If you’re new to brewing, you’ll most likely bottle it when the fermentation has stopped. A typical 5 gallon batch of beer will require about 50 of the 12oz beer bottles, give or take a few. So you know you need them, but where the hell do you get 50 bottles of beer you brew? Buying them online can be expensive due to the heavy weight of the glass bottles, which will mean high shipping costs. Do you have to go door to door asking people for their used beer bottles?

Every beginning home brewer has wondered where to get bottles of beer. At first, 50 bottles might seem like a lot, especially since you can’t really use the twist-off type. Let us give you some tips on how to get beer bottles based on our experiences. Below we will only list a few brief points.

1. Drink beer and then make beer. This method is as simple as it sounds and is the most fun way to get bottles of beer. If you’re going to make your own beer, chances are you’ll be drinking beer. By buying beer in bottles with pop-tops you can reuse your empty bottles. You will need to drink 8-9 six packs to get the bottles you need. If you’re brewing with malt extracts, you’ll have at least 2 weeks after pitching your yeast before you need all your bottles ready. If you don’t already have bottles, this method alone may not be the best for you. Drinking 9 six packs over 2 weeks is expensive and really not a healthy move.
2. be a beer bum. You can usually request the empty bottles that would otherwise be thrown away or recycled by friends and family. Just spread the word that you’ll be taking your used bottles and you might have more bottles of beer than you ever wanted in a short period of time. He just hopes to do some cleaning.
3. Leave a note. If you’re new to an area and haven’t made many friends yet, or don’t know many people who drink bottled beer, you might consider leaving a note at your local recycling center. It’s a good idea to check with the person who oversees the recycling center, and if they already accept glass, you may get calls within an hour of posting a note. The note should be simple and clearly indicate that you brew and require empty pop-top bottles.
4. Make deals to get bottles of beer. If you know one or two people who work with people who enjoy craft beer, you can easily get a lot of bottles if you spread the word that you’ll give some homebrew for empty bottles. You’ll need to figure out the exchange rate, but most people would consider one bottle of homebrew for every 6-pack of empty bottles a fair trade.
5. Network with like-minded people. Do a quick search online for homebrew clubs in your area. You can also chat with the manager or owner of a nearby brewing supply store to connect with others who brew their own beer. Brewers tend to stockpile more bottles than they really need and may be happy to get rid of some. Additionally, homebrewing tends to be a progressive hobby. Many homebrewers will transition to other means of storing their beer, such as small kegs or larger bottles for the beer they brew. When a brewer makes his way to the keg, he will usually have a good number of bottles that just take up space.
6. Who pours you beer? If you go to a restaurant or bar that serves bottled beer, why not order a few? If you are served a bottle with a flip top and frosted glass, you can usually take the empty bottle(s) home. Such places might also collect some empty bottle six-packs that you can use while you hang out there. Let your waiter or bartender know that you’d be grateful for a few bottles, and let them know this in a way that implies their tip will reflect your gratitude. A few extra dollars for 12 or more bottles is a good deal.
7. It’s what’s inside that counts. Who is going to see your beer bottles? Do you care what impression the bottle makes? Consider these questions for a few moments and decide to really go cheap by using empty 2 liter bottles of cola or soda. Maybe this is just ghetto for you, but 2-liter bottles can easily withstand the pressure of your carbonated beer and make the bottling process a breeze. Don’t expect to reuse these bottles and caps more than once or twice, but this is a very inexpensive way to get beer bottles.
8. Pay for comfort. The last option we’ll mention is simply buying the bottles you need. This is convenient because you won’t have to clean tobacco, saliva, or cigarette butts from the bottles. The best way to maximize convenience when shopping for bottles on a budget is to buy reusable plastic bottles that come with a plastic screw cap, such as 2-liter sodas. These are lightweight so shipping will be inexpensive and don’t require the use of a capper or the expense of single-use caps. These can be found in 1-liter sizes and can usually be reused a dozen times if properly cleaned and disinfected. If your budget allows, you can also buy 1-liter bottles with the grolsch-type cap mechanism. These are a little pricey at first, but you’ll love the comfort and style they offer.

That’s the list we’ve compiled. At least one of the options listed above will help you get the bottles you need. If you’re looking for a few of these options, you shouldn’t have a problem getting enough bottles for a couple of batches of beer. Just be sure to let people know when you don’t need any more bottles or you’ll find yourself with more bottles than you could possibly fill.