottles are fine, but for longer term then reusing beer bottles with a crown capper is the way to go.

Personally the best capper to get is a bench capper like this

Its a bit more expensive in the short term, but will cap any bottle you put under it (including Champagne bottles - They take bigger caps ) which the same cannot be said of the wing cappers.

Has anyone used that bench capper for Hoegaarden 750ml bottles? Did you have any problems with it? :hmm:

 

[Aleman]

You need the larger caps . . . and to swap out the 'bell' otherwise there is no problem . . . . Hamstead Homebrew do the one with the two 'bells'

 

[garwatts]

The kit included a compression barrell which is what I used for the lager, the only problem I found with this is that I couldn't drink all the brew before it degassed and the flavour changed... Adam

When the pressure disappears don't let it glug through the tap. Crack open the cap and let it pour naturally. Or stop drinking it, put the keg somewhere warmer and it should recover somewhat.....(after a day or three)

 

[Barrelled]

Thanks for all the info, I have a much better idea of what I'm after now!