Anyone use milk crates to store bottles? I’ve been using a collection of cardboard boxes to hold upwards of 6 six-packs and some 12-pack boxes the beer originally came in.
But I bottle in 24’s, 16’s (german wheat-beer bottles) and a variety of 12’s (stubbies and long-necks). Don’t really feel like “borrowing” any from the corner store but have seen milk-crate-esque crates at walmart and at the container store.
I know one day the bottom of the cardboard boxes will give way as I’m carrying my precious homebrew to the storage area. So am seeking alternatives. Wondering if the various bottles are a good fit and if this is a decent solution?
I have some of those plastic milk crates that I use for larger bottles too. There is a lot of variation in the size and shape of bottles (I’ve never bought any empty bottles, so my collection is quite “varied”), but I believe I normally get about 1/2 a 5 gallon batch in each crate. Some of the bottles I have are pretty tall though so that crate has to be on top of the stack.
I mostly use copier/printer paper boxes. While work likes to promote the “paperless workplace”, the truth in anything but. There’re always lots of empty boxes around and they’re tall enough to hold the various size bottles. Got about 20 cases worth at the moment.
I still use the cardboard boxes but I strengthened the bottom seams with packing tape. When I consider the upgrades I would like for home brewing I can’t justify buying something that I can get free. My source for boxes is a nearby bar that goes through seven or eight cases of bud, bud light, miller lite every Friday and Saturday. If I need boxes I just swing by early the morning after and ask the guy cleaning up if he will let me have the empty boxes. He has always been very happy since it saves him breaking them down and hauling to the recycling center.
I’m only talking about six or eight cases of bottles in my entire inventory. Most of my turnover is kegged, which makes me happy. It is easy to add strength to the bottom of used cardboard beer boxes with a little packaging tape.
I use them quite a bit. And try to pick them whenever I can in a “somewhat legal” way. I say somewhat, because some that I have are like Sankey kegs. The dairy maintains ownership.
I keg most of my beers, but I keep enough bottles to bottle a full batch and use milk crates to store them. A “standard” plastic milk crate holds 25 regular 12-oz bottles - so 2 crates hold an entire bottled 5-gallon batch. They’re also nice for storing empty bottles or for draining bottles after cleaning because the bottles can be put in the crates upside-down. A milk crate also works well for carrying a 5- or 6-gallon carboy, and for holding a standard 20# propane tank so it doesn’t tip over. Search “plastic milk crate” on Amazon.com, and you’ll find a set of four for around $25 + shipping that are the same as the commercial ones.