critique my used beer bottle idea?

[dseis1105]

I am just a hobbyist who plans to give away and not sell my syrup AND I am cheap (I prefer to call it "resourceful" or "green" haha). I would like to collect and clean clear 12 oz beer bottles, put on a wrap-around non-adhesive paper label, and cork with a #7 cork, which I have seen described to fit a soda or beer bottle. Is there any reason why this is a bad idea?

[Run Forest Run!]

I think they would look really fun and rustic. If it were me, I'd be storing them in the fridge even before they were open and mark on your homemade labels to always store them in the fridge. That way if there was any issue with the sterilization of the cork/seal it wouldn't matter. I doubt that anyone that you gave a bottle of your syrup to would have it around for very long anyway. I see a long line of people looking for refills in your future.

[jmayerl]

If going that route, I would suggest a recapper. They are $15 at any home brew store, and caps are pennies a piece. This will provide a much better seal so the syrup does not spoil.

[happy thoughts]

I would also suggest capping. I don't think you can depend on a cork for a good seal and I would be afraid of mold and yeast growth in storage. Also, cork is porous and will dry up and shrink if there is no liquid touching it, which is why corked wines are stored on their sides. I wouldn't want to store syrup that way.

If you go with a cork, do what Karen said and keep it refrigerated. But as far as re-using glass bottles for non commercial purposes I don't see a problem with that. I reuse jars and bottles for my own home use syrup. I boil them for 10-15 minutes after a thorough cleaning just like I do for home canning. Make sure to get a good bottle brush so you can really clean out the insides good. Beer contains yeast. Any living yeast left in the bottle is going to eat up the sugar and start fermenting.

[jmayerl]

When you buy that recapper, get some starsan to sanitize the bottles good.

[dseis1105]

I was originally thinking of recapping like you all say, then thought maybe not, because how would they reclose the bottle after uncapping? But maybe I should cap and then give a cork away with the bottle...hmmm. .Thanks for the suggestions!

[mapleack]

Get swing top bottles that are resealable. Grolsch comes in them I think?

[aws]

My wife brews mead and cider. She goes to our local bottle redemption and asks for the Grolsch bottles (or similar swing tops) cleans/sanitizes them and bottles her home brew in them. It takes time to build up a supply this way, but they only charge her a nickle each. I bet an extra 20 bucks and they would put them aside for you. She uses a product for brewers "saniclean" to sanitize the bottles.

[maple flats]

Can you drink beer fast enough to keep up with a real good season?

[dseis1105]

Yeah I could keep up if I had gotten a bit of a head start! I will have to rely on my beer drinking circle of friends. I think I have decided to cap now, and I'll attach a cork to the bottle somehow for after it's opened. I can tell those Grolsch bottles would work well, but I don't think it will be easy for me to find them for this year as I'm in the boondocks. Maybe next year. Considering I would normally just use mason jars I think this will work pretty good. Thank you all for your opinions and suggestions.

[dseis1105]

Well maybe this isn't turning out to be such a good idea after all. Most all the clear beer bottles are screw offs anymore except Corona (YUCK)...shows you how much I know about beer.

[5050racing]

7175Here's what I did Saturday night we drank it, Sunday we bottled it!

[dseis1105]

:o I love it!!!

[NJG]

This will be our second year of using beer bottles to bottle syrup. We just make a little each year so it's more about having fun that anything but it has worked well. I bought a capper and have been using returnable bottles but have found that most people don't give them back. The cost of new bottles is pretty low surprisingly. I have read that you can re-use the screw off bottles as long as there is enough of a ring around the top below the threads bu haven't tried it yet. I will be the first to say that handing off a six pack of syrup is definately an attention getter!

[Galena]

I give my syrup away and will sometimes use clear beer bottles. It's a fun idea and especially if you can get a beer bottle that is not only clear, but whose packaging shows that it once did contain an amber or honey-toned brew :-)