Bottles suitable for home brew

[Q]

Stubbies have "not to be refilled" embossed on them but are they OK to be used for bottling homebrew?

[Tonyb1525228598]

They're ok to use. Just steralise them. Ignore the "not to be refilled". It refers to recycling, where the bottles used to have "Re-usable, Not to be refilled" or something like that. I have been using the same bottles/stubbies for years. When I've emptied one, I rinse it out a few times straight away. I probably steralise them every 10 cycles, and I only do this to remove the scum ring from the necks.

[PB2]

Coopers Brewery recommends that bottles with the words "no refill" or similar are not to be used for home brew.

[Oliver]

Hi Paul,

 

 

 

Why that recommendation?

 

 

 

The only problem I'm aware with refillable bottles is them breaking during capping.

 

 

 

However, this can be pretty much totally overcome with the use of a bench capper.

 

 

 

Are there other reasons to be cautious with refillable bottles?

[Greg B]

I saw the recomendation against non refillable bottles and figured 'Legal Advice' - if a 'non refillable' bottle blows in some suckers hand and they litigate, then the brewery needs to have stayed clear of having made a recomendation - it is the whole 'might reasonably be expected to know' thing.

 

 

 

You do get the same shi,..um,... er..stuff from your insurance company.

 

 

 

ps: I am NOT a lawyer and am NOT giving legal advice.

 

 

 

pps:... actually, I might reasonably be expected to be talking shit

 

 

 

I personally have not had a problem with the bottles in question, but I am not saying that you wont either 'coz your brewing practices are beyond my control and I therefore disclaim all liabiltiy

[Kai]

Oliver,

 

 

 

I reckon it could also be because newer bottles are a lot thinner and lighter than the old fashioned stubby. Keeps costs down.

 

 

 

After all, the stubby is intended to deliver one lot of beer only to the consumer and the quality assurance systems in place are probably designed to ensure that it's a safe and reliable delivery - they can't account for subsequent deliveries of liquid refreshment.

[Marchae Marseau]

I am about to bottle off a batch into a number of different types of stubbies (until now I've always used the pickaxe longnecks).

 

I'm going to use crown lager bottles, hahn premium bottles, james boags bottles and some 500ml strange german beer bottles. Heinskopf or something like that. The glass seems very thin on these.

 

 

 

I use a lever capper. Should I invest in a bench capper? Or is the lever capper suitable for these stubbies?

 

It doesn't seem to put much pressure on the bottles...

[Oliver]

Bench cappers are among the best inventions ever - right up there with sliced bread.

 

 

 

I'd definitely be using a bench capper on these lighter bottles. Since I started brewing in 1997, me and my mate Geoff have only ever used a bench capper. Since then we've bottled about 2700 longnecks between us (a mix of the old crown seal bottles and the new twist tops) without even one breakage.

 

 

 

The Superautomatica is our capper of choice. Even for the old-style bottles, invest in a bench capper. You won't look back.

[Q]

Thanks to you all for advice ... seems that it will be ok to use stubbies etc as long as I use appropriate capper ... realising there's no come back if anything ever goes wrong because of the "not to be refilled" advice on stubbies