Where can I buy 'smallish' bottles for my mead?

[sb44]

After trying my mead today I know we won't be able to drink a lot of it so I don't want to use normal wine bottles.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to what size of smaller bottle I can use and where I can buy them from please?

I have seen these, don't know if they will be ok or not?

http://www.easybrew.co.uk/product_detail.php?id=1630

[fatbloke]

After trying my mead today I know we won't be able to drink a lot of it so I don't want to use normal wine bottles.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to what size of smaller bottle I can use and where I can buy them from please?

I have seen these, don't know if they will be ok or not?

http://www.easybrew.co.uk/product_detail.php?id=1630

If those ones at easybrew are exactly the same as the picture, then they are very like the ones used in Normandy for some Calvados.

If you have a bit more of a dig around, you'll find that you can get bottles that size (375ml) but are the same shape as "normal" wine bottles.

My local HBS uses mainly Brupaks and Ritchies for his wholesale needs and the 375ml's that I got were, I believe, from Ritchies - the only downside is that they're almost the same price as full 750ml bottles.

If you read around the mead sites (and a few books), you'll see that lots of the "meadies" actually like to use crown cap beer bottles, because it gives you the option of straight storage, albeit in a smaller bottle (depends on what the local HBS keeps), and carbonation and storage. Crown caps hold up to carbonation pressures quite nicely, and as it's a smaller bottle, it's quite pleasant to chill one and then serve it in a glass to show off the bubbles plus because it's a beer bottle, there's no moral issue in scuppering the whole bottle.

regards

JtFB

p.s. Just had a look at my local HBS website, and he doesn't list the 375ml's either but he does keep them in the shop (or will order them for you if he's run out). So I'd say ring wherever the nearest one to you is and ask (because the easybrew website says they're sold out at the moment - and they took forever to send me some stuff that had to be ordered in).

[jcnoren]

I was going to also suggest beer bottles as well. Heinkein, I like for the 330ml size and as fatbloke said you use crown caps. Corona bottles are the same size but clear.

JC

[Duffbeer]

Hamstead homebrew sells the 375ml bottles, 60 pence each + postage, you may want to add to the order to justify the postage costs.

[sb44]

Thanks for the advice folks.

Maybe a daft idea but ........ if I can't get any small bottles could I use the screw top jars that the honey was in?

I know they won't look brilliant but nobody is going to see them except us.

[fatbloke]

Thanks for the advice folks.

Maybe a daft idea but ........ if I can't get any small bottles could I use the screw top jars that the honey was in?

I know they won't look brilliant but nobody is going to see them except us.

I don't see why not, but you'd have to make sure that they're as full as possible to exclude as much air as possible, and that the lids actually "re-make" the seal properly - lots of the supermarket type honey will have been bottled/jarred and then heated to pasturise - so I'd guess that to make sure of the seal, you'd have to put some boiling/vvv hot water in them and then (carefully as the glass will be hot) screw the caps on tightly.

The expanding steam would either hiss out quite quickly i.e. with no airtight seal or it might make the top of the lid harder to press in and when you open it (having not heard any hissing) you should get a slight hiss of the steam pressure venting as the seal opens.

Just remember, it's not too hard to damage the lid/seal when trying too tighten a lid to make sure it's sealed - the metal lids, in some cases are unbelievably thin.

Oh and if you did go for beer bottles and crown caps, just a reminder to check that the caps are the right size - some beer makers/sellers use slightly different sized caps than the ones that are easily available from the local HBS. Though if you collect enough free bottles (pubs etc) then it shouldn't matter as you're bound to get enough of the right size, the rest can go in the recycling bin.

regards

JtFB

[Mamgiowl]

Thanks for the advice folks.

Maybe a daft idea but ........ if I can't get any small bottles could I use the screw top jars that the honey was in?

I know they won't look brilliant but nobody is going to see them except us.

Well you could I suppose, but why would you want to?

You've made a quality product and it deserves the best presentation you can give it IMHO. OK the bottles cost money initially, but they are re-usable after all. You could also ask friends who buy glass-bottled water to save some for you, or restuarants and cafes may be willing to help. Even free cycle is worth a try.

Save money by making jam and marmalade and use the honey jars for that.

[fatbloke]

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You could also ask friends who buy glass-bottled water to save some for you, or restuarants and cafes may be willing to help.
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Damn! Now that's an excellent idea Jan, gold star to you .

As for using beer bottles, it would appear that this is a frequent thing for lots of mead makers, because it's less of a waste if you have people round and it turns out that they don't like mead. So you don't have to worry about the potential side effect of not putting it down the sink

Maybe a few of the bottled water glass bottles or a couple of "proper" half bottle size bottles, for presentation etc, but if it's the maker that's drinking it, then surely it's not an issue to use/re-use beer bottles, only if it's a practical thing that they're more readily available.

Not forgetting that you can carbonate in a beer bottle, or just leave it "still", and not worry about the exploding "thing", etc etc.

regards

JtFB