There’s pros and cons for both and I’ll endeavour to give some useful information that will help you decide what will suit you best. This is just my personal opinion, a lot of people swear that their beer tastes better from glass. I have used both extensively as well as kegs in the 23 years that we have been brewing our own beer. I don’t believe it tastes any different from glass or plastic (PET) but…… your beer will lose some of its gas through the plastic.
After 3 months in the plastic (PET) bottles it will start to go flat and by 6 months it will be as flat as tack. The best way to clean your PET (plastic) bottles is to soak them in a solution of Pink Stain Remover (neo pink) over night then rinse thoroughly with cold water before use.
If you are inclined to store your beer for longer than 3 months then glass bottles will be the way to go for you.
Pros for Glass Bottles
- Will store for an indefinite amount of time if kept in good conditions.
- Bottles can be cleaned thoroughly with a bottle brush
- You and other people will look after and not throw your bottles away
Cons For Glass Bottles
- Can be heavy to carry especially if travelling
- Added work involved in capping each bottle
- Added cost for a bench capper and caps
- The danger aspect if bottled to soon and explosions occur
Pros For PET (plastic) Bottles
- Light weight
- Easy to use and store
- No danger if beer is bottled to early
Cons for PET Bottles
- Beer will start to go flat after 3 months
- Harder to clean as you can’t use a bottle brush with out scratching the plastic
- Cost approx $1 each
- Not seen to be of any value by other people, they’ll throw them out
