Bottling coment/question

I use almost 100% glass, but couldn't resist trying a few. The big advantage is you can just squeeze the bottle to tell if they are carbonated. And if you brew dark beer, the drink is hard to distinguish from a cola (useful on beaches that forbid beer or bottles).

I like the way the yeast sits in the bottoms of the plastic - less likely to go into suspension when pouring.

Downside, I notice a loss of carbonation when left for several months, so I'm probably not putting the caps on tightly enough (or something else is going on).

Like you, I wondered about the strength so tried an experiment of my own. I loaded a bottle with several tablespoons of cane sugar and put some baker's yeast in it and left it buried (to minimize shrapnel - outside during summer). All summer long I expected to find a hole in the garden where I planted the bottle. Air temp goes over 100F in summer. It never exploded. My 16 ounce bottle held a good 30 ounces or so, was almost all head space (only 1" head space going in). It had a nice teardrop shape. The plastic was very firm and still held pressure.

I think the idea is a winner. Glass bottles are still my first choice.

I have found that Dr Pepper bottles are best. They seem to be made of thicker plastic especially the 16 and 20 ounce. I have never had any problem with carbonation. I used to always use glass till I started experimenting with the plastic now I use plastic all the time. You can put custom labels on the 16 ounce bottles and they look very nice. Have used wax seals on some just for a fancy look. What I like it the sizes to chose from 10, 16, and 20 ounce also 2 liters sizes.

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I don't doubt that they work. I was probably just not putting the caps on well enough. Logic says that if soda pop can hold carbonation for years beer should also.

Now I have an investment in wooden crates for my bottles and no ready source of plastic bottles so I stay with glass.

I recommend them to newbies who don't have enough glass bottles.

I wondered if extruded plastic soda bottles are [virtually] completely inert. They are composed of PETE (PET®), polyethylene terephthalate, and are practically non-biodegradable in the presence of light or microorganisms or alcohol. See:

Since some substances are toxic at miniscule amounts, and there are so many toxins present in our food, water, and air -- miniscule amounts being shown to influence hormonal activities, such as dioxins causing miscarriage in pregnant women -- I would like a scientist to tell us whether that inertness is merely sufficient to prevent off-tastes and direct poisoning, or is it virtually absolute. Is there an able chemist willing to respond ?

GOD Bless!

Brooks A. Batson, Veneta, Oregon

I wondered if extruded plastic soda bottles are [virtually] completely inert. They are composed of PETE (PET®), polyethylene terephthalate, and are practically non-biodegradable in the presence of light or microorganisms or alcohol. See:

Since some substances are toxic at miniscule amounts, and there are so many toxins present in our food, water, and air -- miniscule amounts being shown to influence hormonal activities, such as barely detectable dioxin levels triggering miscarriage in pregnant women -- I would like a scientist to tell us whether that inertness is merely sufficient to prevent off-tastes and degradation, or is it virtually absolute, like glass.

My gut reaction is to use PET containers, as available, and yet to build up a glass repertoire of carboys and swingtop bottles as funds permit, as I am now doing. I am not at all sure that the production of PETE containers is all that good for the people making them or for the air & water from factory discharges. Perhaps, again, a keen chemist could help set the record straight.

GOD Bless!

Brooks Batson, Veneta, Oregon

Glass is tried and true for storage of beer. I enjoyed acquiring the bottles I use, since I bought them full of beer. Your local beer store probably has cases of beer in returnable bottles. Try 'em out!

Bars and restaurants are a good place to get Sam Adams or Guiness or Corona bottles, Clear bottles must be kept in the dark. That technology is free and simple.

Mark (go with what you know) Dunning

microorganisms

Based on my knowledge as a chemical engineer: Plastic such as PETE is completely non-toxic for normal use. However you would not want to heat the plastic to melting or burning temperatures (i.e., several hundred degrees), as poisonous gases could be emitted. The production of plastics is no doubt a very smelly and potentially hazardous job. But for the consumer, for normal use at normal temperatures, it can't really hurt us. You could eat particles of plastic and it wouldn't hurt you. It is completely inert as far as regular people are concerned. That, plus the fact that it is cheap and virtually indestructible, is why plastic is so popular for bottling beverages, etc.

THINK i see a couple questions here. food grade plastic bottles are safe. YOU mentioned the word REUSEABLE. reusing a plastic food container is NOT a good idea unless you can take it to very high temperatures.

many bacteria live until almost boiling. consider glass as a preferred idea.

but one mistake is what DEAD MEAT

everything is free and easy til youuget hep, or my gowd bacterial infection or what ever ya got.

Hi,

I also switched to the use of plastic bottles, all sizes & shapes in my case. I eventually culled out the oddball sizes & shapes & settled on 500 ml in brown or green. Most of my friends would collect Cola bottle tops & wash them for me before handing over 20 odd tops. I always sterilised the tops by standing in a dilute bleach solution for a day then thorough hot water rinsing followed by laying out in a sunny spot to dry. Stored in any dry clean container.

The bottles initially would receive similar treatment but I used asmall amount of undiluted bleach poured from bottle to bottle, its easy to chuck out the bottles with nasties & keep those that quickly clean up. Again a hot water flush & several cold water flushes would deliver sparkling clean bottles. Drain by standing upside down & finally drying in a sunny spot right way up. Store in a cleanspot in suitable cartons upside down to avoid dust or with tops loosely in place. You do not need to do anything further these are ready to accept your beer. Absolutely forget about rewashing or sanitising. Its just not necessary, thats my guarantee. When you have finished a bottle of beer the routine is more or less immediately wash out the bottle (next morning is OK); use initially hot tap water followed by swirling rinses with cold tapwater. Dry as above, because your bottles will be sanitary by the standards required of home brewing you do not need to use the dilute bleach again unless you see residues accumulating inside the bottle tops. I guess I would thus use & reuse bottles up to 10 - 20 times before re-sanitising with bleach. I have never had a bottle failure using this routine including no pressure failures. Very occasionally one or more tops would fail to seal as well as the rest, simply dumo the offending top. I never found a flat bottle due to the escape of all gas. That's my experience over 10+ years. Hope it helps & lends you confidence. Pete

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