Plastic bottles anyone?

[NickW]

Hi again :thumb: ,

I'm asking a few questions this evening - but I figure if I don't post now I'll forget them by tomorrow! Sorry for the inadvertant spamming!

What do you reckon to bottling in PEt 1lt plastic bottles? http://www.brew-it-yourself.co.uk/shop/ ... ucts_id=90

I've got some cider on a brew and I want to bottle it - what are your opinions on bottling with this method?

Also - what about bottling beer and wine like this? - Any opinions?

I'd love to hear your thoughts,

Cheers guys : ,

Nick

 

[Aleman]

Cider is quite happy in PET bottles . . . Wine less so

Beer should only be bottled in Brown bottles and if for any length of time Glass is preferred as PET is slightly oxygen permeable

 

[NickW]

Thanks Aleman,

If you don't mind me asking - why is cider happy in plastic bottles and not wine or beer, is there any reason? I'm just curius!

Also, do you know a good place online to get good, decently priced brown bottles?

Cheers : ,

Really appreciate the help,

crE

 

[Aleman]

The hop compounds in beer are affected by UV light and produce a mercaptan . . . which smells like skunk . . . not nice . . . brown bottles stop UV better than clear, blue, or green ones. Cider has no hops so can be bottled in clear plastic bottles . . . . I do use PET bottles but mostly for short term storage of QC samples of beer. Wine generally goes into 5L bag in box containers, as I can't stand bottling . . . I'm not a cider brewer, but again would probably only use them for short term storage . . . . I use corny kegs for pretty much any alcoholic beverage . . . In fact if I could get hold of some 70/30 gas mix I would probably hook the wine up to my kegereezer

As I said, I don't do a lot of bottling, but those I do bottle (mostly for competition, go into Magners or TT landlord bottles) . . . I am in the process of Collecting Brown Swingtop bottles which I buy from Tesco (3 for 3 quid on offer). . . They come filled with Bernard Cerne Pivo, but I just empty that out . . . . . Into a glass of course . . . . and drink it

I should say that Magners bottles are non returnable, and most landlords are more than happy to give them away

 

[NickW]

By Corny kegs - do you mean those metallic ones?

Also - what do you mean by 70/30 gas mix?

I'm very new to brewing, but if I can store my cider in a better way then plastic bottles I'm very interested! I don't mind spending cash to make sure future brewing and bottling/storage is made easier and effiecient.

And I had no idea mangers bottles were non returnable!! Why is that? Next time I'm out on the pop I'll take a backpack with me and I'll be collecting them! - Does it apply to bulmers and gaymers bottles too?

crE :

 

[Aleman]

By Corny kegs - do you mean those metallic ones?

Yes they hold 18L and were formerly used to hold post mix syrup for fizzy drinks in bars.

Also - what do you mean by 70/30 gas mix?

That is a dispense gas with a mixture of 70% Nitrogen and 30% CO2 . . . rather than pure CO2 . . . Its used for Creamflow type dispense . . . but because it doesn't dissolve very well in liquids it is ideal for using for wine in said kegs

I'm very new to brewing, but if I can store my cider in a better way then plastic bottles I'm very interested! I don't mind spending cash to make sure future brewing and bottling/storage is made easier and effiecient.

I hate bottling . . . not so much the bottling part of it, but the washing, cleaning and sanitising part . . . so always used 5 Gallon Kegs / 20L polypins for storage of Beer and wine . . . I adopted Cornies when they started becoming available, as once you have the dispense equipment they are simply a big bottle. . . . They are fine for real ale, and also for Lager and Cider where you can make it very fizzy. . . . . but they are not essential, there are other alternatives . . . If you think you are going to get into brewing long term then start out with high quality kit as it will last your brewing lifetime . . . if its not likely to be something you will spend 30 plus years at . . . then go with the cheaper option

I had no idea mangers bottles were non returnable!! Why is that?

Its the pain of cleaning and sorting them . . . very few . . if any . . . bottles used in pubs are actually returnable, most are skipped. I'm not sure about teh other bottles . . . . The gaymers ones I've seen appear to be rather thin, I know that the Magners ones are strong enough to use for beer

 

[NickW]

With corny kegs, do they hold fizziness and frothiness? (excuse my non-professional terms!)
-- If so .. how do they do this? Do they need to be plugged in to the mains?
-- How much can you pick one up for? .. and how much do they cost?

What would you class as the cheaper option? - As at the moment I have 2 plastic FVs with corks, a plastic 5 gal bucket, and smaller plastic bucket.. all made by Youngs if im not mistaken.

Nick :

 

[Parva]

You really need to do more searching before asking questions like this. A cornie keg is just a big bottle with connections to put gas in and take 'juice' out. Without any method of 'pumping' the 'juice' out (a CO2 cylinder) then you have a lovely, stainless keg that can do FA. You also need the CO2 to pressure the cornie and carbonate the contents. Do some searching.

 

[derbyowl]

I bottle my beer in 2 litre 'clear' pop bottles. I do not keep it long no more than 6 months and it seems to work fine for me. Although I confess I drink it rather than show it :

 

[NickW]

That's the answer I was secretly hoping for :lol: