In the last 10 years approximately , plastic (or PET) bottles became increasingly popular among home brewers. this is often partly to try to to with the very fact that tons of home brew kits lately include them as a part of the set-up, and it's partly to try to to with the very fact that it's getting near on impossible to seek out beer in crown seal bottles at the package store .
But are PET bottles nearly as good as glass? Depends.
Standard PET bottles aren't impervious to odours and oxygen over long periods, making them unsuitable for bottling wine. However, for beer brewing - particular those brew types that do not require an extended fermenting and storage period - they will be even as good as glass bottles. For higher gravity brews though, tons of brewers prefer glass. this is often because oxygen can start to penetrate PET (and CO2 escape) after a few of months. There are however, PET bottles available that are designed specifically for brewing. Coopers as an example , sell dark brown 740 mL/25oz PET longnecks that have a nylon coating which they claim prevents the entry of oxygen and escape of CO2 for up to 18 months.
Things to seem out for - after a short time the threads on the bottle neck or inside lid can wear away, leaving gaps for air to enter the bottle. I even have had this happen on one or two lids that are used maybe half a dozen times. it had been easily solved though, as i used to be ready to replace the lids with ones from beverage bottles.
Differences - glass doesn't scratch, whereas cleaning PET bottles with a scourer or something similar may result in tiny grooves being left within the surface of the bottle. Bacteria can breed in these grooves, leading to an infected brew. On the plus side, PET doesn't explode like glass, meaning you will not run the danger of the infamous bottle bomb effect.
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