Reusable Stubbies

[Otto Von Blotto]

Anyone looking for solid heavy duty stubbies for home brewing might be interested in the Vale Brewing lager bottles. I found one in this stash I picked up last Sunday and immediately noticed that it was a lot heavier than all the other bottles. It also doesn't have the 'NO REFILL' embossed on the bottom, whereas the Vale Ale bottles do. This leads me to believe that they are actually designed for re-use.

 

The downside is that they're only 330mL sized bottles, but if they're still the same bottles as they were whenever this one was produced they might be worth looking into for home brewing, providing you like Vale Lager. [biggrin] I've never tried it myself.

[Hairy]

I have tried Vale Lager a few times recently and I really like it. It is a hoppy lager.

 

I just tossed the bottles though [innocent]

[Waxey Gordon]

They quote it as being a new world lager. Does that mean its not really a lager.

 

I'm currently running at $18.74 a carton (outlays vs bottles of beer). $65 would be a major investment, considering I'd need to buy 3 cases.

 

Would be good to botttle stubbies. DUI laws and 740ml bottles dont mix.

[Otto Von Blotto]

Would be good to botttle stubbies. DUI laws and 740ml bottles dont mix.

 

That's why I bottle in stubbies. I really like the Sierra Nevada ones personally. I find 330mL a tad small, prefer them around the 350-375mL. I haven't tasted Vale Lager but I just noticed this bottle was different to the rest of them. It weighs nearly 300g too.

 

[GregT5]

I have purchased used stubbies from a micro brewery in Goolwa SA -Steam Exchange - they sell them for 10c per stubbie (due to the recycling laws in SA). They are good solid stubbies & able to be refilled. I think they are the same as some LHBS's sell.

[ThurstonD]

Are the VB longnecks re-useable?

I can't see a do not refill marker on them.....

[Nick]

Are the VB longnecks re-useable?

I can't see a do not refill marker on them.....

 

If they are screwtop, they wont be refillable, but the glass will be recyclable. If they are crown seal they will be refillable. in saying the above tho, early in my brewing, when i didnt have a good collection of bottles, i would cap screwtop tooheys new bottles without a problem. One thing you need to be aware of, is that single use bottles are lighter and have thinner glass generally, so they can be dangerous to use if you overprime or bottle to soon. Best advice would be to stick with proper crown seal bottles or PETS

 

[GABBA]

i'd put a lid on anything that will hold beer lol

[Otto Von Blotto]

they can be dangerous to use if you overprime or bottle to soon.

 

That is the key. I've been using "no refill" stubbies for years and never had an explosion once. As long as they are properly cleaned and sanitised, the brew isn't bottled too early, or over primed, they really shouldn't explode. They're designed as single use for commercial applications; they don't get banged and bashed around in a homebrewing situation anything like what they do on a commercial bottling line either so there's minimal stress on them. If they sold reusable ones (stubbies) in a bigger size than 330mL I may have got some but that's just too small for me. [lol]

 

[PhilboBaggins]

Just the fact that they have a crown seal instead of screw top doesn't necessarily mean that they are refillable. I've got some damn flimsy bottles with crown seal tops.

 

Weighing your bottles is a good way to test which ones are better.

[TimZ1525228685]

I use screwtop and crown bottles interchangeably. The only time I have had bottles explode while capping was on a freezing cold night - about 5 went on that night, never happened before or since.

[ChrisP10]

I have used champagne bottles numerous times with great results. Just need larger caps and a larger fitment for your bottler....easy. Looks great when you rock up to a party with a couple of these.

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Just the fact that they have a crown seal instead of screw top doesn't necessarily mean that they are refillable. I've got some damn flimsy bottles with crown seal tops.

 

Weighing your bottles is a good way to test which ones are better.

 

Most of the ones commercially available here aren't refillable. I just noticed that Vale bottle was heavier than the rest and wasn't embossed with the NO REFILL. I weighed it at 300g (330mL bottle), as opposed to a JS bottle (345mL) that was about 200g. I have noticed quite a number of those smaller craft brewery bottles seem to be a bit more sturdy and heavier in weight than the larger commercial ones. I just wish they were bigger than 330mL [pinched]

 

[PhilboBaggins]

Me too man. [crying]

[Otto Von Blotto]

I'm actually building a stockpile of Sierra Nevada stubbies at the moment. These are fast becoming my favourite bottles to use in my brewery. My plan is to eventually replace all of my bottles with these, so this way all bottles are the same and I don't have all these odd ones floating around. The cartons are better for storing them than ours too because they open at the top rather than the ends. Easier to stack them. [biggrin]

[PhilboBaggins]

Good luck with your mission to build up your Sierra Nevada bottles then Kelsey. It will be hard work, but you'll get there. [lol]

[Otto Von Blotto]

Good luck with your mission to build up your Sierra Nevada bottles then Kelsey. It will be hard work' date=' but you'll get there. [lol']

 

 

Oh yeah, very hard work. [lol]

Off to Dan's today with SWMBO to see if I can't pick up a carton of probably the pale ale, but will see what's in stock. She bought me the Hefeweizen the other day, it wasn't too bad but probably not my favourite style of beer ever.

[AdamH1525226084]

Sierra Nevada bottles are tops. I love the Torpedo but it's very hard to get through those quickly. I had 3 one night and regretted it [lol]

 

Little Creatures bottles are good too. I weighed them and they were 15g heavier than a similar bottle with NO REFILL on.

3 Ravens also don't have NO REFILL on them.

 

But the bestest bottles are of course the Coopers Longnecks.

[TobiasA]

Trying to get a stock of Sierra Nevada bottles, but also the Brewdog 330ml ones, I like them too.

 

Also, the local brewery in my town uses 500ml bottles which I also have plenty of :)

[PhilboBaggins]

I need more 500ml bottles.

 

All of a sudden, it doesn't seem so bad to stop at 3 beers. [innocent]

[Beerlust]

But the bestest bottles are of course the Coopers Longnecks.

+1

 

...and you get FREE reusable yeast with every bottle. [biggrin]

 

Anthony.

[Otto Von Blotto]

I got a few bottles of Spitfire Kentish Ale as well, they are 500mL, the only thing is they are clear bottles. I do want a few 500mL bottles so I can use my pint glass properly if I feel like a pint. Also got a SN Harvest which I'll be trying tomorrow. [biggrin]

[Nick]

I got a few bottles of Spitfire Kentish Ale as well' date=' they are 500mL, the only thing is they are clear bottles. I do want a few 500mL bottles so I can use my pint glass properly if I feel like a pint. Also got a SN Harvest which I'll be trying tomorrow. [biggrin']

Hi Kelse, try some of the Hook Norton beers, Haymaker, Old Hookey and 12 days are especially good and have been on special at Dr Dans. i have just collected about 30 good 500ml Hook Norton bottles which are perfect for my favourite "pint" beers such as EB. I dont worry about clear bottles as i store them in the dark and clear glass is much easier to check to see if clean

 

[AdamH1525226084]

The latest Aldi catalogue in the junk mail showed they have Flensburger Pilsener and Weizen on sale $15 for a 6-pack.

These are the swing top bottles - 330 mL.

Worth it just for the bottles, but the beer's not bad either

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yeah Nick, I saw those ones there as well actually. I will have to check them out next time. I'm not worried about the clear glass that much either really as mine are also stored in the dark. In my case a cupboard in the garage under the house. I like having a few clear ones anyway to sorta gauge the color and how the beer is clearing and stuff. [cool]