Home Brew Bottles - Plastic Or Glass?

In the last 10 years or so, plastic (or PET) bottlesthat have a nylon coating which they claim prevents
have become increasingly popular among homethe entry of oxygen and escape of carbon dioxide
brewers. This is partly to do with the fact that a lotfor up to 18 months.
of home brew kits these days include them as partThings to look out for - after a while the threads on
of the set-up, and it's partly to do with the fact thatthe bottle neck or inside lid can wear away, leaving
it's getting near on impossible to find beer in crowngaps for air to enter the bottle. I have had this
seal bottles at the liquor store.happen on one or two lids that have been used
But are PET bottles as good as glass? Depends.maybe half a dozen times. It was easily solved
Standard PET bottles aren't impervious to odours andthough, as I was able to replace the lids with ones
oxygen over long periods, making them unsuitable forfrom soft drink bottles.
bottling wine. However, for beer brewing - particularDifferences - glass doesn't scratch, whereas cleaning
those brew types that don't require an extendedPET bottles with a scourer or something similar can
fermenting and storage period - they can be just asresult in tiny grooves being left in the surface of the
good as glass bottles. For higher gravity brewsbottle. Bacteria can breed in these grooves, resulting
though, a lot of brewers prefer glass. This is becausein an infected brew. On the plus side, PET doesn't
oxygen can start to penetrate PET (and carbonexplode like glass, meaning you won't run the risk of
dioxide escape) after a couple of months. There arethe infamous bottle bomb effect.
however, PET bottles available that have beenIn the end though, like most things home brew, the
designed specifically for brewing. Coopers forchoice is yours.
instance, sell dark brown 740 mL/25oz PET longnecks