As you get more and more into making mead, beer, or wine, you will find yourself adding bottles to your collection at an increasingly quick rate. Each gallon that you make can yield anywhere from nine to twelve 12-oz bottles or four to five 750 mL wine bottles. So how do you keep up with the demand? There is always the option of purchasing new bottles. This is especially advantageous if you want a unique look for your homemade brand. But new bottles are expensive. Instead, I recommend reclaiming bottles rather than just recycling them. I haven’t gotten into corking bottles yet, so I will focus on reclaiming beer bottles.

Pry or Twist?

This may be more of a personal preference, but I have always chosen pry off bottles to reclaim, recycling all the twist off bottles I buy. I am not sure that there is any proof that pry off bottles create a better seal, but in my mind I like to think they do. I also worry that it is easier to break the small thread on the lip of the twist off via continuous opening and re-capping than the thick lip on the pry off bottles.

Rinse After Drinking

As your bottle collection grows and you find yourself with spares, you will greatly thank yourself if you have remembered to rinse the bottles as soon as you finish them, and not letting the bottles sit with those few small drops in the bottom. These drops can spawn mold growths that are very difficult to clean, even with a bottle brush. At this point, just throw the bottles away. It isn’t worth the effort to clean.

Soaking Off the Label

After you’ve saved up all your bottles, you need a way to clean off the labels. My method is to dissolve a heaping scoop of OxiClean in 5 gallons of hot water. Submerge your bottles in the solution for at least one hour, or until labels peal off easily with minimal residue. If you are lucky, the residue will wipe off by brushing with a finger, a sponge, or steel wool if necessary. There are some pesky labels that may need a razor blade to scrape off the label, but I leave that decision to you as to whether it is worth the time (I just recycle them). Each brewery uses its own label glue, and some are easier than others to remove. I leave it to you to determine what bottles are worth saving, and what bottles are not worth the effort.

So there you have it. Make the choice if you want to keep pry off, twist off, or both bottle types. Be sure to rinse the bottles soon after drinking. Soak off the label with OxiClean, and give it a quick rinse so none of the glue stays inside the bottle. Now you are off to saving loads of money when it comes time to bottle your next batch!

Got any other ideas on how to reclaim used bottles, or a blog idea you’d like me to cover? Let us know in the comments section. Thanks for reading!