Clear plastic PET bottles

[Nicks90]

I normally only use glass bottles, with a half dozen coopers brown pet bottles thrown in for manually checking carbonation. But after 3 years I have noticed they are getting very battered and not giving a consistent seal. So decided its time to replace them!

Whilst browsing the world according to Amazon, I came across a pack of 40 clear plastic 500ml bottles for a cracking price of £18
Never one to miss a bargain and try something new, I bought them. A real review will be forthcoming as I have a brew to bottle Friday. But would be interested if anyone else has experience of them.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clear-Plas...647978238&sprefix=Plastic+beer+,aps,87&sr=8-5And no, all my beer won't turn purple and taste of dank cardboard, because I store my beers in a dark cellar. So the aesthetic advantage of having clear bottles is a winner for me.
Plus they're easier to see if they are clean.

 

[Agentgonzo]

I normally put fill one plastic 500ml PET bottle for every brew. As you say, it allows for easier inspection of colour, clarity and carbonation than glass.

Except I get mine free from my teenager when he gets home from college. All I have to do is take the coke label off it and give it a soak to clean.

 

[jof]

I use the 1litre plastic bottles from tonic water when I run out of glass bottles.
Stored in the garage (no windows)

 

[Scottyburto]

I successfully used Highland spring 500ml bottles with the final beer being better than glass due to be squeezing the air out prior to sealing. Main drawback is that the bottles won't stand up once they swell from co2 created from bottle fermentation.

 

[moto748]

I used to do that thing of always bottling a few PET bottles, but I gave up after a while; I just came to the conclusion, glass is just better, and I don't think it really tells me anything.

 

[scomet]

I use clear pets for takeouts and give aways and have been shot down in flames for suggesting such; I can't think of the word. But imho they are free work great maintain pressure and dont smash if you drop them... What I have just seen is a new plastic reusable closure for champagne bottles, my next brew will have two bottles as testers. My Mk3 keggerator just died so the bar is under going a rebuild, like a lot of people I'm space challenged and the wife wont let me put a Keezer in the lounge room (ffs)

 

[trummy]

I do a mixture - swing tops for the house and 2ltr PET for the motorhome (weight saving). I have no problem with using them, There are other threads that claim that the beer degrades in PET, I have not detected any problem

 

[foxy]

There are different types of PET bottles, Coopers have oxygen barrier technology. I suppose if they are short term storage and in the dark they are fine.

 

[Agentgonzo]

There are different types of PET bottles, Coopers have oxygen barrier technology. I suppose if they are short term storage and in the dark they are fine.

All my beers are short-term. They all get drunk before long-term storage can kick in!

 

[Jim Brewster]

I reuse clear lemonade bottles but keep them in a dark cupboard. If I was buying them I'd probably go for brown

 

[GhostShip]

I use the Coopers PET bottles and they are still going strong after many brews. I love being able to squeeze the beer to the top of the bottle (thus removing the oxygen) and then screwing the caps on tight so that the bottles are slightly misshapen. Within a few days, the bottles have regained their original shape which instantly tells me that carbonation has taken place.

 

[Agentgonzo]

I use the Coopers PET bottles and they are still going strong after many brews. I love being able to squeeze the beer to the top of the bottle (thus removing the oxygen) and then screwing the caps on tight so that the bottles are slightly misshapen. Within a few days, the bottles have regained their original shape which instantly tells me that carbonation has taken place.

You can also give it squeeze to feel how carbonated it is, and thus whether it's ready to drink yet!

 

[moto748]

I'm not sure I really buy that. ;Sufficiently carbonated; (which can happen just a few days after bottling) is not the same thing as 'ready to drink'. In my book, anyway.

 

[Nicks90]

I'm not sure I really buy that. ;Sufficiently carbonated; (which can happen just a few days after bottling) is not the same thing as 'ready to drink'. In my book, anyway.

But sufficiently carbonated is when the 'scientific process' of seeing how the beer develops with aging can begin.

 

[Kit-brewer]

Sufficiently carbonated is a personal thing. I prefer a flatter beer, as long as the bottle has pressured, not over hard, the oxygen is away from the beer.
Of course I normally end up with the "over' pressurised bottle which means my beer is too frothy! Still good though.
I also reuse cola lemonade, and tonight water PET bottles in 1l sizes an up to have a variety of sizes of bottles. No problem so far with storage, but as has been mentioned I don't go for long term storage, it's all gone

 

[Eris solipsis]

I am aging quite well, but had never considered my drinking brews as a scientific process. Shall wear a white lab coat and spectacles from now on.

 

[trummy]

Stay around E s you aint seen nothing yet

 

[foxy]

Sufficiently carbonated is a personal thing. I prefer a flatter beer, as long as the bottle has pressured, not over hard, the oxygen is away from the beer.
Of course I normally end up with the "over' pressurised bottle which means my beer is too frothy! Still good though.
I also reuse cola lemonade, and tonight water PET bottles in 1l sizes an up to have a variety of sizes of bottles. No problem so far with storage, but as has been mentioned I don't go for long term storage, it's all gone

There is good reason when they put 1,000's of years old water in a PET bottle and then put on a use by date, it is the bottle which becomes out of date.

 

[Nicks90]

Bottles have arrived and a batch of saison all tucked away nice and safe for carb'ing up. 30 pints of what looks like urine samples........

Couple of points
1) They are a different shape to the coopers PET bottles. Still have a domed bottom, but dont have the 7 little mini domes. I reckon this will make it easier to clean the sticky yeast from the bottom
2) They are easy to fill being clear and the day went very quickly

Overall pleased with the bottles, they do feel a bit thinner than the coopers dark brown PET bottles, but we will see how they fair to repeated use. But for £18 for 40, its a bit of a bargain and if they work well, I might buy another 80 and just use these and get rid of my capper/glass bottles. Well i will keep a few behind, as I do like the 'feel' of uncapping bottles with my Thors hammer bottle opener!

 

[Nicky P]

Just my tuppence worth from my personal observations. I've been using the same Coopers and Easybrew PET bottles for around 18 months now. Every batch of beer I've made (16 batches so far) I've included around 10 glass bottles (crown capped) for longer term storage. With every batch there has been little difference (at least to me) in looks or taste for up to three months. All the beer is stored in a cool dark cellar. After three months, the longer it's left, the less carbonated the beer in the PET bottles becomes and seems to not taste as good (subjective). It's still drinkable even after 4/5 months, but the glass equivalent is far superior in terms of carbonation and seems brighter somehow. I've never kept the beer in PET bottle beyond 5 months so maybe I'll do that, for research purposes. However I'm seriously thinking of moving completely to glass (crown capped).