Bottles.

[lewispullen]

I'm new to this. I've got a few of the glass irn bru bottles. Can I use these with the originals caps (metal ones) or do I need to buy some others?

 

[Godsdog]

If you want the cheap option go for used pet bottles like coke and fizzy water,I still use them if I want to do a brew and if all the he kegs are in use

 

[Brewberoza]

If you want the cheap option go for used pet bottles like coke and fizzy water,I still use them if I want to do a brew and if all the he kegs are in use

You mean you fill coca cola bottles with homebrew?

 

[MyQul]

You mean you fill coca cola bottles with homebrew?

plenty of people do until they get there bottle stocks up

 

[Brewberoza]

I am sure it wont kill anyone but not something to be encouraged, especially re using them.

 

[Leon103]

Go to your local and ask can you have their empties. Wash, sterilise and recap.

 

[Godsdog]

I am sure it wont kill anyone but not something to be encouraged, especially re using them.

A pet bottle is a pet bottle no matter its had a previous life,you can still steralise them and are designed to take 30psi so less likely to have a bottle bomb

 

[Brewberoza]

A pet bottle is a pet bottle no matter its had a previous life,you can still steralise them and are designed to take 30psi so less likely to have a bottle bomb

This is true but...
If you look a plastic bottle of water you will see the biggest ingredient is a bicarbonate. You will also notice a best before date.

Wait.

Water going off?

:wha::wha::wha:

What is happening is the container is degrading. The bicarbonate is to there to raise the pH i.e. making the liquid less acidic.

It is part of the property of plastics to leach. Pour boiling water into a PET bottle an watch it change shape. Plastics can expand, leaching what ever liquid is in contact with it an making it difficult to remove. This can be seen as a stain on the plastic. For example, on fermenters. Theses are usually made from sturdier HDPE plastics rather than PET.

So plastics are not 100% inert. They leach. They take in compounds and potentially expel them.

The example of heat we are familiar with. The example of pH less so. As with bottled water, the manufactures adjust the pH the preserve the life of the packaging. Beer of course, has a low pH which is why it is such an inhospitable environment of many pathogens and other micro organisms. Mash pH is 5.5 but gets lower after fermentation.

Beers' acidity can erode PET bottles. Repeat uses of such bottles increase the likelihood that you are drinking petrochemicals with your beer.

 

[Brewberoza]

Go to your local and ask can you have their empties. Wash, sterilise and recap.

Perfect advice.

 

[terrym]

If PET bottles are apparently as toxic as some would have you believe why do Coopers sell PET bottles for home brew use?
I would also suggest that the alcohol content in any homebrewed beer will do you far more harm than a few ppb of any organic chemical that may or may not have leached out of the bottle plastic.
So will that stop people on this forum drinking alcohol? :whistle:
What next, concern about leaching chemicals from FVs and kegs?

 

[keat64]

I've used PET bottles for 5 gallon wine kits.
I have woken up with a few headaches though.

Make of that what you will ....

 

[Racinsnake]

I take all the previous comments on board but plastic is all around us in many different forms, cling film, cold meat, cheese, cereal packets all of which make contact with what we consume and possibly having similar effects.
Stress is also detrimental to our health too,
so i prefer to just..........

Chill, and have a beer :

 

[BeerCat]

So this raises the ? are pet bottles BPA free? Doubtful or would be a selling point. This is why I prefer glass.

 

[Godsdog]

I only use them once as we have 1 litre bottled spring water on a regular basis and usually when I keg a brew I will do two bottles and put them away so when I ain't got any beer I've got some so to speak.that said I am now collecting swing tops from when I sink a few grolsch every week or two.much prefer my ale kegged

 

[lewispullen]

Ok ill trade in my glass pop bottles for the 30p each and reuse old beer bottles. If I don't have enough ill whack it in a coke bottle and sink that one first when it's ready