Free Bottle storage

[aragar]

Hi all,

I have been brewing for a few months now and have been trying to get my stock of conditioning beers up to the point were I won't have to worry about conditioning long enough as everything will be at least 12weeks old or longer! The only problem with that is obviously storage, 400+bottles take up quite a bit of room, but I have a great solution to the problem.

If like me you use online grocery shopping simply acquire a few of the hard plastic trays they deliver in(drivers dont seem that interested in taking them back), they're virtually indestructible and each will hold 42+ 500ml bottles ( I use sparkling mineral water bottles 6x500ml £1 liddle) which is a full 23l brew perfectly,what's more you can stack at least 6 of them on top of each other without them getting unstable, result problem solved!

[rootsbrew]

I have an old bottle rack, which fits about 2 brews. I can see that there might be a problem for 400+ bottles so, if each of these crates can hold a 23 litre brew - seems a good way to solve the problem. Out of interest, how do these (plastic?) bottles compare, in size, with glass ones - would I get ~40 of these bottles in one of those boxes?

[Barloch]

I use my loft for my brews, i have aquired 14 milk crates and 2 of said delivery crates from a Tesco delivery guy (no favours were offered)

Just my ageing legs trying to get my maturing brews down from the loft, any one got a spare set of knees?

[aragar]

Hi rootbrew,

I am not sure of the dimensions of glass bottles but am thinking they will be taller so unfortunately I don't think so, I am aware the glass bottles are a lot nicer astethically but I prefer plastic ones as they use screw caps and are a lot cheaper and easier to bottle!
Sorry I couldn't answer your question but they may be ok to hold one brew but because they are taller there's not much clearance left so deffo won't be able to stack!

[aragar]

Hi barloch,

That sounds like hard work barloch but at least it takes a lot of effort to get to your 'babies' so you won't be overcome by temptation to drink them to green, out of curiousity what bottles do you use?

[Newt Dundee]

I'm just cleaning some of my bottles up ready for sterilising and bottling later on. Due to space restrictions in our kitchen I'm using some of the 30 litre stackable tubs you can pick up in Tesco's for 3 or 4 quid. They only hold 18 upright glass 500ml bottles, and the bottles are too tall to stack upon (I'm obviously soaking them horizontally).

Where do you get crates which will hold 42+ bottles from?

[floydmeddler]

... and have been trying to get my stock of conditioning beers up to the point were I won't have to worry about conditioning long enough as everything will be at least 12weeks old or longer!

Are you only brewing 10% beers or what?

[rootsbrew]

The rough edges tend to get knocked out by a few extra weeks conditioning - some might say 12 is too much? I accidentally over-hopped a brew, so I hope it'll mellow a little with an extra month - only added at 0 mins, but they seem to be providing austere bitterness! In the mean time I'll have to rely on other bits I've made and beer from the shops.

Has anyone got some ideas about how to store glass bottles? 3x ~40 bottles @ 245mm high * 60mm diameter. The cardboard boxes they came in are sure to give way soon and a bottle rack forces horizontal storage, which isn't ideal for putting the sediment at the bottom of the bottle, so it doesn't all end up in the glass!

[boingy]

Blag a few crates from your local pub (you might have to pay their deposit) or buy 'em from Alex Baird in Scotland. They will do you 6 plastic crates, each holding 20 bottles for £40 delivered. Maybe a tad pricy but they are build to last a lifetime. They are on ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6x-Pint-Bottl ... 0794760978

They do a bigger crate for the same price.

[rootsbrew]

Thanks Boingy. Good heads up on those crates. Unfortunately, the bottles are taller than the crate (220mm vs 245mm). And, the ebay page firmly says: no returns (though that is against distance selling law in UK). I'll have a wander round the local pubs this week and try to get some taller crates.

[aragar]

Hi flood meddler,

Like I said I have only been brewing a few months but from everything I've read on this site I was under the impression that given time conditioning only helps to improve flavour and quality of the finished product not strength!

Although I do enjoy the odd Belgian beer I am all for flavour and taste not strength!

Thank you for your input no the less.

[aragar]

Hi mate,

I get my shopping delivered in the hard plastic crates which are stackable ( asda,tesco,sainsburys), like I said the drivers aren't to fussy about taking them back so more my gain!
Please note, I use the 500ml PET bottles that you can re-use when you buy sparkling mineral water!

[Cully]

Sold my 12 Newcastle Brown ale red crates last year and really regretting having done so now ;(

[Newt Dundee]

Hi mate,

Please note, I use the 500ml PET bottles that you can re-use when you buy sparkling mineral water!

I think I get the picture on your bottles, much more squat and possibly square? By no means as thick as a glass bottle and by no means as tall. I think that makes sense, but can you really get a full batch in one of those crates?

[aragar]

Hi newt,

Yes your correct,they are smaller height wise than glass bottles and deffo not as nice but it was an issue of cost for me given I am new to brewing that I chose the cheap option of PET bottles and having looked online even the unused coopers equivalent seemed expensive in comparison to 99p lidl bottles (£6.93) for 42.

And I can assure you they hold 42 bottles perfectly,last two bottles wedge in (not to tight) so they don't wobble about!!

Does anybody know cheapest place to buy swingtops?