The Best Bottles For Homebrewing » (Complete Buying Guide)
If you are just getting started with brewing your own beer then you might be wondering the same as I was. Which bottles do you actually use for homebrewing?
I wanted to find out which bottle types were best for homebrewing. This blog post is all my research and learnings about bottles and brewing at home.
What Are the Best Bottles for Homebrewing? Choosing a bottle type for your homebrew is up to personal preference. If you plan to make a ton of beer, you may want to use reusable bottles like swing-top type bottles. Many pick long neck bottles with bottle caps for the authentic beer look and the pleasant sound you get when opening the bottle.
If you continue reading this blog post you’ll get a bit more detail about what types of beer bottles you can use for home brewing, and which one may be best suited for you.
My Favorite Bottle For Homebrewing
- Safe: Our BPA free, durable, plastic combined with our high-pressure gaskets and stainless steel closures, create a secure, airtight...
- Easy To Clean: Once empty, you can just pop our glass water bottles straight into the dishwasher. These glass bottles with cork are...
- Marker, Labels & More: The 6 pack of swing top glass bottles comes with 6 extra gaskets, 12 bottle labels & an erasable marker. A...
Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
I will go in-depth with bottles and homebrewing. I hope you like it!
Read Also: What Is The Best Home Brewing Kit For Beginners?
Alright so, What Are the Best Bottles for Homebrewing?
If you’re just getting into home brewing, or if you have been home brewing for a while, you may be wondering if the bottles you’re using are best suited for you.
Choosing the right type of bottle for home brewing is actually more vital than one might think, and here’s why:
The bottling process of homebrewing is just as vital as fermentation or mashing, and can quite easily ruin your batch of beer if not done properly.
It comes down to 2 things, lighting and oxygen levels. When choosing a bottle it’s important to understand the environment your beer needs to carbonate properly.
Check out this article if you want to know more about the carbonating process.
If the location where your beer is stored in isn’t completely dark, you definitely have to choose a beer bottle with dark-tinted glass as you see in many types of store bought beers as well. This helps keep light and thereby warmth, out of your bottle.
The same thing goes for the importance of keeping your bottle airtight. Swing top bottles are very popular due to their ability to be easily reused multiple times, however you need to watch out when using these, since hey might don’t close properly.
TIP: Make sure whatever bottle type you are using, that the bottle is completely airtight during carbonation so you don’t ruin your beer.
Choosing the best bottle comes down to what you prefer personally in terms of the look of the bottle, and its specific properties.
8 Types of Beer Bottles for Homebrewing
Beer bottles come in various shapes and sizes, but over the years they have been more and more standardized and today there are a rather set amount of beer bottle types.
At the end of the list I will reveal my personal recommendations, or at least which types I like the most. Cheers!
#1 Nip/Grenade Bottle
This bottle is a small 7 oz. bottle dating back to the 17th century. The word “nip” is abbreviated from the word “nipperkin” which means a small amount of spirits, usually under half a pint. These small beer bottles are often seen served at restaurants and some can also be found in supermarkets or specialized craft beer shops.
#2 Long neck
This is the known industrial standard bottle in America which you can find in most, if not all grocery stores. This bottle is usually capped with metal caps or metal-screw caps for easier opening. Often seen sold in 6, 12 and 24 packs in grocery stores. Contains 12 oz. of delicious beer.
- PRY-OFF LONG NECK STANDARD DESIGN: Amber Long Neck Glass Beer Bottles are the standard industry bottle commonly associated with a...
- KEEPS BEER FRESH LONGER: The FastRack amber colored refillable beer bottles helps to keep your homebrew beer tasting fresh longer by...
- PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA: FastRack bottles for beer manufactured in the United States tend to have a stronger, thicker glass than...
Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Check out more examples on Amazon by clicking on this link.
#3 Stubby/Steinie
A short stubby bottle that can contain 12 oz. of delicious beer. Its similar to the Longneck, but with a much smaller neck and a wider body. A bit more rare compared to the longneck, but still a popular choice of bottle among some beer manufacturers as well as homebrewers.
#4 Belgian Bottle
The name of this bottle is not reserved to belgian beers only, but is simply just the origin of the bottle. This bottle is often 12.7 Oz. but can also be 11.2 oz since that is the standard of many European beer bottles/cans.
Looks similar to the longneck, but is a bit more “curvy” in the connection of neck to body compared to the longneck, being a bit more “squarish”.
- Bottle dimensions: 2.914" dia. X 10.832" h
- Use approx. 24 bottles per 5 gallon batch
- Made of Amber glass, which protects light sensitive products from uv rays for fresh taste
Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
#5 British
This is the standard size of a British beer bottle at about 16.9 oz. but also found in 11.2 oz. like the belgian beer bottle. This bottle is very iconic, often seen in older british films. The bottle is large and thick from top to bottom but the neck is a little thinner than the lower part of the body.
#6 Swing Top Bottles
A popular bottle among craft-beer and homebrewers in general. This bottle is very handy, with easy closure and reusable caps that can be used for long periods of time.
These bottles do have a risk involved however. Sometimes when closing the caps, they might be a bit crooked which can allow oxygen to enter the bottle, and this is quite bad when carbonating your homemade beer.
These bottles come in different sizes, often ranging from anywhere between 12 to 16 oz.
- Safe: Our BPA free, durable, plastic combined with our high-pressure gaskets and stainless steel closures, create a secure, airtight...
- Easy To Clean: Once empty, you can just pop our glass water bottles straight into the dishwasher. These glass bottles with cork are...
- Marker, Labels & More: The 6 pack of swing top glass bottles comes with 6 extra gaskets, 12 bottle labels & an erasable marker. A...
Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Check out more examples on Amazon by clicking on this link.
#7 PET Bottles
The downside of using these bottles is that its very hard to completely shield your beer from oxygen, so there is a small chance of oxidation when carbonating your beer.
Just make sure you close these bottles as tightly as you can, and of course, store them in a proper place like you’d usually do.
- Re-Usable, light weight, strong, designed for carbonated drinks.
- Volume - 500ml (pint) x20
- Material - PET plastic
Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Check out more examples on Amazon by clicking on this link.
#8 Oxygen Barrier PET Bottles
As the name indicates, these are simply PET bottles but with an oxygen barrier.
If you are making beer that has a longer carbonation time than 2-3 weeks it’s probably a good idea to use these types of PET bottles, if you are keen on using plastic type bottles.
The positive side of using any plastic type bottle is obviously the removed risk of breaking them if you accidentally drop them, which for the more clumsy homebrewers might be a big plus.
- Includes 15 reusable 25 oz. plastic PET bottles and caps
- A must have for every homebrewer
- Provides everything you need to bottle a 3 gallon batch of beer or hard cider
Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Check out more examples on Amazon by clicking on this link.
My Personal Choice of Beer Bottle
Any beer bottle is suited for homebrewing, but some are more popular than others for good reason.
My recommendation is you use glass bottles for the simple fact that I’m not a huge fan of storing my beer in plastic type products, not even the fermentation buckets etc., where I also prefer glass carboys or similar.
Personally I’d choose the swing-top bottles (Amazon link) since they are very traditional and nostalgic to me, but the longneck type (Amazon link) glass bottles with metal caps are just as good if you prefer that good feeling of popping of the cap of your bottle.
I’d highly recommend you stay away from using clear bottles, unless you are 100% sure about your conditions when storing your beer for carbonation. Pick any bottle you prefer, and make sure you understand the qualities of the bottle, and any extra conditions it may need to carbonate your beer properly.
