Plastic or Glass Bottles?

[bluehomebrew]

Hey everyone,

I have decided that on my next brew, I am going to store half in a pressure barrel and the other half in bottles. I’m doing this so I can test which tastes better, for future reference.

I haven’t used bottles before, so could someone please advise me on whether I should use plastic or glass to start?

Thanks

 

[dad_of_jon]

I use brown glass bottles with 1 plastic bottle as a carb tester to let me know when I can put them in a cooler place. Glass should be better for storing beer over extended periods.

 

[Banbeer]

I haven’t used bottles before, so could someone please advise me on whether I should use plastic or glass to start?

It's really personal preference, I like to open glass bottles when I buy beer from a supermarket but I have always used plastic ones for my homebrew as when I started I was scared of bottle bombs (tho' dad_of_jon's suggestion would have eased my concerns) and I couldn't be arsed capping glass bottles. Obviously you can keep an eye on plastic bottles as you can feel how firm they are getting.

 

[BlackRegent]

I'd be interested in views on this too. The arguments seem finely balanced and maybe it all comes down to personal preference.

From what I've gathered so far, the arguments for and against each seem to be as follows:

Plastic

- No romance and a less authentic drinking experience. Plastic somehow comes across as less professional.
- Little to no risk of bottle bombs even at high pressure
- Less durable but probably good for a few uses
- Cheaper to buy
- Easier to purge air as you can simply squeeze the bottle slightly when bottling
- Screw caps make for a slightly easier and less physically demanding bottling experience
- Can tell if brew has carbed due to firmness of bottle
- May not preserve beer for as long as glass (although some doubt this)

Glass

- More authentic drinking experience - you can't get a frosty cold bottle with plastic
- Risk of bottle bombs if you over carbonate or get an infection
- More expensive to buy but can be sourced for free from friends and acquaintances
- More risk in buying online due to breakage in transit
- Can be reused endlessly provided they are washed and sanitised properly
- No easy way of knowing if the beer has carbonated
- Cleaning and capping is slightly more demanding work
- No risk of oxygen transfer to the contents provided it is capped properly (but some doubt whether this occurs with plastic anyway and most PET bottles produced for beer are marketed as having an "oxygen barrier")

 

[terrym]

I'm sure you will find the beer has the same taste whether its stored in PET or glass bottles or a PB made from HDPE. The differentiator may well be how the beer is dispensed from bottle or PB, according to carbonation level. Dispensing through a PB tap releases a lot of CO2 out of solution relative to beer poured from a bottle.
However, if you intend to only half fill a PB with beer, you really must try to purge out air from the headspace with CO2, or your beer may well be tainted before you even get to sample it

 

[dad_of_jon]

Why Beer Isn't Sold in Plastic Bottles.

this link is interesting, although the point about beer going flat over time is less of an issue if your beer is bottled conditioned.

 

[terrym]

Why Beer Isn't Sold in Plastic Bottles.

this link is interesting, although the point about beer going flat over time is less of an issue if your beer is bottled conditioned.

Usual stuff against beer in plastic bottles
- oxygen migration through the wall (why, its migrating against a pressure gradient, a bit like water flowing uphill)
- chemicals in plastics, no one worries about drinking water from plastic water bottles, and, in any case, drinking alcohol, a known poison is, in my view, far more likely to damage your health if you are worried about that sort of thing
- beer going flat in PET bottles, I don't notice it even after 12 months of storage
In my view the only reason commercial beer comes in glass bottles is that it looks better, and shifting consumer preference to PET bottles would be a major challenge for the industry. And now in 2020 there is a shift away from plastic due to the wider environmental issues.

 

[bluehomebrew]

I'd be interested in views on this too. The arguments seem finely balanced and maybe it all comes down to personal preference.

From what I've gathered so far, the arguments for and against each seem to be as follows:

Plastic

- No romance and a less authentic drinking experience. Plastic somehow comes across as less professional.
- Little to no risk of bottle bombs even at high pressure
- Less durable but probably good for a few uses
- Cheaper to buy
- Easier to purge air as you can simply squeeze the bottle slightly when bottling
- Screw caps make for a slightly easier and less physically demanding bottling experience
- Can tell if brew has carbed due to firmness of bottle
- May not preserve beer for as long as glass (although some doubt this)

Glass

- More authentic drinking experience - you can't get a frosty cold bottle with plastic
- Risk of bottle bombs if you over carbonate or get an infection
- More expensive to buy but can be sourced for free from friends and acquaintances
- More risk in buying online due to breakage in transit
- Can be reused endlessly provided they are washed and sanitised properly
- No easy way of knowing if the beer has carbonated
- Cleaning and capping is slightly more demanding work
- No risk of oxygen transfer to the contents provided it is capped properly (but some doubt whether this occurs with plastic anyway and most PET bottles produced for beer are marketed as having an "oxygen barrier")

This is the thing, it does seem a bit more authentic drinking beer from a glass bottle. Also, I get the points about storage and that it will keep for longer than in a PET bottle.

I think I might order some of each for further experimentation. I’m swinging towards getting glass bottles, just because it will feel more like the real thing.

Annoyingly, I went to a BBQ last weekend with a few friends and there was a lot of leftover beer bottles. I could have taken some of these but didn’t think at the time. Would that work if I bought some bottle caps to put on them?

 

[bluehomebrew]

It's really personal preference, I like to open glass bottles when I buy beer from a supermarket but I have always used plastic ones for my homebrew as when I started I was scared of bottle bombs (tho' dad_of_jon's suggestion would have eased my concerns) and I couldn't be arsed capping glass bottles. Obviously you can keep an eye on plastic bottles as you can feel how firm they are getting.

The capping process does seem a bit arduous.

 

[Graz]

I've used both over time, I've got two boxes of the Coopers double walled / oxygen barrier PET bottles, glass bottles are any brown beer bottles that I can recycle from the supermarket, mostly 500ml but I've got a few boxes of 330ml San Miguel bottles for high ABV / Belgian type stuff.

I prefer the glass bottles purely from an aesthetic point of view so use these for the nicer stuff, the PET bottles mainly for turbo cider and the likes. Only thing really is that I wouldn't attempt capping glass bottles with anything other than a bench capper so that's a bit of up front investment but I don't think mine cost more than £25.

 

[Graz]

The capping process does seem a bit arduous.

Bench capper all the way. Place a crown cap on the top of each bottle after filling, once complete crimp all the caps on. Take no longer than screwing up a PET bottle, especially if all your bottles are the same size so you don't have to adjust the capper.

This is the one I've got: Counter Top Capper (Coloured) Suits 26mm and 29mm Crown Caps - The Homebrew Company

 

[dad_of_jon]

- beer going flat in PET bottles, I don't notice it even after 12 months of storage

but your beer isn't pastuerised is it? - so would be less likley to go flat anyways? - I've never kept any fizzy liquid in a plastic bottle for 2 years so have no experience of that. I am no way dissing anyones choice of plastic over glass. There are pros and cons which lead us to choose whats best for us not others - I dish wash my bottles and oven them - and 1 gusher in 2500+ bottles mean my bottle cleaning regime is sound. Of course plastic is lighter and safer to post and I have considered packaging some of my beer in 1.5-2.0 litre pet bottles but not taken that plunge yet

 

[dwhite60]

The capping process does seem a bit arduous.

I've got a 32 year old all steel wing capper that came with my initial homebrewing equipment purchase. Thing has never failed me. I've broken no more than five bottles with it and ALL of those were MY fault.

Bottling isn't much of a chore. I find it pretty easy and even enjoyable. It's an almost fool proof, dead reliable, two piece system that is the model of simplicity.

 

[terrym]

I am no way dissing anyones choice of plastic over glass. There are pros and cons which lead us to choose whats best for us not others - I dish wash my bottles and oven them - and 1 gusher in 2500+ bottles mean my bottle cleaning regime is sound. Of course plastic is lighter and safer to post and I have considered packaging some of my beer in 1.5-2.0 litre pet bottles but not taken that plunge yet

I was commenting on the article you linked not your personal preferences. And I agree we all do stuff for different reasons. especially in homebrewing it seems. To quote a former member '10 homebrewers, 11opinions'.
And sometimes I use 2 litre PET bottles. You will probably need a serving jug like me. I find the beer keeps for a couple of days if I only take off one litre at the first serve. But I do not keep opening and closing them though

 

[kelper]

Why brew your own beer and then drink it from the bottle???? Surely you drink from a nice glass?

 

[BlackRegent]

Annoyingly, I went to a BBQ last weekend with a few friends and there was a lot of leftover beer bottles. I could have taken some of these but didn’t think at the time. Would that work if I bought some bottle caps to put on them?

Yes, you can reuse any glass bottle (preferably amber or brown glass as mentioned above). You just recap them using new, sanitised caps and a capper. Although be careful what you wish for, because if you have a few people putting bottles aside for you, you can suddenly become inundated!

 

[BlackRegent]

Why brew your own beer and then drink it from the bottle???? Surely you drink from a nice glass?

This is true (except maybe with lagers) but even pouring from a glass bottle seems a nicer experience. I accept this is personal taste.

 

[An Ankoù]

If you're going to use PETs, don't buy new ones. There are more than enough plastic bottles floating around in the oceans and elsewhere. I use them for quick turnaround beers to try and mop up the number of Perrier bottles The Wise One gets through. It's a losing battle, though as they're indestructible and can be use over and over again.
Plastic is more versatile, too. You can carbonate without fear and then let the pressure out and screw down the cap again before serving, if it's a bit too much for the style.

 

[bluehomebrew]

Yes, you can reuse any glass bottle (preferably amber or brown glass as mentioned above). You just recap them using new, sanitised caps and a capper. Although be careful what you wish for, because if you have a few people putting bottles aside for you, you can suddenly become inundated!

That’s what I’m worried about! I don’t want my shed to turn into a bottle bank!

 

[dwhite60]

If you're cheap you CAN reuse bottle caps. You have to pry them off carefully to not damage them.

Just sayin'.