Discussion:
European versus US bottles, cap sizes?
(too old to reply)
Joerg
2016-08-02 18:51:02 UTC
Permalink
Folks,

Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold here in
the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some of you guys use
US caps on European bottles?

I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness, but it
wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks when standing
them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles and others.

I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just 12oz and
I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and 3rd concurrent run.

While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in 22oz or
larger flip-top bottles?
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Tom Biasi
2016-08-02 19:36:14 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Folks,
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold here in
the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some of you guys use
US caps on European bottles?
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness, but it
wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks when standing
them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just 12oz and
I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and 3rd concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in 22oz or
larger flip-top bottles?
Midwest supply has swing top bottles if you don't actually want the
beer. If you want the beer Grolsch comes in swigtops but I'm not sure if
they have a 22 oz.
Joerg
2016-08-03 14:23:46 UTC
Permalink
Post by Tom Biasi
Post by Joerg
Folks,
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold here in
the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some of you guys use
US caps on European bottles?
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness, but it
wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks when standing
them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just 12oz and
I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and 3rd concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in 22oz or
larger flip-top bottles?
Midwest supply has swing top bottles if you don't actually want the
beer.
They do but it's expensive. With shipping a dozen will easily set you
back $60-70:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/ez-cap-bottles-w-swing-tops-1l-amber
Post by Tom Biasi
If you want the beer Grolsch comes in swigtops but I'm not sure if
they have a 22 oz.
That's what my wife got me for my birthday in view of the fact that I
wanted to start brewing. Grolsch was my former house beer while living
in the Netherlands and now we have about 50 bottles. 15.2oz each and the
price was about $2.50/bottle with taxes and eco-taxes but with beer in
there.

I am hoping to find some good craft beer at Trader Joe's, Bevmo or
Nugget that comes in even larger bottles. After moving to the US I've
never really gotten used to those li'l 12 ouncers.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Ecnerwal
2016-08-02 21:25:00 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Folks,
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold here in
the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some of you guys use
US caps on European bottles?
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness, but it
wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks when standing
them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just 12oz and
I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and 3rd concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in 22oz or
larger flip-top bottles?
I think it's 29mm that's the problem - I know that Lindemann's from
Belgium (packed cap over cork) and most champagne from France uses a
crown cap size that's (blatantly) too much for normal caps/cappers, and
while I can get a capping bell and caps of that size, it's far too much
money (expensive odd-sized caps, and the capping bell is a fair bit of
change as well).

Some (but not all, I sadly had to recycle 2 cases I thought would work
that I picked up after someone's wedding) of the American "champagnes"
use the smaller crown cap size so I can use those bottles. This involves
knowing that even though they come to you with a cork (speaking of
non-economical capping methods), all champagne/sparking wine bottles
will take a crown cap of some size. I use a lot of non-alcoholic
sparkling cider bottles (750 ml, dark green, heavy though not quite
champagne bottle heavy, from California, Martinelli's, I think?)

I'm more prone to Northeast England for my imported bottled beer, and
Samuel Smith's 550ml bottles recap just fine. I suspect someone has
conflated the 26 and 29 mm in dissing your German 500 ml bottles. Try
one of your test bottles with a tiny bit of baking yeast and 1/2
teaspoon/3 grams of sugar for a real test. Home-made soda-water.

The most common 750ml-ish swing-top bottles are clear and have sparking
lemonade in them, IME. It seems a rather over-priced way to get
lemonade, really, but I have a few of them.
--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by
Please don't feed the trolls. Killfile and ignore them so they will go away.
Joerg
2016-08-03 14:31:01 UTC
Permalink
Post by Ecnerwal
Post by Joerg
Folks,
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold here in
the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some of you guys use
US caps on European bottles?
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness, but it
wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks when standing
them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just 12oz and
I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and 3rd concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in 22oz or
larger flip-top bottles?
I think it's 29mm that's the problem - I know that Lindemann's from
Belgium (packed cap over cork) and most champagne from France uses a
crown cap size that's (blatantly) too much for normal caps/cappers, and
while I can get a capping bell and caps of that size, it's far too much
money (expensive odd-sized caps, and the capping bell is a fair bit of
change as well).
The regular 500ml brown bottles sich as those from Weihenstephan are
26mm. I just don't know why brew experts said that US caps don't work on
those.
Post by Ecnerwal
Some (but not all, I sadly had to recycle 2 cases I thought would work
that I picked up after someone's wedding) of the American "champagnes"
use the smaller crown cap size so I can use those bottles. This involves
knowing that even though they come to you with a cork (speaking of
non-economical capping methods), all champagne/sparking wine bottles
will take a crown cap of some size. I use a lot of non-alcoholic
sparkling cider bottles (750 ml, dark green, heavy though not quite
champagne bottle heavy, from California, Martinelli's, I think?)
I'm more prone to Northeast England for my imported bottled beer, and
Samuel Smith's 550ml bottles recap just fine. I suspect someone has
conflated the 26 and 29 mm in dissing your German 500 ml bottles. Try
one of your test bottles with a tiny bit of baking yeast and 1/2
teaspoon/3 grams of sugar for a real test. Home-made soda-water.
I've got so many cleaned up now, I'll just use a few on the next batch
which will be an IPA (once the stuff gets here).
Post by Ecnerwal
The most common 750ml-ish swing-top bottles are clear and have sparking
lemonade in them, IME. It seems a rather over-priced way to get
lemonade, really, but I have a few of them.
Thanks, have to look for that. i don't like lemonade but if it's the
diet stuff and not too sweet I might drink it. Just to get at those bottles.

Most of what I've used on my first batch is Grolsch bottles.
Unfortunately their labels do not come off completely, some hard to
scrub glue remains on the bottle so for now we leave the Grolsch labels on.

I love that sound when opening ... *POPPP* ... and then some "smoke"
comes out. So far it seems the 5oz of sugar was the right amount for the
Pale Ale. Gives a nice head and bubbles coming up almost until the last
sip. No sweetness at all like you sometimes taste in homebrew so the
yeast must have eaten it all up.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Bob F
2016-08-04 15:45:16 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Folks,
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold here in
the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some of you guys use
US caps on European bottles?
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness, but it
wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks when standing
them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just 12oz and
I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and 3rd concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in 22oz or
larger flip-top bottles?
There are now ciders that come in larger flip-top bottles. For Grolsch
and other bottles, put the word out to friends that you can use their
old ones, and keep an eye on freecycle free category and freecycle for
people giving them away. I've gotten several cases that way over the years.
Bob F
2016-08-05 03:50:52 UTC
Permalink
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Folks,
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold here in
the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some of you guys use
US caps on European bottles?
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness, but it
wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks when standing
them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just 12oz and
I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and 3rd concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in 22oz or
larger flip-top bottles?
There are now ciders that come in larger flip-top bottles. For Grolsch
and other bottles, put the word out to friends that you can use their
old ones, and keep an eye on freecycle free category and freecycle for
people giving them away. I've gotten several cases that way over the years.
Oops - that should be craigslist free category
Joerg
2016-08-05 18:14:28 UTC
Permalink
Post by Bob F
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Folks,
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold here in
the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some of you guys use
US caps on European bottles?
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness, but it
wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks when standing
them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just 12oz and
I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and 3rd concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in 22oz or
larger flip-top bottles?
There are now ciders that come in larger flip-top bottles.
Do you know who carries has those? Or what brands they are so I could
call some stores?
Post by Bob F
Post by Bob F
... For Grolsch
and other bottles, put the word out to friends that you can use their
old ones, and keep an eye on freecycle free category and freecycle for
people giving them away. I've gotten several cases that way over the years.
Oops - that should be craigslist free category
Craigslist can be ok but most listings are far away from us. The
advantage of Grolsch is that I like the stuff that's originally in them.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Bob F
2016-08-07 01:07:09 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Folks,
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold here in
the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some of you guys use
US caps on European bottles?
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness, but it
wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks when standing
them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just 12oz and
I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and 3rd concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in 22oz or
larger flip-top bottles?
There are now ciders that come in larger flip-top bottles.
Do you know who carries has those? Or what brands they are so I could
call some stores?
The one's I have are from Lake Chelan Winery, called Lake Chelan Gold cider.
Joerg
2016-08-07 14:51:03 UTC
Permalink
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Folks,
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold here in
the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some of you guys use
US caps on European bottles?
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness, but it
wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks when standing
them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just 12oz and
I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and 3rd concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in 22oz or
larger flip-top bottles?
There are now ciders that come in larger flip-top bottles.
Do you know who carries has those? Or what brands they are so I could
call some stores?
The one's I have are from Lake Chelan Winery, called Lake Chelan Gold cider.
Thanks. Only in Southern California, not anywhere east of Sacramento :-(

http://washingtongoldcider.com/where-to-buy/
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Bob F
2016-08-08 00:02:25 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Folks,
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold here in
the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some of you guys use
US caps on European bottles?
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness, but it
wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks when standing
them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just 12oz and
I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and 3rd
concurrent
run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in 22oz or
larger flip-top bottles?
There are now ciders that come in larger flip-top bottles.
Do you know who carries has those? Or what brands they are so I could
call some stores?
The one's I have are from Lake Chelan Winery, called Lake Chelan Gold cider.
Thanks. Only in Southern California, not anywhere east of Sacramento :-(
http://washingtongoldcider.com/where-to-buy/
You could just go to a well stocked local store and see what they have
in pop top bottles. Or post a wanted ad on craigslist or freecycle.
Joerg
2016-08-08 13:59:08 UTC
Permalink
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Folks,
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold here in
the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some of you guys use
US caps on European bottles?
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness, but it
wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks when standing
them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just 12oz and
I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and 3rd
concurrent
run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in 22oz or
larger flip-top bottles?
There are now ciders that come in larger flip-top bottles.
Do you know who carries has those? Or what brands they are so I could
call some stores?
The one's I have are from Lake Chelan Winery, called Lake Chelan Gold cider.
Thanks. Only in Southern California, not anywhere east of Sacramento :-(
http://washingtongoldcider.com/where-to-buy/
You could just go to a well stocked local store and see what they have
in pop top bottles. Or post a wanted ad on craigslist or freecycle.
Yes, my wife might visit BevMo this week, I'll ask her to browse. One
drink I really like is "Hopka" from here:

http://www.indiospirits.com/

It is a "hop schnapps", comes in a wine-bottle with flip top, in the
picture 3rd from the right. But one can only drink this very slowly
because it sports a full 40% ABV. More like a "hop brandy".
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Bolwerk
2016-09-01 13:11:14 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Folks,
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold here
in the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some of you
guys use US caps on European bottles?
Sorry if I am jumping into a dead thread. My (old, maybe my memory is
hazy) observations:

- some Euro bottles work, some don't. Heineken bottles leak, in my
experience. Maybe those bottles that do work are actually bottled in the
USA? Green Becks bottles worked for me at different sizes, for instance.

- Biggest commercial bottles I've found, and they cap nicely, are Tecate
and Carta Blanca "quart" bottles: 32oz brown bottles. Anecdotally, I
found the same beer tasted a little better in larger bottles, perhaps
because of lower oxygen exposure? You need maybe 20 of these to a
batch, not ~48.
Post by Joerg
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness, but
it wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks when
standing them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles and
others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just 12oz
and I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and 3rd
concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in 22oz
or larger flip-top bottles?
If you go to your recycling center, you can often get whatever you want.
Mine only charged me the 5 cent return fee.
Joerg
2016-09-01 15:06:06 UTC
Permalink
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
Folks,
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold here
in the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some of you
guys use US caps on European bottles?
Sorry if I am jumping into a dead thread.
It ain't dead :-)
Post by Bolwerk
- some Euro bottles work, some don't. Heineken bottles leak, in my
experience. Maybe those bottles that do work are actually bottled in the
USA? Green Becks bottles worked for me at different sizes, for instance.
Now that my IPA is ready to bottle (today, yeehaw!) I am going to test a
couple of Weihenstephan bottles. Those are the classic German standard
500ml bottles.

I found out that there is a large difference between caps. The
gold-colored ones coming with the Midwest Platinum kit were too soft in
the metal. I could almost pry them off by hand and they would also
easily turn even after really leaning into the capper. Then I bought new
caps at Brewmeister here in Folsom (CA). Silver-colored and much
stronger, almost like caps on commercial beer. So I am using these now.
Post by Bolwerk
- Biggest commercial bottles I've found, and they cap nicely, are Tecate
and Carta Blanca "quart" bottles: 32oz brown bottles. Anecdotally, I
found the same beer tasted a little better in larger bottles, perhaps
because of lower oxygen exposure? You need maybe 20 of these to a
batch, not ~48.
32oz? Shazam! I never saw those, will keep an eye out. Do any of the
major chain stores like Bevmo or Total Wine carry them?

So far my favorite is the Grolsch bottle. 15oz or 450ml and with a
convenient flip top. Brewmeister has the rubbers when they become
brittle over time.
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness, but
it wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks when
standing them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles and
others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just 12oz
and I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and 3rd
concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in 22oz
or larger flip-top bottles?
If you go to your recycling center, you can often get whatever you want.
Mine only charged me the 5 cent return fee.
Out here most people drink beer out of cans. The rest is usually the
normal 12oz fare and often with too little lip space for the capper or
for twist-off caps. I've got enough 12 ouncers and now probably also
Grolsch. To fix that we bought another 24-bottle carton and I always
gladly volunteer to dispose of the contents 8-)
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Bolwerk
2016-09-02 16:12:38 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold
here in the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some
of you guys use US caps on European bottles?
- some Euro bottles work, some don't. Heineken bottles leak, in
my experience. Maybe those bottles that do work are actually
bottled in the USA? Green Becks bottles worked for me at different
sizes, for instance.
Now that my IPA is ready to bottle (today, yeehaw!) I am going to
test a couple of Weihenstephan bottles. Those are the classic German
standard 500ml bottles.
I found out that there is a large difference between caps. The
gold-colored ones coming with the Midwest Platinum kit were too soft
in the metal. I could almost pry them off by hand and they would
also easily turn even after really leaning into the capper. Then I
bought new caps at Brewmeister here in Folsom (CA). Silver-colored
and much stronger, almost like caps on commercial beer. So I am using
these now.
I meant to suggest, sometimes I think you can squeeze the cap from a few
angles to get a tighter fit.
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
- Biggest commercial bottles I've found, and they cap nicely, are
Tecate and Carta Blanca "quart" bottles: 32oz brown bottles.
Anecdotally, I found the same beer tasted a little better in larger
bottles, perhaps because of lower oxygen exposure? You need maybe
20 of these to a batch, not ~48.
32oz? Shazam! I never saw those, will keep an eye out. Do any of the
major chain stores like Bevmo or Total Wine carry them?
I don't know those chains.

It's a pretty generic mass-market beer. I'm pretty sure I see it at
7-11 and the supermarket, but if you are in a remote area maybe you'd
need find a store specializing in Hispanic/Latin interest items?

Loading Image...

This is another brand that works just as well in my experience:

Loading Image...
Post by Joerg
So far my favorite is the Grolsch bottle. 15oz or 450ml and with a
convenient flip top. Brewmeister has the rubbers when they become
brittle over time.
Too small for my taste :-p

You can get pretty large glass bottles like that from artisan carbonated
water suppliers, but they tend to be clear. I think clear is okay if
you are careful about light exposure.
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness,
but it wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks
when standing them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles
and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just
12oz and I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and
3rd concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in
22oz or larger flip-top bottles?
If you go to your recycling center, you can often get whatever you
want. Mine only charged me the 5 cent return fee.
Out here most people drink beer out of cans. The rest is usually the
normal 12oz fare and often with too little lip space for the capper
or for twist-off caps. I've got enough 12 ouncers and now probably
also Grolsch. To fix that we bought another 24-bottle carton and I
always gladly volunteer to dispose of the contents 8-)
It's not pretty, but I think generic twist top plastic soda 2L bottles
should work okay with beer carbonation levels. Again, light penetrates
clear plastic, so you have to be careful about that.
Joerg
2016-09-02 19:24:54 UTC
Permalink
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
Some people say that one cannot use the regular 26mm caps sold
here in the US on European 1/2 liter beer bottles. Why? Did some
of you guys use US caps on European bottles?
- some Euro bottles work, some don't. Heineken bottles leak, in
my experience. Maybe those bottles that do work are actually
bottled in the USA? Green Becks bottles worked for me at different
sizes, for instance.
Now that my IPA is ready to bottle (today, yeehaw!) I am going to
test a couple of Weihenstephan bottles. Those are the classic German
standard 500ml bottles.
I found out that there is a large difference between caps. The
gold-colored ones coming with the Midwest Platinum kit were too soft
in the metal. I could almost pry them off by hand and they would
also easily turn even after really leaning into the capper. Then I
bought new caps at Brewmeister here in Folsom (CA). Silver-colored
and much stronger, almost like caps on commercial beer. So I am using
these now.
I meant to suggest, sometimes I think you can squeeze the cap from a few
angles to get a tighter fit.
No kidding but I've used a hose clamp to do that. Another option can be
to uncrew the bell insert from the capper and (carefully ...) tap that
down with a wodden hammer to get the cap to fully crimp.
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
- Biggest commercial bottles I've found, and they cap nicely, are
Tecate and Carta Blanca "quart" bottles: 32oz brown bottles.
Anecdotally, I found the same beer tasted a little better in larger
bottles, perhaps because of lower oxygen exposure? You need maybe
20 of these to a batch, not ~48.
32oz? Shazam! I never saw those, will keep an eye out. Do any of the
major chain stores like Bevmo or Total Wine carry them?
I don't know those chains.
It's a pretty generic mass-market beer. I'm pretty sure I see it at
7-11 and the supermarket, but if you are in a remote area maybe you'd
need find a store specializing in Hispanic/Latin interest items?
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/data/1/3712-020207_21001.jpg
http://www.glibeer.com/images/products/50/carta_32oz__large.jpg
Nice! Unas cervezas mas grandes. We have Bel Air, Safeway and Forklift
(linked to Nugget) as supermarkets but I guess you are right, I'd have
to drive to Sacramento to shop for that in a more hispanic neighborhood.
Some sections of Franklin Boulevard are fairly extreme where billboards
are Spanish-only.
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
So far my favorite is the Grolsch bottle. 15oz or 450ml and with a
convenient flip top. Brewmeister has the rubbers when they become
brittle over time.
Too small for my taste :-p
Simple solution: Get two out of the fridge :-)

When I re-started my brewing a couple of months ago I thought that five
gallons is plenty. Now I have a 2nd fermenter plus more ingredients
coming because that Pale Ale went through real fast.

A woman buying a growler at one of my regular watering holes asked the
owner for the shelf life of the contents of a growler. His answer:
"Between me and the boys half an hour, maximum".
Post by Bolwerk
You can get pretty large glass bottles like that from artisan carbonated
water suppliers, but they tend to be clear. I think clear is okay if
you are careful about light exposure.
That would be fine since we store the beer in cabinets before it goes
into the fridge for consumption.
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove tightness,
but it wasn't a major difference to US longnecks and no leaks
when standing them upside down. Weihenstephan wheat beer bottles
and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus just
12oz and I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a 2nd and
3rd concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes in
22oz or larger flip-top bottles?
If you go to your recycling center, you can often get whatever you
want. Mine only charged me the 5 cent return fee.
Out here most people drink beer out of cans. The rest is usually the
normal 12oz fare and often with too little lip space for the capper
or for twist-off caps. I've got enough 12 ouncers and now probably
also Grolsch. To fix that we bought another 24-bottle carton and I
always gladly volunteer to dispose of the contents 8-)
It's not pretty, but I think generic twist top plastic soda 2L bottles
should work okay with beer carbonation levels. Again, light penetrates
clear plastic, so you have to be careful about that.
I'd have to ask neighbors because we don't drink so much soda.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Bolwerk
2016-09-04 16:09:02 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
- Biggest commercial bottles I've found, and they cap nicely,
are Tecate and Carta Blanca "quart" bottles: 32oz brown
bottles. Anecdotally, I found the same beer tasted a little
better in larger bottles, perhaps because of lower oxygen
exposure? You need maybe 20 of these to a batch, not ~48.
32oz? Shazam! I never saw those, will keep an eye out. Do any of
the major chain stores like Bevmo or Total Wine carry them?
I don't know those chains.
It's a pretty generic mass-market beer. I'm pretty sure I see it
at 7-11 and the supermarket, but if you are in a remote area maybe
you'd need find a store specializing in Hispanic/Latin interest
items?
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/data/1/3712-020207_21001.jpg
http://www.glibeer.com/images/products/50/carta_32oz__large.jpg
Nice! Unas cervezas mas grandes. We have Bel Air, Safeway and
Forklift (linked to Nugget) as supermarkets but I guess you are
right, I'd have to drive to Sacramento to shop for that in a more
hispanic neighborhood. Some sections of Franklin Boulevard are fairly
extreme where billboards are Spanish-only.
Safeway doesn't seem unlikely. However, the big bottles may be a bit
down-market. I think they sort of serve the same market as 40s.

Tecate isn't much worse than Bud, FFIW. When I was building up a bottle
collection, I'd blend it with overhopped IPAs. :-p
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
So far my favorite is the Grolsch bottle. 15oz or 450ml and with
a convenient flip top. Brewmeister has the rubbers when they
become brittle over time.
Too small for my taste :-p
Simple solution: Get two out of the fridge :-)
It's the extra effort filling I want to avoid. But, as I said, I do
think larger bottles taste better.

Nowadays my habit is to brew 6.5 gallons, keg 5 of it, and bottle the
rest.
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
You can get pretty large glass bottles like that from artisan
carbonated water suppliers, but they tend to be clear. I think
clear is okay if you are careful about light exposure.
That should be artesian, sorry.
Post by Joerg
That would be fine since we store the beer in cabinets before it
goes into the fridge for consumption.
These are nice.

https://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Rocco-Square-Swing-Bottle/dp/B0000CFMBL

Probably can find something for less though, even if it comes with some
liquid to drink or dispose of. :-p
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove
tightness, but it wasn't a major difference to US longnecks
and no leaks when standing them upside down. Weihenstephan
wheat beer bottles and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus
just 12oz and I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a
2nd and 3rd concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes
in 22oz or larger flip-top bottles?
If you go to your recycling center, you can often get whatever
you want. Mine only charged me the 5 cent return fee.
Out here most people drink beer out of cans. The rest is usually
the normal 12oz fare and often with too little lip space for the
capper or for twist-off caps. I've got enough 12 ouncers and now
probably also Grolsch. To fix that we bought another 24-bottle
carton and I always gladly volunteer to dispose of the contents
8-)
It's not pretty, but I think generic twist top plastic soda 2L
bottles should work okay with beer carbonation levels. Again,
light penetrates clear plastic, so you have to be careful about
that.
I'd have to ask neighbors because we don't drink so much soda.
I'm sure your local recycling center has the clear plastic bottles. If
nothing else, you can dumpster dive for them at any recycling pickup
center.
Joerg
2016-09-04 16:58:58 UTC
Permalink
[...]
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
So far my favorite is the Grolsch bottle. 15oz or 450ml and with
a convenient flip top. Brewmeister has the rubbers when they
become brittle over time.
Too small for my taste :-p
Simple solution: Get two out of the fridge :-)
It's the extra effort filling I want to avoid. But, as I said, I do
think larger bottles taste better.
Filling was a chore. The new spring-loaded bottling wand is still in
ground shipping since I ordered lots of ingredients and another
fermenter along with it. The non-spring one that came with the kit often
won't shut off. With the new one bottling should be a breeze. Preparing
for bottling takes most of the time for me but that is probably because
after 35 years I am like a brewing-rookie.
Post by Bolwerk
Nowadays my habit is to brew 6.5 gallons, keg 5 of it, and bottle the
rest.
Can't do kegs since we don't have the hardware for that.
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
You can get pretty large glass bottles like that from artisan
carbonated water suppliers, but they tend to be clear. I think
clear is okay if you are careful about light exposure.
That should be artesian, sorry.
Post by Joerg
That would be fine since we store the beer in cabinets before it
goes into the fridge for consumption.
These are nice.
https://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Rocco-Square-Swing-Bottle/dp/B0000CFMBL
Probably can find something for less though, even if it comes with some
liquid to drink or dispose of. :-p
Yikes, expensive. A friend found a nice "beer brandy", Hopka:

Loading Image...

$15-20 depending on whether there is a coupon. Really delicious
contents. I don't know yet whether the bottle will hold carbonation
pressure so I'll wait until winter when I can carbonate outside the
brewing fridge. That way I can store in a plastic bin which avoids a
soiled carpet should it blow.
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
Post by Joerg
I've tried capping them. Ok, just with water to prove
tightness, but it wasn't a major difference to US longnecks
and no leaks when standing them upside down. Weihenstephan
wheat beer bottles and others.
I like those bottles because they hold a good 16oz versus
just 12oz and I don't (yet) have enough Grolsch bottles for a
2nd and 3rd concurrent run.
While at it, does anyone know an affordable beer that comes
in 22oz or larger flip-top bottles?
If you go to your recycling center, you can often get whatever
you want. Mine only charged me the 5 cent return fee.
Out here most people drink beer out of cans. The rest is usually
the normal 12oz fare and often with too little lip space for the
capper or for twist-off caps. I've got enough 12 ouncers and now
probably also Grolsch. To fix that we bought another 24-bottle
carton and I always gladly volunteer to dispose of the contents
8-)
It's not pretty, but I think generic twist top plastic soda 2L
bottles should work okay with beer carbonation levels. Again,
light penetrates clear plastic, so you have to be careful about
that.
I'd have to ask neighbors because we don't drink so much soda.
I'm sure your local recycling center has the clear plastic bottles. If
nothing else, you can dumpster dive for them at any recycling pickup
center.
I know it's silly but I have a problem using that kind of stuff from
unknown sources.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
baloonon
2016-09-05 18:28:17 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
It's not pretty, but I think generic twist top plastic soda 2L
bottles should work okay with beer carbonation levels. Again,
light penetrates clear plastic, so you have to be careful about
that.
I'd have to ask neighbors because we don't drink so much soda.
2 liters of my cheap store brand Colk or 8 Up or whatever they call it
where I shop goes for something like $1.19 all the way down to 79 cents.
The bottles are strong, probably because they have to assume some pretty
rough handling between the warehouse, truck and shelver. I'd say it's
perfectly OK to just dump the Dr. Pebber or Sprike and reuse the bottle.

I've read you want to avoid the stuff like cherry cola because the taste
tends to permeate the plastic, but in my experience reusing regular cola
or lemon-lime for beer is fine, and you can easily get 4 or 5 reuses per
bottle. When you factor in that two liters is about the same as five 12
ounce bottles, the cost of dumping the contents of a two liter plastic
bottle is about the same as buying an equivalent number of bottle caps
for smaller bottles.
Joerg
2016-09-05 19:14:49 UTC
Permalink
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
It's not pretty, but I think generic twist top plastic soda 2L
bottles should work okay with beer carbonation levels. Again,
light penetrates clear plastic, so you have to be careful about
that.
I'd have to ask neighbors because we don't drink so much soda.
2 liters of my cheap store brand Colk or 8 Up or whatever they call it
where I shop goes for something like $1.19 all the way down to 79 cents.
The bottles are strong, probably because they have to assume some pretty
rough handling between the warehouse, truck and shelver. I'd say it's
perfectly OK to just dump the Dr. Pebber or Sprike and reuse the bottle.
I've read you want to avoid the stuff like cherry cola because the taste
tends to permeate the plastic, but in my experience reusing regular cola
or lemon-lime for beer is fine, and you can easily get 4 or 5 reuses per
bottle. When you factor in that two liters is about the same as five 12
ounce bottles, the cost of dumping the contents of a two liter plastic
bottle is about the same as buying an equivalent number of bottle caps
for smaller bottles.
Good points. It just goes against my grain to dump perfectly good
consumables not matter how low they rank on the "fancy food score".

I do sometimes drink Diet 7-Up so maybe I can find somewhat smaller
bottles of that which fit into our fridge and where I can be sure to be
able to polish it off before the fizz is out. The local stores sell it
in cans but I can check larger stores down in the valley.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
baloonon
2016-09-06 20:13:15 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Good points. It just goes against my grain to dump perfectly good
consumables not matter how low they rank on the "fancy food score".
The way I look at it, I'll dutifully work my way through some jumbo jar of
crummy peanut butter but store brand knockoff cola doesn't really count as
a perfectly good consumable.
Joerg
2016-09-06 20:32:42 UTC
Permalink
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
Good points. It just goes against my grain to dump perfectly good
consumables not matter how low they rank on the "fancy food score".
The way I look at it, I'll dutifully work my way through some jumbo jar of
crummy peanut butter but store brand knockoff cola doesn't really count as
a perfectly good consumable.
That is the beautiful thing about Grolsch, the contents are delicious
and after the last sip you have a nice reusable bottle where you don't
even have to use the capper. All for around $2 a pop.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Kerr Mudd-John
2016-09-12 16:36:00 UTC
Permalink
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
Good points. It just goes against my grain to dump perfectly good
consumables not matter how low they rank on the "fancy food score".
The way I look at it, I'll dutifully work my way through some jumbo jar of
crummy peanut butter but store brand knockoff cola doesn't really count as
a perfectly good consumable.
It can also (IMO preferably) be used as toilet cleaner.
--
Bah, and indeed, Humbug
Tom Biasi
2016-09-06 20:24:24 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
It's not pretty, but I think generic twist top plastic soda 2L
bottles should work okay with beer carbonation levels. Again,
light penetrates clear plastic, so you have to be careful about
that.
I'd have to ask neighbors because we don't drink so much soda.
2 liters of my cheap store brand Colk or 8 Up or whatever they call it
where I shop goes for something like $1.19 all the way down to 79 cents.
The bottles are strong, probably because they have to assume some pretty
rough handling between the warehouse, truck and shelver. I'd say it's
perfectly OK to just dump the Dr. Pebber or Sprike and reuse the bottle.
I've read you want to avoid the stuff like cherry cola because the taste
tends to permeate the plastic, but in my experience reusing regular cola
or lemon-lime for beer is fine, and you can easily get 4 or 5 reuses per
bottle. When you factor in that two liters is about the same as five 12
ounce bottles, the cost of dumping the contents of a two liter plastic
bottle is about the same as buying an equivalent number of bottle caps
for smaller bottles.
Good points. It just goes against my grain to dump perfectly good
consumables not matter how low they rank on the "fancy food score".
I couldn't do it. I was raised to not waste food. I would probably have
a severe reaction to dumping anything still good.
Joerg
2016-09-06 20:32:14 UTC
Permalink
Post by Tom Biasi
Post by Joerg
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
It's not pretty, but I think generic twist top plastic soda 2L
bottles should work okay with beer carbonation levels. Again,
light penetrates clear plastic, so you have to be careful about
that.
I'd have to ask neighbors because we don't drink so much soda.
2 liters of my cheap store brand Colk or 8 Up or whatever they call it
where I shop goes for something like $1.19 all the way down to 79 cents.
The bottles are strong, probably because they have to assume some pretty
rough handling between the warehouse, truck and shelver. I'd say it's
perfectly OK to just dump the Dr. Pebber or Sprike and reuse the bottle.
I've read you want to avoid the stuff like cherry cola because the taste
tends to permeate the plastic, but in my experience reusing regular cola
or lemon-lime for beer is fine, and you can easily get 4 or 5 reuses per
bottle. When you factor in that two liters is about the same as five 12
ounce bottles, the cost of dumping the contents of a two liter plastic
bottle is about the same as buying an equivalent number of bottle caps
for smaller bottles.
Good points. It just goes against my grain to dump perfectly good
consumables not matter how low they rank on the "fancy food score".
I couldn't do it. I was raised to not waste food. I would probably have
a severe reaction to dumping anything still good.
Same here. Also goes for my wife. With parents having gone through
brutal wars that is the way we were brought up. When I racked off the
IPA on Thursday she looked at the remnants in the fermenter and said
"And we have to throw all this away?"

I think some folks bake the trub into cookies or re-start yeast cultures
from it.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Joerg
2016-09-07 00:13:58 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Tom Biasi
Post by Joerg
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
It's not pretty, but I think generic twist top plastic soda 2L
bottles should work okay with beer carbonation levels. Again,
light penetrates clear plastic, so you have to be careful about
that.
I'd have to ask neighbors because we don't drink so much soda.
2 liters of my cheap store brand Colk or 8 Up or whatever they call it
where I shop goes for something like $1.19 all the way down to 79 cents.
The bottles are strong, probably because they have to assume some pretty
rough handling between the warehouse, truck and shelver. I'd say it's
perfectly OK to just dump the Dr. Pebber or Sprike and reuse the bottle.
I've read you want to avoid the stuff like cherry cola because the taste
tends to permeate the plastic, but in my experience reusing regular cola
or lemon-lime for beer is fine, and you can easily get 4 or 5 reuses per
bottle. When you factor in that two liters is about the same as five 12
ounce bottles, the cost of dumping the contents of a two liter plastic
bottle is about the same as buying an equivalent number of bottle caps
for smaller bottles.
Good points. It just goes against my grain to dump perfectly good
consumables not matter how low they rank on the "fancy food score".
I couldn't do it. I was raised to not waste food. I would probably have
a severe reaction to dumping anything still good.
Same here. Also goes for my wife. With parents having gone through
brutal wars that is the way we were brought up. When I racked off the
IPA on Thursday she looked at the remnants in the fermenter and said
"And we have to throw all this away?"
I think some folks bake the trub into cookies or re-start yeast cultures
from it.
Oh, and bread. I got to try this some day:

http://www.gbakes.com/2013/06/beer-bread.html
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
baloonon
2016-09-07 21:08:38 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Joerg
Post by Tom Biasi
Post by Joerg
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
It's not pretty, but I think generic twist top plastic soda 2L
bottles should work okay with beer carbonation levels. Again,
light penetrates clear plastic, so you have to be careful about
that.
I'd have to ask neighbors because we don't drink so much soda.
2 liters of my cheap store brand Colk or 8 Up or whatever they
call it where I shop goes for something like $1.19 all the way
down to 79 cents.
The bottles are strong, probably because they have to assume some pretty
rough handling between the warehouse, truck and shelver. I'd say
it's perfectly OK to just dump the Dr. Pebber or Sprike and reuse
the bottle.
I've read you want to avoid the stuff like cherry cola because the taste
tends to permeate the plastic, but in my experience reusing regular cola
or lemon-lime for beer is fine, and you can easily get 4 or 5 reuses per
bottle. When you factor in that two liters is about the same as five 12
ounce bottles, the cost of dumping the contents of a two liter
plastic bottle is about the same as buying an equivalent number of
bottle caps for smaller bottles.
Good points. It just goes against my grain to dump perfectly good
consumables not matter how low they rank on the "fancy food score".
I couldn't do it. I was raised to not waste food. I would probably
have a severe reaction to dumping anything still good.
Same here. Also goes for my wife. With parents having gone through
brutal wars that is the way we were brought up. When I racked off the
IPA on Thursday she looked at the remnants in the fermenter and said
"And we have to throw all this away?"
I think some folks bake the trub into cookies or re-start yeast
cultures from it.
http://www.gbakes.com/2013/06/beer-bread.html
The folks at brulosophy.com have done some experiments comparing
pitching on a previous brew's yeast cake vs. using new yeast, and found
that taste testers struggled to tell any difference:

http://brulosophy.com/2015/08/24/sloppy-old-slurry-no-starter-vs-fresh-
yeast-exbeeriment-results/

I've been reusing my yeast more and more and have found it works great
-- I'll get four to six uses from a single pack of liquid yeast, which
tends to make shopping a bit easier. It's probably less worthwhile with
dry yeast, but I have resused dry without any problems.

Sanitation is probably the big concern, although going the liquid yeast
plus starter route isn't completely free of risk of contamination
either.
Joerg
2016-09-07 22:42:46 UTC
Permalink
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
Post by Joerg
Post by Tom Biasi
Post by Joerg
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
Post by Bolwerk
It's not pretty, but I think generic twist top plastic soda 2L
bottles should work okay with beer carbonation levels. Again,
light penetrates clear plastic, so you have to be careful about
that.
I'd have to ask neighbors because we don't drink so much soda.
2 liters of my cheap store brand Colk or 8 Up or whatever they
call it where I shop goes for something like $1.19 all the way
down to 79 cents.
The bottles are strong, probably because they have to assume some pretty
rough handling between the warehouse, truck and shelver. I'd say
it's perfectly OK to just dump the Dr. Pebber or Sprike and reuse
the bottle.
I've read you want to avoid the stuff like cherry cola because the taste
tends to permeate the plastic, but in my experience reusing regular cola
or lemon-lime for beer is fine, and you can easily get 4 or 5 reuses per
bottle. When you factor in that two liters is about the same as five 12
ounce bottles, the cost of dumping the contents of a two liter
plastic bottle is about the same as buying an equivalent number of
bottle caps for smaller bottles.
Good points. It just goes against my grain to dump perfectly good
consumables not matter how low they rank on the "fancy food score".
I couldn't do it. I was raised to not waste food. I would probably
have a severe reaction to dumping anything still good.
Same here. Also goes for my wife. With parents having gone through
brutal wars that is the way we were brought up. When I racked off the
IPA on Thursday she looked at the remnants in the fermenter and said
"And we have to throw all this away?"
I think some folks bake the trub into cookies or re-start yeast
cultures from it.
http://www.gbakes.com/2013/06/beer-bread.html
The folks at brulosophy.com have done some experiments comparing
pitching on a previous brew's yeast cake vs. using new yeast, and found
http://brulosophy.com/2015/08/24/sloppy-old-slurry-no-starter-vs-fresh-
yeast-exbeeriment-results/
I've been reusing my yeast more and more and have found it works great
-- I'll get four to six uses from a single pack of liquid yeast, which
tends to make shopping a bit easier. It's probably less worthwhile with
dry yeast, but I have resused dry without any problems.
Sanitation is probably the big concern, although going the liquid yeast
plus starter route isn't completely free of risk of contamination
either.
I think I am going to stick with dry yeast. It's around $4/pack for
Safale which boils down to 8-10 cents a bottle. Liquid yeast is too
risky in our area because there is always a chance that cargo gets
stranded on a hot airport for a while.

The Safale yeast seems to swing into action with more gusto than
Munton's but that was only my personal impression.

What surprises me is that one does not see brewer's yeast in grocery
stores anymore. 50 years ago some mothers mixed brewer's yeast into just
about anything for their kids to make food more nutricious. They were
able to buy big packages of it cheaply at the grocery.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
baloonon
2016-09-07 23:37:30 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
I think I am going to stick with dry yeast. It's around $4/pack for
Safale which boils down to 8-10 cents a bottle. Liquid yeast is too
risky in our area because there is always a chance that cargo gets
stranded on a hot airport for a while.
There's a new company (or a least new to me) called Mango Jack which has a
boatload of dry yeasts which sound interesting to try, including some
English styles which I've only otherwise seen in liquid.

One fairly new dry yeast I tried this year was Danstar's Belle Saison,
which has the benefit of working into the 70Fs. I remember reading some
people went over 80F. I made a nice wheat beer with it. It has some nice
oddball Belgian flavors which I've read can vary depending on the
temperature you ferment.
Joerg
2016-09-07 23:52:50 UTC
Permalink
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
I think I am going to stick with dry yeast. It's around $4/pack for
Safale which boils down to 8-10 cents a bottle. Liquid yeast is too
risky in our area because there is always a chance that cargo gets
stranded on a hot airport for a while.
There's a new company (or a least new to me) called Mango Jack which has a
boatload of dry yeasts which sound interesting to try, including some
English styles which I've only otherwise seen in liquid.
One fairly new dry yeast I tried this year was Danstar's Belle Saison,
which has the benefit of working into the 70Fs. I remember reading some
people went over 80F. I made a nice wheat beer with it. It has some nice
oddball Belgian flavors which I've read can vary depending on the
temperature you ferment.
Thanks, I have copied that into my brewing wiki file. Being able to
ferment above 70F would greatly help around here because my basement
fridge can only hold one fermenter and I can't ferment at all while
bottles are carbonating in it. Like right now where an IPA carbonates in
there and I'd really need to get another Pale Ale going.

I like Belgian flavors. Which is why this is one of my favorite rest
stop during bike rides, where I always pick up a growler as well:

http://mrazbrewingcompany.com/
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
baloonon
2016-09-09 13:09:19 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
I think I am going to stick with dry yeast. It's around $4/pack for
Safale which boils down to 8-10 cents a bottle. Liquid yeast is too
risky in our area because there is always a chance that cargo gets
stranded on a hot airport for a while.
There's a new company (or a least new to me) called Mango Jack which
has a boatload of dry yeasts which sound interesting to try,
including some English styles which I've only otherwise seen in
liquid.
One fairly new dry yeast I tried this year was Danstar's Belle
Saison, which has the benefit of working into the 70Fs. I remember
reading some people went over 80F. I made a nice wheat beer with it.
It has some nice oddball Belgian flavors which I've read can vary
depending on the temperature you ferment.
Thanks, I have copied that into my brewing wiki file. Being able to
ferment above 70F would greatly help around here because my basement
fridge can only hold one fermenter and I can't ferment at all while
bottles are carbonating in it. Like right now where an IPA carbonates
in there and I'd really need to get another Pale Ale going.
I like Belgian flavors. Which is why this is one of my favorite rest
http://mrazbrewingcompany.com/
T58 dry yeast is another one I've used in Belgian style wheat beer,
although I've fermented on the lower temp side so I can't say what it's
like over 70F.

I like it too. For reasons I don't know, it's one of the cheapest dry
yeasts out there, while Belle Saison is on the pricy side, around three
times as expensive. I'm sure there's something buried in the supply-
demand-production cost equation to explain it.
Bolwerk
2016-09-11 16:41:02 UTC
Permalink
Post by Tom Biasi
Post by Joerg
Post by baloonon
2 liters of my cheap store brand Colk or 8 Up or whatever they
call it where I shop goes for something like $1.19 all the way
down to 79 cents. The bottles are strong, probably because they
have to assume some pretty rough handling between the warehouse,
truck and shelver. I'd say it's perfectly OK to just dump the
Dr. Pebber or Sprike and reuse the bottle.
I've read you want to avoid the stuff like cherry cola because
the taste tends to permeate the plastic, but in my experience
reusing regular cola or lemon-lime for beer is fine, and you can
easily get 4 or 5 reuses per bottle. When you factor in that two
liters is about the same as five 12 ounce bottles, the cost of
dumping the contents of a two liter plastic bottle is about the
same as buying an equivalent number of bottle caps for smaller
bottles.
Good points. It just goes against my grain to dump perfectly good
consumables not matter how low they rank on the "fancy food
score".
I couldn't do it. I was raised to not waste food. I would probably
have a severe reaction to dumping anything still good.
The price of cleaning a plastic bottle is probably a sodium percarbonate
bath and maybe some bleach or StarSan to contact sanitize before you fill.

I really see no shame in dumpster diving this if you don't want to drink
the crap the bottle was made for. :-p

Also, don't some knockoff colas go up to 3L?
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