I started out Homebrewing using a MR. Beer kit, with great results (I wish I had one still, for apt. brewing) and the kit included the 22oz PET bottles. I didn't have any problems with it, but was wondering what everyone else's feelings on them. Midwest supplies has them. Although they have the screw on caps, but still something worth looking into. When I lived in Tucson, it was easy to go to the swap meet and find all the Grolsch bottles I could need. I now have at least close to 2 cases of bottles, with a few 22oz thrown in. At least they are mostly brown ones and a few green ones. I don't use any other color but brown ones, if I can help it. Might be a discussion topic for another club meeting.
actually, i started with a
actually, i started with a mr. beer. It did come with acommon airlock. the bad part was it came with old extract and older yeast. i almost gave up then on homebrewing but went into dougs shop and have never looked back. doug usually keeps some of those pet bottles around for the rootbeer makers.
some of you met carl ferguson at our house on club brew day. he continually makes mr beer. he said it works for him and i can find no faults in that.
And I repect his ability to
And I respect his ability to stick with it. Think of all the six pack batches you could make, with no requirement to take it ouside and boil on the turkey fryer. No LP gas, neither wind, rain, cold or pollen to upset your plans... The possibilities are endless.
I had a similar experience with the yeast always being dead. Usually ended up using what ever I had on hand to repitch the batch.
After I had been brewing in
After I had been brewing in a 5 gallon bucket and carboy 'system' for a couple of years a friend gave me an unused Mr Beer, that his daugher had given him for Fathers Day year earlier. Not really good, but as a brew nerd I have a fondness for the vessel. The bottles and most of the supplies I gave to a 23 year old friend of my son, who used then to make 'free beer' for he and his college room mates down in Valdosta. (They didnt care what the beer tasted like). I don't see anything wrong with the PET bottles myself. They seem perfectly useable to me...
I have 2 cases of Grolsh bottles that someone gave me when he heard me talking about making beer. I had to REALLY clean some of them to get something "unholy"out of a couple of them, and I chose to replace the gaskets because they had been stored closed and I didnt trust that they hadn't compress and would still seal properly.
Funny you should mention Mr Beer. I recently gave my dusty Mr Beer fermenting vessel a new lease on life. Only a couple of weeks ago I replaced the spigot with a bottling bucket spigot. It's now my half batch bottling vessel.
gaskets
I have been hearing that you should replace the gaskets every batch, but I feel that you can use them for a few batches at least. It all depends the time between batches. Keep extras in case you have sticking issues from the ready to bottle brew. I will have to look for a Mr Beer kit on Ebay, and see if I can get it and make some half batches. I will have to see about the bucket spigot. Thanks for the tips guys.
I think PET bottles are okay, just have to watch for stretching from over carbonation. Yet doesn't make shrapnel like glass can.
I don't replace them every
I don't replace them every batch because the gaskets that Doug sells is a sturdier material than what comes on the bottles (at least the ones I've seen). I have read that PET plastic bottles have a unique property in that the more pressure you put them under the stronger they become. That and the fact that they don't shatter if they do rupture SHOULD make them safer than glass (grenades).
Though I'm not a prolific a brewer, as some, but in the 8 years I've been brewing I've never had a bottle explode. Knock wood! Maybe thats because I'm not an adventurous brewer.
I don't really have any
I don't really have any experience with the pet bottles so I can't comment on that. I don't really care what color glass I use, but then everything is stored in a corner of my basement without any windows so light is not an issue. I usually use at least one clear bottle per batch so I can moniter color, clarity, sedimentation, etc.
Clear bottle idea
You know that never crossed my mind about the clear bottle. I think that I do have a few clear Grolsch bottles. I tend to have so many bottles that I try to monitor by just taste. Will have to try that next time.
As for the Mr Beer kit, I would like to have one to make some half extract batches. It will be easier to try out a few new recipes, before committing myself to a full 5gal. batches. Since I am in an Apartment, it's hard to make a full 5gallons. I am looking into a climat controlled storage unit, to make my 5 gal batches. Until I can either rent or buy a house.
I wouldn't really recommend
I wouldn't really recommend the Mr Beer as a fermentor. They don't use an airlock but have 2 notches under the lid to allow CO2 release. Thus a batch you're batch can get contaminated more easily than with a smaller brew bucket or carboy. I use a food grade (soy sauce) bucket that I got from a local Chinese restaurant. I drilled the lid and bought an airlock gasket from Doug.
I like the idea of using one
I like the idea of using one clear bottle. Simple genius.
Hey just sTART SAYING YOUR
Hey just sTART SAYING YOUR 20 AND 16 OZ PLASTIC COKE BOTTLES. tHEY WILL WORK OR ORDER MORE OFF OF EBAY.