Making a simple still mead...first time mead maker here..... Must still in primary.... Wondering about our still to come bottling techniques ... Should we wine bottle and cork em( was hoping to go that route) ... Or s the beer bottle and capping way the way to go.... I thought the wine bottles w corks would hold more and be better sharing w friends.... Thanks ...
Bottles w corks or caps???
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cgenebrewer
Well-Known Member
the general idea for long term storage is corked, but there are a few people who will say that crown caps works better. I dont know, I am sure there is research out there.
Either will work, but most believe that crown caps will not seal as strongly as a cork and thus the mead will oxidize faster and not last.
tl;dr Crown caps are fine if you not holding onto to it for more than a year. otherwise cork
Either will work, but most believe that crown caps will not seal as strongly as a cork and thus the mead will oxidize faster and not last.
tl;dr Crown caps are fine if you not holding onto to it for more than a year. otherwise cork
turtlescales
Well-Known Member
Would the caps with the oxygen barrier help prolong that?
cgenebrewer
Well-Known Member
ive heard that they do help them last longer. Again, I do not have any hard evidence, just going off what I have heard around.
The o2 barrier caps are supposed to absorb the o2 in the bottle once capped, they do have time limit as far as how long the work. Search the forums, I remember finding a couple threads about them
The o2 barrier caps are supposed to absorb the o2 in the bottle once capped, they do have time limit as far as how long the work. Search the forums, I remember finding a couple threads about them
tweake
Well-Known Member
its a highly debated topic.
most wine over here is screw cap so there is always the debate of screw cap vers corks.
crown caps seal it the best. its certainly proven with screw caps.
however mead, like wine, often improves with a little bit of air. wines bottled with corks can be better than capped bottles after long storage time. that does depend on the product.
for most people it comes down to presentation and time taken before use.
certainly corked bottles look far far better than capped.
most wine over here is screw cap so there is always the debate of screw cap vers corks.
crown caps seal it the best. its certainly proven with screw caps.
however mead, like wine, often improves with a little bit of air. wines bottled with corks can be better than capped bottles after long storage time. that does depend on the product.
for most people it comes down to presentation and time taken before use.
certainly corked bottles look far far better than capped.
DragonsLair
Active Member
Like Tweake says, it is highly debated although there has been a great deal of research done lately. I have had a great deal of interest in this question. It basically comes down to personal choice.
For a thousand years cork was the only choice and for good reason. It is natures perfect seal. The only problem was the risk of cork taint (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_taint) which with modern techniques of making corks has been practically eliminated.
Cork taint is the main reason for the development of other types of closure. Only problem is that no matter how they improve crown caps, screw caps or synthetic cork it has never matched natural cork. Then there is the environmental impact. The carbon footprint of cork is tiny compared to crown/screw caps or synthetic. See the attached image.
This lengthy report goes into a lot of boring detail.
http://www.corkfacts.com/pdffiles/amorim_lca_final_report.pdf
Most wines/meads never make it past 24 months before they are drunk so cellaring is not an issue. Any closure will suffice. I'd be willing to bet duct tape would get the job done. This question really has no bearing unless you are a commercial winery/meadery. Only then will you consider specific cost and marketing factors.
A lot of wineries are going to screw cap because of the cost. I personally think this is actually a foolish move and environmentally irresponsible. This report backs me up. http://www.tragon.com/downloads/news/18.pdf
Too illustrate my point, Hogue Cellars makes some great wine. A few years ago they decided to go to screw cap. I will never buy another Hogue Cellars wine. It tells me they care more about the bottom line than the quality of their wine.
Anyway, sorry if that went a bit astray. My point is for the homebrewer the choice of crown cap or cork will have no impact on your mead. Enjoy your new hobby.
For a thousand years cork was the only choice and for good reason. It is natures perfect seal. The only problem was the risk of cork taint (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_taint) which with modern techniques of making corks has been practically eliminated.
Cork taint is the main reason for the development of other types of closure. Only problem is that no matter how they improve crown caps, screw caps or synthetic cork it has never matched natural cork. Then there is the environmental impact. The carbon footprint of cork is tiny compared to crown/screw caps or synthetic. See the attached image.
This lengthy report goes into a lot of boring detail.
http://www.corkfacts.com/pdffiles/amorim_lca_final_report.pdf
Most wines/meads never make it past 24 months before they are drunk so cellaring is not an issue. Any closure will suffice. I'd be willing to bet duct tape would get the job done. This question really has no bearing unless you are a commercial winery/meadery. Only then will you consider specific cost and marketing factors.
A lot of wineries are going to screw cap because of the cost. I personally think this is actually a foolish move and environmentally irresponsible. This report backs me up. http://www.tragon.com/downloads/news/18.pdf
Too illustrate my point, Hogue Cellars makes some great wine. A few years ago they decided to go to screw cap. I will never buy another Hogue Cellars wine. It tells me they care more about the bottom line than the quality of their wine.
Anyway, sorry if that went a bit astray. My point is for the homebrewer the choice of crown cap or cork will have no impact on your mead. Enjoy your new hobby.
There's more to cork too, that we haven't touched on. It has to do with the different kinds of cork. Some cork is from the outer tree, some the inner. Some corks are aggregate with only a thin layer of fresh cork to try to be the barrier.
Corks are not perfect oxygen barriers, and in fact, are best for aging bottles because they do let tiny amounts of oxygen in which will react with the wine.
Plastic and screwcap actually create a better airtight seal preventing the transmission of oxygen, you'll have to find the packaging reports about this too. But they're desirable for wines that aren't supposed to age. Plus they're cheaper.
I'd prefer to go for screwcaps or plastic for wines that will be consumed in a year or if they're not supposed to be oxidized like certain reds are.
Also, bottling in beer bottles is nice, in that it makes a small drink possible for one person. If you open a bottle, you usually don't want to let it sit around. Again, it's going to depend on what you're looking to have happen to your mead (or wine) while it's sitting in a bottle with a given closure. Remember too, that champagne is made using crown caps during their entire carbonating process. So it's using a crown cap for anywhere between 1.5 to 8 years. I can't argue with the process if it works well.
Corks are not perfect oxygen barriers, and in fact, are best for aging bottles because they do let tiny amounts of oxygen in which will react with the wine.
Plastic and screwcap actually create a better airtight seal preventing the transmission of oxygen, you'll have to find the packaging reports about this too. But they're desirable for wines that aren't supposed to age. Plus they're cheaper.
I'd prefer to go for screwcaps or plastic for wines that will be consumed in a year or if they're not supposed to be oxidized like certain reds are.
Also, bottling in beer bottles is nice, in that it makes a small drink possible for one person. If you open a bottle, you usually don't want to let it sit around. Again, it's going to depend on what you're looking to have happen to your mead (or wine) while it's sitting in a bottle with a given closure. Remember too, that champagne is made using crown caps during their entire carbonating process. So it's using a crown cap for anywhere between 1.5 to 8 years. I can't argue with the process if it works well.
cgenebrewer
Well-Known Member
Dragon, excellent post.
