what kind of bottles should i use

[Ozwald]

FWIW, I keg my bretts & sours. Stainless is easy to clean, keg rings are cheap in bulk & beer line is cheap. All together a lot less space & cost than a separate bucket, wand, etc. You can also build a dedicated cobra, but I don't even go that far.

[brewinhard]

I am not a fan of bottling beers that you plan on keeping around for a bit in the swing top bottles. I just don't feel that they keep a good enough seal like a true bottle cap would which can allow too mu h oxygen to ingress into the bottle leading to premature oxidation and stale beer. Just my 2 cents...

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

I am not a fan of bottling beers that you plan on keeping around for a bit in the swing top bottles. I just don't feel that they keep a good enough seal like a true bottle cap would which can allow too mu h oxygen to ingress into the bottle leading to premature oxidation and stale beer. Just my 2 cents...

I agree. I wish I'd thought of it first. Instead of swing tops, try corks and cages, if you want something a little fancier.

[maxwell]

I would just keg it. I keg all of my sours and have dedicated lines and taps that only get used with sour beers. If you contaminate a line, you can always replace it for $5.

I have done corks and cages and would never do it again except maybe for a special event or gifts. Corks and cages look nice but they are a pain to fasten (you need a corker) and they do not always provide the protection that you're hoping for. For instance, Morebeer had a bad batch of Belgian corks a couple of years ago that failed to hold CO2. As a result lots of brewers have some great sour beers sitting around with zero carbonation. If you must bottle, I would go for heavy glass bottles that take a crown cap. If you want less oxygen pickup you can always dip them in wax. If you can't get the Jolly Pumpkin 750s, you might consider getting a bunch of domestic champagne bottles (green but you can keep them in a box) or the dogfish head 750s.

[Beer_Baron]

I am not a fan of bottling beers that you plan on keeping around for a bit in the swing top bottles. I just don't feel that they keep a good enough seal like a true bottle cap would which can allow too mu h oxygen to ingress into the bottle leading to premature oxidation and stale beer. Just my 2 cents...

Martinelli's sparking apple cider bottles are great for long term storage. They look like champagne bottles (green, 750ml) but don't have a punt (indentation) in the bottom and take a standard american crown cap (26mm vs. the european 29mm). They hold pressure fine and as long as you keep them out of the light they are good for 6 months or more bottle conditioning. I usually use 1 liter clear Italian - made (Bormioli Rocco) swing tops for shorter term bottle conditioning (2 months or so). Ikea used to sell them for $3 but now they sell a $4 chinese knockoff that looks similar but are not as good at holding pressure - the wire bale is made from a thinner material and I usually end up using 2 gaskets to get a good seal.