Pet Bottles

[ivy lodge]

I am getting ready to start another brew but only have 40 bottles of which are just about to be used this weekend.
I would like to try the Pet Bottles.
I would need 24 x 1 ltr size but need some advice.
In the local Morrisons store they have clear & light blue bottles,does colour make a difference ?
I also have seem them with still water,could i use the still water for the brew & then use the bottles ?
If the above answer is no are any fizzy bottle suitable or does it need to be a certain kind ?
The local home brew shop has 24 @ £15 and Morrisons are a lot cheaper & i get to use the contents if possible ?

Thanks

[Mo06]

Hi,

I have used smaller 500ml PET bottles, bought containing carbonated water. I had no problems, I did keep them in the dark though, as I believe the beer can be damaged by light.

Not sure still water bottles would be strong enough, I'd go for gassy.

One advantage over the brown glass bottles I use is that the clear bottles allow me to see the colour, and a squeeze gives a rough idea of how much gas has been produced in the bottle.

[vacant]

Still water can be used to brew, then the empties for bottling; I've done it myself many times. The PET bottles are the same.

I get 2L bottles as (a) they work out cheap (b) I often drink one litre and put the other half in the fridge for the next day (pour chilled beer into a jug leaving the yeast, rinse the yeast out of the bottle, pour half back)

[ivy lodge]

Hi
I am getting mix thoughts with the 2l bottles.
You empty ALL the beer into a large jug.
The left over yeast in the empty bottle is then dumped.
Return 1ltr to the same 2 ltr bottle & drink the other 1 ltr.

Is the above the correct understanding as with no yeast in the bottle and only half beer/half air will it go flat ?

[vacant]

Just chill the beer for a couple of hours then pour gently. Provided there isn't too much carbonation it won't froth over and the yeast cake at the bottom shouldn't break up to the surface. I have to leave about 150ml as the yeast begins to circulate as the bottle becomes horizontal.

The dregs containing the yeast is dumped. Since it is cold the CO2 tends to stay put. Pouring half back into the bottle tends to froth up a bit but the next day there is still some pressure released when I undo the cap on a half full bottle. Sometimes, if the CO2 breaks up the yeast bed and it starts rising to the surface I stop and put the bottle back in the fridge for a day to settle.

I don't like a lot of carbonation anyway (and usually leave the beer to warm up a bit before I start drinking).

You could try just pouring half a bottle carefully, then the other half carefully the next day.

The great thing about bottling is you can try different size bottles so why not do a couple of 2L and experiment.

[ivy lodge]

Thanks very much for that.
I was having a scratch of the head regarding the yeast.

Cheers

[vacant]

The yeast doesn't hold the CO2, the gas has permeated into the entire liquid. As the yeast should be more or less dormant it won't be producing significant CO2.

[fxrs]

I used the Morrisons blue tinted fizzy water bottles for my real ale and it was fine. Have just put 30 pints of cider in those bottles too. Nip up to shop, buy 21 bottles for 7 quid and dump the contents.

[ivy lodge]

Its perfect to save money & to put it towards another kit or ingredents etc.
As for me & others who have just started out it all helps & with the help of other forum members you can save quite a few pounds over time.
The brew shops charge £15 for 24 x 1ltr bottles by me.
The replacement caps for their bottles x 24 is £4.99

Not being tight but why pay that when you can pretty much pay the same and have the contents from Morrisons etc.
A question for you,
How many times can a cap be used before you would need to replace them ?

[vacant]

How many times can a cap be used before you would need to replace them ?

I don't know. In five years of using PET bottles I've found one cap not keeping pressure. I write the brew number on the cap in marker pen and scrub it off after drinking, the older caps get smudges of ink so when I get a few new PET bottles I chuck out the older bottles and grubbier caps. Most bottles have a date stamp so currently my bottle collection has nothing stamped earlier than Jan 2011.

[Crispy Hedgehog]

I've been using the 1ltr PET bottles and to be honest I think they aren't as good as glass. I've found that the yeast/sediment bed tends to become very loose when pouring (even when pouring extremely slowly). Going bigger (i.e. 2ltr bottles) is even worse as it is guaranteed to disturb the sediment. I've tried various yeasts that should compact down and not be disturbed and every time the PET bottles fail against glass. just my opinion, but a quick trip to a couple of local pubs and ask the landlord for some empties pays dividends (especially as the majority now have to pay for them to be disposed of)...

[ianh82]

i am going to be bottling some ale that i have made using 1ltr pet bottles but i am concerned that they blow easily when settling and 2nd fermenting. is that right?

do i use 1 teaspoon of sugar in each bottle to?

[timbo41]

"do i use 1 teaspoon of sugar in each bottle ?"

Never had one go bang yet. When in secondary just give a squeeze every now and thn if you think the plastic is too tight just vent them off a bit .. same as if a bottle of coke got shook up in shopping bag! PET bottles are fairly hardy although I now prefer glass as it looks " poncier"!! 1 tsp is about right although as in previous threads IMHO its easier to bulk prime with 80-100g if equipment allows