Home Brew Beer Bottles: Where To Buy Them?

If you're looking to bottle your home-brewed beer, there are several online retailers that can help. Northern Brewer, Midwest Supplies, and MoreBeer all offer a range of bottles in different sizes, colours, and styles, including swing-top and flip-top bottles. You can also find beer bottles on Amazon and eBay, with brands like Monster Brew and Home Brew Ohio offering packs of 12-ounce and 22-ounce bottles in amber, clear, and cobalt colours.

Online retailers for home brew beer bottles

There are several online retailers that offer a wide range of home brew beer bottles to choose from. Here are some popular options:

Northern Brewer

Northern Brewer offers a variety of home brew beer bottles in different sizes, colours, and styles. They recommend brown glass bottles to protect the beer from UV light exposure, which can cause "skunking". Northern Brewer also provides all the necessary supplies for washing, sanitising, and storing beer bottles.

Midwest Supplies

Midwest Supplies is another great option for home brew beer bottles. They offer a range of sizes, including 12 oz and 22 oz "bomber" bottles, as well as EZ cap swing top bottles for a classy touch. Midwest Supplies also carries bottling supplies such as bottle fillers, cappers, and bottle washers.

MoreBeer

MoreBeer offers a selection of brewery-grade beer bottles in various sizes and styles, including 12 oz, 22 oz, swing top, and Belgian bottles. They emphasise the importance of bottle colour in preventing "skunky" beer, recommending brown bottles for their UV light protection. MoreBeer also offers bottle caps and provides educational articles on beer bottling.

Australian Home Brewing

Australian Home Brewing caters specifically to home brew enthusiasts, offering a range of high-quality glass bottles in different sizes, such as 330ml stubbies and 750ml flip-top options. They emphasise the importance of using heavy-duty glass for the storage and maturing process of home brew beer.

Amazon

Amazon, a well-known online retailer, offers a wide variety of home brew beer bottles and bottling supplies. They have different sizes, colours, and styles available, including 12 oz and 22 oz bottles, as well as bottles with swing top lids and cork lids. Amazon also offers bottling equipment and accessories.

EBay

EBay provides a platform for various sellers to offer home brew beer bottles and related products. You can find a diverse range of options, such as amber, cobalt blue, and clear bottles in different sizes. eBay also has bottling accessories, bottle trees, and cleaning brushes available.

Different types of beer bottles

When it comes to choosing the right beer bottle for your home brew, there are a few things to consider. Firstly, the size of the bottle will depend on the capacity you wish to fill. The traditional standard longneck bottle holds 12 oz of beer and is the most common size found in six-packs in the beer cooler or on craft beer bottle racks. However, larger 22 oz bottles, known as "bombers", are gaining popularity for today's growing selection of craft and specialty beers, ales and lagers. If you're looking for something even bigger, true beer lovers can find individual style bottles as large as 40 oz, commonly referred to as a "Forty".

Another important consideration is the colour of the bottle. Many beer bottles are sold in amber or brown bottles, and this is not simply an aesthetic choice. Most beer drinkers will have experienced the disappointment of skunky or "skunked" beer, caused when beer becomes lightstruck, creating a chemical reaction that produces sulphur and negatively affects the taste. Clear or light-coloured bottles will therefore require beer to be kept away from light sources to prevent spoilage.

In terms of shape, the longneck bottle is ubiquitous with beer and is known as the Industry Standard Bottle (ISB). It has a specific capacity, height, weight and diameter and can be refilled and reused an average of 16 times. The heritage bottle is another option and differs from the longneck in that it has a stockier body and shorter, wider neck. Swing-top beer bottles are also an option and are known for being as functional as they are beautiful. Finally, there are stubby bottles which are short and stout without the longneck styling, and Belgian-style bottles which are frequently used to house Belgian ales and have a shape similar to a champagne bottle.

The importance of bottle colour

When it comes to bottling your home brew, the colour of the bottle you choose is an important consideration. The beer bottle has evolved significantly over time, reflecting the latest trends in design and personalisation. The colour of the bottle can influence brand image and consumer perception.

Amber or brown glass bottles are the most common and offer the most protection from ultraviolet (UV) light rays, which can alter the flavour and aroma of the beer, causing an unpleasant skunky taste and odour. This is known as "lightstruck" or "skunking" in the brewing industry. Brown glass bottles block most light rays under 450 nanometers, providing ideal protection against skunking.

Green glass bottles were introduced during World War II due to a shortage of materials for brown glass. They offer slightly more UV protection than clear glass, generally blocking wavelengths under 370 nanometers. However, they still allow about 70% of light to pass through. Some breweries, such as Heineken, Stella Artois, and Carlsberg, have made green glass bottles part of their brand identity, associating them with premium, European heritage.

Clear glass bottles are commonly used for packaging light beers like Corona, Modelo, and Sol, as they showcase the true colour of the beer and enhance its visual appeal. Clear bottles may also be used for beverages that do not undergo skunking, such as wine coolers. While clear bottles may be aesthetically pleasing, they do not provide adequate protection from UV light, and the beer may need to be paired with a slice of citrus fruit to mask any potential skunkiness.

When choosing a bottle colour for your home brew, consider the type of beer you are bottling and the level of UV protection needed to maintain its flavour and quality. Amber or brown bottles are recommended for most beers to prevent skunking, while green and clear bottles can be used for certain types of beers or for aesthetic and marketing purposes, keeping in mind their lower UV protection capabilities.

How to prevent skunky beer

If you're bottling your own home brew, you'll want to make sure it stays fresh and tasty. Skunking is a chemical reaction that causes beer to develop a bitter, putrid taste and smell. It is caused by light exposure, not heat exposure as some might think. So, how do you prevent it?

Firstly, choose your bottles wisely. Brown glass bottles are recommended as they protect your beer from the harmful effects of UV light, whereas clear bottles do not offer this protection. You can also opt for bottles with a swing-top lid, which are available in amber, cobalt, or clear glass. Alternatively, you could use aluminium cans to prevent light exposure.

Secondly, keep your beer in a dark place. Even brown glass bottles can let in enough light over time to skunk your beer, so be sure to store your beer in a cool, dark place and keep the cooler lid shut.

Lastly, be mindful of temperature changes. While heat and temperature changes do not cause skunking, they can increase the rate of oxidation of the beer, causing it to taste stale or like cardboard.

By following these simple steps, you can help prevent your home brew from becoming skunky and ensure that it stays fresh and flavourful.

The pros and cons of flip top bottles

Homebrew beer bottles can be purchased from a variety of online retailers, including Northern Brewer, Midwest Supplies, Amazon, and Craft a Brew. These bottles come in different sizes, colours, and types, such as swing-top or flip-top bottles, which are known for their convenience and reusability.

Now, let's discuss the pros and cons of flip-top bottles in detail:

Pros of Flip-Top Bottles:

• Reusable and Sustainable: Flip-top bottles are designed to be reused multiple times, making them a sustainable and cost-effective option for home brewers. The ability to reuse bottles and caps reduces waste and is environmentally friendly.
• Durable: These bottles are known for their durability due to their thick glass construction. They can withstand wear and tear, knocks, and even falls from countertops, although this is not recommended.
• Aesthetic and Gift-worthy: The unique design of flip-top bottles makes them aesthetically pleasing. They can make great gifts for beer enthusiasts, and some retailers even offer customisation options.
• Bottle Conditioning: Flip-top bottles are well-suited for bottle conditioning, a common method to introduce carbonation to your beer. They can withstand high pressure from carbonation and allow for controlled release when opening.
• Easy to Clean: While any bottle can be challenging to clean, flip-top bottles are generally easy to maintain. They can be cleaned by hand with soap and warm water, or by using baking soda, vinegar, or boiling water. They are also dishwasher-safe, although hand washing is recommended for more thorough cleaning.
• Safe and Secure: The thick glass and airtight seal of flip-top bottles make them safer than traditional bottles. They are less prone to exploding due to the controlled release of pressure and the durability of the glass.

Cons of Flip-Top Bottles:

• Availability and Cost: One of the significant drawbacks of flip-top bottles is their availability and pricing. They may be more challenging to find at reasonable prices compared to traditional cap bottles, and the cost of new bottles can be relatively high.
• Cleaning Challenges: While flip-top bottles are easy to clean, the bottle tops can be tricky to maintain properly. The best way to clean them is by removing them from the bottle, which may be inconvenient for some.
• Light Exposure: Clear flip-top bottles may not provide adequate protection from light exposure, potentially leading to "skunked" beer. It is recommended to store bottles out of direct light to prevent this issue.
• Gasket Replacement: Over time, the rubber gaskets on the stoppers may need to be replaced to ensure a tight seal. This can be an additional expense, although replacement gaskets are readily available from homebrew shops and online retailers.

In conclusion, flip-top bottles offer a range of benefits for home brewers, including reusability, durability, and ease of use for bottle conditioning. However, they may be more expensive and challenging to find, and proper care must be taken to clean and maintain them to ensure the best results for your home-brewed beer.

Frequently asked questions