Beer Bottle Guide: Type, Size, Color, Bottle Cap

Choosing the right beer bottle for your business is a challenging task. There are many factors to consider before finding the right beer bottle for you. With this comprehensive beer bottle guide, you will know how to know the right beer bottle for you.

Types of Beer Bottles

Before getting to the specifics of your beer bottles, choose which type you want for your beer.

Longneck Beer Bottles

Longneck beer bottles might be the most prominent type of beer bottle. Much like the name of this type of bottle has a very noticeable neck. It’s the industry standard when it comes to beer bottles.

Longneck beer bottles are among the most sustainable options, as you can reuse them sixteen times. Thus, it’s an excellent option for many breweries as it lowers their product cost.

Stubby/Steinie

This beer bottle might be easy to confuse with Longneck beer bottles. Stubby or Steinie is stockier than the standard beer bottles. It also features a slightly shorter and wider neck than the Longneck.

Belgian

Belgian bottles were specifically for Belgian beer when they first came out. However, it’s also used with many types of beers nowadays. You can easily spot the Belgian beer bottles through the slight curvature at the end of the neck.

Growlers

This beer bottle type is as long as the pub has been a prominent fixture in the culture. It’s not uncommon for patrons to take home large pails of beer—thus the invention of the growler.

Growlers are big beer bottles ranging from a quarter to a whole gallon in capacity. This type of beer bottle is specially designed for a resealable and large amount of beer.

Swing Top

Swing top beers are among the most ornate and striking types of beer bottles. You can easily spot one of these due to the swing-top cap, thus the name.

The mixture of steel and zinc wire makes the beer bottle more secure. With its screw top, you can ensure your beer will have a nice clear finish even after a long time in the pantry.

Specialty Beer Bottles

Specialty beer bottles cover a wide range of different types. It usually refers to those bottles made with a different shape from the rest. It gives off a nice contrast against the standard longneck or growler types.

Size of the Bottle

Once you find the right type of bottle for you, the next one is the size. Different bottles come in different sizes. However, for the sake of this guide, we grouped them into two distinct formats: small and large.

Small

Type of Bottle	Capacity
Pony	7oz (200ml)
Stubby/Longneck	12 oz (340ml)
British	12.7oz (375ml)
Belgian	16.9oz (500ml)
Bomber	22oz (650ml)

Small beer bottles range from the Pony to the Bomber. These bottles are perfect for a single serving or small groups of people.

The Pony or Nip is the smallest one. It’s perfect for a small serving of stronger beer, such as Barleywine. However, it’s a lot less popular nowadays due to the resealable nature of the bigger bottles.

The next one is the Stubby and Longneck at the standard 12oz size. Whether strong or mild beer, you can find them in this capacity. It’s the perfect size for your usual serving of beer.

The Belgian beer bottle is the middle size at half a liter. You can easily find this capacity at many breweries.

Large

Type of Bottle	Capacity
Swing Top (Large Format)	26.3oz (750ml)
Howler	32oz (910ml)
Forty	40oz (1136ml)
Magnum	50.7oz (1420ml)
Growlers	64oz (1818ml)

These larger bottles are for resealable and big servings of alcohol. Their seal is usually made with swing-top and screw caps to ensure their freshness after a long period. Their large size also makes them perfect for storing alcohol in your pantry.

The most common is the standard 32-40-64oz serving, especially with Growlers. However, you can easily find a beer bottle up to a gallon. They are common within breweries and pubs.

Different Colors of Beer Bottles

Color	Pros	Cons
Amber Brown	· Excellent UV Protection	· Too mainstream · Not excellent for branding
Green or Blue	· Excellent for Branding · Striking Colors	· Limited UV Protection
Clear	· Ideal for Light and Craft Beers	· No UV Protection

Amber Brown: The Most Popular Beer Bottle Color

You might notice that one of the most popular colors for beer bottles is amber brown. However, it provides more than just an aesthetically pleasing and easily recognizable effect on your bottle. There are other reasons for utilizing this color for the beverage.

One of the main factors why this color is present in most bottles is its excellent UV light protection. Light, whether natural or artificial, is an unwelcome part of storing the beer. Partial or complete exposure to light can cause the beer to be skunky, thus bad for drinking.

To combat this problem, breweries use the amber-brown color to block off the UV light from entering the drink. This industry standard is perfect if your beer is designed for long storage and shipping internationally.

Green and Blue

Green and Blue have become more popular these days. You might even have beer brands in your mind which have this bottle color. Although lesser than the amber brown bottles, the blue and green ones can lock up the UV light to a certain degree.

It also provides an excellent contrast to the typical amber brown beer in the market. However, it would be best to be more cautious when transferring and shipping your beer.

Clear

Due to the faster and more modern way of distributing alcohol, many brands also delve into clear bottles. This type of bottle is perfect for craft and light beers, especially those with shorter time fermenting. Many brands choose this as it provides a striking contrast against competitors.

However, the shelf life of the beer will be much lower than those with amber brown bottles.

Different Beer Bottle Caps

Now that you know the different beer bottle types, colors, and capacities, let’s finally get into the caps to seal your beer.

Metal Caps

Metal caps are among the most popular beer bottle caps. They are perfect for sealing up single-drink beers such as those 750ml and below. It’s excellent for sealing the bottles and keeping the beer from oxidation.

It has tin and aluminum material, making it relatively cheap to buy and produce. Most metal caps are also set to the standard size, so it’s more accessible for smaller breweries. It also has a PVC seal on the top, making it perfect for shipping and lengthy storage.

Growler/ Screw Caps

Screw caps or growler caps are for larger bottles of beer. Plastics such as Polyethylene terephthalate is the standard material for this type of cap. These are perfect for reusable bottles and those with multiple servings.

Much like the metal caps, these are relatively cheap to make and very accessible to any brewery.

Swing-Top Cap

The swing-top cap is a more ornate and complicated type of bottle cap. It has a steel lock with a mix of screw caps. It’s the perfect seal for specialty beers as it will keep it more secure than the screw and metal caps.

Things You Should Know Before Purchasing a Beer Bottle

Now that you know the different features of bottles you need, here are some things you must remember before purchasing a beer bottle.

Current and Future Location of the Beer

As stated, UV light is an enemy when it comes to keeping your beer fresh. By tracking the beer’s current and future location or shipment, you can better control its feature.

For example, a beer that will travel internationally will encounter more UV light—thus, you will need an amber brown bottle. However, a local brewery might not need the same features.

Type of Beer You’ll Put

Different types of beers will fit in other types of beer bottles. Knowing if your beer is light craft beer to more specialty beers, you can find the beer bottle feature to fit your needs.

The wrong color or cap can easily damage your beer and make it skunky. So, make sure you consider the kind of beer.

Your Branding

Is aesthetic important to your brew? Are your beer bottles need to be intricately designed?

These are a few of the inquiries you need to ask yourself. Although the quality of your beer can speak for you, the bottle is the first thing many buyers will see.

Budget

Having more ornamental preferences can be tricky with a limited budget. Many factories have more affordable options for standard bottles and caps. So, it can be an excellent choice for a lower budget.

In Summary

With this beer bottle guide, we can ensure you know how to find the right beer bottle for you. Whether you are looking for functionality or aesthetics, there are options here for you to choose from. Learn the different colors, sizes, types, and features of a beer bottle with this comprehensive article.