Zippox

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I have noticed that some lambics have a cap and cork. Is this something that I should try and make happen for my lambic?

I have a lot of Martinelli Cider bottles that are apparently cap-able, and was wondering if I should buy #9 corks to shove in them first before capping?

And finally, does anyone know if the standard black capper (http://www.midwestsupplies.com/black-beauty-bottle-capper.html) works well enough with these bottles for long-term storage?

TNGabe

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My first guess would be that the cap is purely a cost savings over the cage, but maybe there is a storage or over carb / safety factor involved. Aren't Jolly Pumpkin beers corked and capped / occasionally gushers?

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gamb0056

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If the bottles take standard size caps you should be fine with the black beauty, though many 750 ml champagne & euro style bottles require 29 mm crowns, which the black beauty capper won't do.

With regard to caps + corks: I'm not sure. I always thought it was to deal with the higher carbonation pressure for lambics.

All of the JP beers that I've had are only capped, no corks. I've never had Lambicus Dexterus though. Anyone know how this one is packaged? I''ve also never had a gusher from JP

TNGabe

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Shows you how good my memory is . JP doesn't seem to move at a couple bottle shops I frequent. They have bottles from 2010. Last one I had was an Oro de Calabaza and I wasn't ready when I opened it. Probably lost 1/3 of the bottle.

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gamb0056

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That may explain the gushing. I've never aged a JP that long!

bellmtbbq

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I like the cork/cap idea Kinda fancy without the irritating cages

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Zippox

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People keep saying that lambics are capped and corked because of the high carbonation, but for the recipes that I have been seeing on here, they all use the standard priming method. Is it getting extra pressure from the bacteria lowering the SG or something over time (even after 1.5 yrs)?

gamb0056

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Sorry, I should clarify. I assumed that OP was actually referring to geuze, not a straight, unblended lambic. Geuze bottles are those that are corked and capped. Geuze is highly carbonated - I think 3 - 4.5 volumes, hence my assumption about the need for both cork and cap.

smokinghole

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My honest guess for a cork and cap vs a cork and cage is a function of the brewery's lack of equipment. It's cheaper to get a standard wine corker and a crown capper than it is to get a mushroom corker and cage machine. Neither really offers serious benefit over the other that I can tell. Now I've never paid attention before but is it possible that bottles like Cantillon use a high quality wine cork and a cap vs the agglomerated beer cork? Champagne corks at leas have two solid discs of natural cork glued on the end with the remainder being agglomerated. The beer corks are 100% small cork particle agglomerated, so a high quality wine cork might end up being better than the beer cork and cage.

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Zippox

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I just tried corking and capping one of the Martinelli's bottles. The cap worked but the #8 corks were too big. I think that I will try and find out what cork # would work.