Reuse Beer Bottles: Some Expert Tips for Homebrewers

The practice to reuse beer bottles has become increasingly popular in recent times, with sustainability as a raging topic amongst the new generation. And if you are a homebrewer, you must drag around the idea of reusing beer bottles too.

Simply because, as homebrewers, you tend to use whatever is available at your disposal. Even more so, since you don’t brew on a large scale and tend to reuse things available around us. And one item that we find lying around all the time is beer bottles.

Wouldn’t it be great if we had some ways to repurpose beer bottles over time? Here are some of the many ways you can reuse beer bottles.

How To Reuse Beer Bottles: 15 Creative Things You Can Do

December is here and, as the holiday season approaches, so do homemade recipes for brewing beer. As you get ready to use your beer knowledge and start experimenting with different brewing recipes, one thing that seems to lie around in the house this time is beer bottles. Fancy ones, simple ones, readily available at the store, or some other gifted ones. Instead of gathering all the bottles up and stacking them in the recycling bin, why not get crafty?

With the season’s greetings, I am sure you are wondering what to do with all these bottles. Here are 15 creative ways you can reuse your beer bottles.

– Beer Bottle Candle

With the holiday season right around the corner, making beer candles can come to great use. Just cut the beer bottle midway and pour the hot melted wax in it. Add a thread flick and voila, your beer bottle candle is ready.

– Beer Bottle Olive Oil and Vinegar Dispensers

You get plenty of bottle top dispensers in different sizes. Pick your needed size and add it to the head of the beer bottle. This makes for a good oil or vinegar dispenser for salad dressings. If you are in the mood to get more creative, you could paint the bottles in different colors and patterns too.

– Beer Bottle Vases

A super fun-looking project, this DIY hack to make vases out of used beer bottles is simple and crafty. Bonus, this is also a fun activity to do with your kids. Just dip your beer bottles into a bucket of matching paint, and add some dry flowers to them. You could make a pack of five and send it as a housewarming present too.

– Beer Bottle Stationery Holders

Once again, a fun activity. Cut the bottles midway and make sure it is smooth to avoid any cuts. Wrap it with nice decoupage paper or shiny paint, and you can use it to store your stationery.

– Beer Bottle Soap Dispensers

Similar to the oil dispensers above, you can also make soap dispensers out of your beer bottles. Just pick some dispenser heads from a dollar store or online, and paint the bottles. Fix the dispenser top to the bottle and add some soap. There, you have a lovely DIY soap dispenser.

– Beer Bottle Wind Chime

This is another trend we can find in some small and upcoming cafes. Bring a bunch of bottles together, tie and suspend them with a rope string and you have your simple wind chime ready. You could get as creative as you want with this item. Paint it, use shiny stickers or simply add some fairy lights to revamp them even more.

– Beer Bottle Number Holders

This is something I spotted at a recent wedding. Table numbers were represented using shiny beer bottles. Such a creative DIY way to add some décor to your wedding.

– Beer Bottle String Lights

Perfect addition to an outdoor summer BBQ, or even a nice warm look for a romantic evening with your significant other. All you have to do is add some lights in the bottles, string them up with rope and tie them to the ceiling. A nice way to light up your evening.

– Hanging Planters

Another DIY creative art we can see many home gardeners do lately. If you have a green thumb and an obsession with beer bottles, you could easily reuse your beer bottles this way. Simply cut the bottom of the bottle to allow space for the plant to grow.

– Bottle Cap Mini Candles

We have spoken so much about reusing beer bottles. But we forget that bottles come with bottle caps. If you want to save yourself from cutting the bottles, this is a nice way to use bottle caps as mini tealight candles. Just fill the caps with hot wax and add a wick. To get creative, you could add some flavors and fragrances to the wax.

– Beer Bottle Goblets

St. Patty’s day around the corner? Or want to stack it up otherwise? There is no better way to pour your beer than in a beer glass goblet. Chop the head of the beer bottle off, and stick it to the bottom of the bottle. And what you have is a fancy-looking goblet.

– Coasters

Yet another DIY project to do with your kids, stick all the beer caps together with a glue gun, and you have funky-looking coasters ready.

– Bracelet Holders

You can organize all your bracelets, bangles, or watches around the beer bottle. Fun, right?

– Pretty Wrapped Bottles

If you are a fan of decoupage art, this can be a fun way to get super creative. You could also wrap your bottles with yarn or wool, to make them look like works of art. This can add a super chick look to your living room.

– Wall Decorations

Again something interesting many event and wedding planners are doing off-late. When it comes to sustainable décor options, everything depends on the creativity of the individual. You can light up a boring wall or make a photo booth out of beer bottles and fairy lights, arranged in abstract patterns.

Reuse Beer Bottles for Homebrew: Tips and Recommendations

Many homebrewers are making conscious choices in favor of sustainability. Plus, homebrewers like to save money. It is an extra effort, but hey, you get bonus points for being environmentally conscious.

If you are a homebrewer, here is what you can do reuse beer bottles for homebrew:

• Save pry-off beer bottles for reuse.
• Brown bottles are the best to reuse, as they provide higher UV protection than green or transparent ones.
• Rinse the bottles first: residual beer is left at the bottom of the bottle. So, as soon as you’re done with the beer, scrub and rinse them immediately. Three quick rinses and your job is done.
• Remove the labels by soaking the bottles in a tub of hot water and one step for 15-20 minutes. The label should peel off by itself.
• Using bigger bottles is best, as it saves space and time for cleaning afterward.
• A swing-top bottle is best because it is easy to clean and maintain. These bottles are sturdier as well.
• It takes about one or three hours to clean and sanitize a bottle.
• Make sure the bottles are completely dry before reusing them.

Reusable Beer Bottles: What the World Really Needs

In 2018, the state of Oregon introduced a new glass beer bottle that could be reused. This invention has ever since changed the way America drinks beer. With sustainability as the hot topic of this generation and the obsession with environment-friendly products on the rise, the demand for single-use products can decline in the coming future. Keeping this in mind, this project from the Oregon government is revolutionizing the beer bottling industry.

The science behind it is simply reusing the bottles. Once customers are done with their beer, the bottles can be returned, washed, and used once again. This can be done up to 25 times, which could lead to saving almost up to 92 percent of the carbon footprint of bottling beer and boost the recycling of aluminum and glass. Juice Bailey, Chief stewardship officer and communications head at Oregon beverage recycling cooperative agrees saying, “It is a plus both economically and environmentally.”

The idea of reusing bottles has come up a couple of times in history, but the idea has seen its death multiple times. But, you know they say, “old is gold”, for a reason. Many countries across the world follow this as a ritual now. And almost two decades after reusing bottles was discontinued, the ORBC began reinvestigating the idea in September 2018.

Today we have multiple such facilities for reusing and refilling beer bottles. In 2019, Draftbottle released a stainless steel, vacuum-sealed, reusable beer bottle. It took the gifting industry in the USA by storm. The users could easily pour 22 ounces of their favorite beer into it. And the best part, it isn’t limited only to beer. You could count this as a perfect gift for beer lovers this holiday season.

– Used Beer Bottles: A Simple Six-Step Routine To Follow

Matt Swihart, founder of Double Mountain Brewery & Cidery says, “The future of beer is a refillable package.” He strongly believed in using a returnable, refillable glass beer bottle. The process simply is:

1. Buy
2. Enjoy
3. Return
4. Wash
5. Refill
6. Repeat

The idea to use empty beer bottles for brewing took birth from his love for the environment. The refillable glass bottles take the world’s most sustainable package a step further. These bottles can be refilled up to 26 times or sometimes even more resulting in 66 times lesser carbon dioxide emissions per container. This makes the glass bottles the lowest CO2 emitting packages.

Glass bottles have an all-natural composition of silica, soda ash, and limestone. These materials do not interfere with the beer in the bottle, making you enjoy the intended taste of the brewer. Swihart encourages the world to take a step forward in this direction. He states, “if you want to make an impact in reducing fossil fuels that are destroying the world, you need to make individual choices. One is to choose a bottle that gets reused.”

FAQ

Can you recap used beer bottles?

To recap used beer bottles, simply purchase bottle caps and a capping tool from a homebrew supply store. Then, follow the instructions provided with the capping tool to seal the bottles.

How do you sanitize beer bottles for reuse?

To sanitize beer bottles for reuse, rinse them thoroughly with hot water and then soak them in a solution of water and a sanitizing agent, such as bleach or iodophor. Allow them to air dry before using.

How to cut beer bottles?

To cut beer bottles, use a glass cutter to score a line around the bottle where you want it to break. Then, pour boiling water over the score line and immediately submerge the bottle in cold water. The heat and cold will cause the bottle to break along the score line.

Conclusion

Creativity has no limits. There are plenty of DIY ways to reuse beer bottles. If you are a homebrewer, you must be looking for cost-saving options. It is best to invest in brown bottles which are sturdy and can be reused multiple numbers of times. Large breweries around the world are now investing in reusable beer bottles to reduce their carbon footprint. It is always best to indulge in environment-friendly actions.