Green Flash Bottles for Belgian Golden Strong?

Hi everyone,

I've checked all over the forums for an answer, but think I need to just go ahead and ask. I know that BGSA-style beers, a la Duvel, need to be heavily carbonated (up to 4 volumes?). Does anyone have any experience with commercial domestic bottles that have worked for this style--in particular, the Green Flash bottles?

I have a couple of Belgian 750ml bottles, and those are hefty. But I don't want to buy bottles or have to pay for a bottle of Duvel just to refill it with a homebrew version. Long story short, I'm hoping to use the GF bottles. Anyone try this, or have a good alternative?

Thanks.

All of the swingtops I have are thicker glass than typical bottles, and would definitely hold 4.0 volumes.

If you are going to do alot of these, it might be worth getting a wine corker and start bottling these beers in corked wine bottles. I recently spent about 45 minutes at my local recycling center and came home with 32 clean wine bottles.

Good luck!

TopherM said:

All of the swingtops I have are thicker glass than typical bottles, and would definitely hold 4.0 volumes.

If you are going to do alot of these, it might be worth getting a wine corker and start bottling these beers in corked wine bottles. I recently spent about 45 minutes at my local recycling center and came home with 32 clean wine bottles.

Good luck!

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Wine bottles aren't designed to withstand pressure, definitely not the CO2 volumes OP is asking about.

Green Flash bottles definitely feel about, if not more, hefty than the 330ml Chimay bottles I have, so I would *assume* they'd also be able to carb up what you're looking for.

I've never (knock on wood) had any problems with using regular bottles for highly carbonated brews. I don't know that I've ever gone up to 4 volumes (I don't keep notes) but certainly 3.5 and maybe 3.75. But then again, others have obviously had issues with them or there wouldn't be so many recommending thicker glass.

I look at it this way, Victory's Golden Monkey, for example, is fairly highly carbonated as is Paulaner Hefeweizen and they both come packaged in regular bottles.

Mispoke...meant Champagne bottles!!

I recently bottled an American Trippel using GF bottles. Highly carbonated, no problems at all. Wing cappers are another story though. Small shoulders on the bottle...

hogwash said:

I've never (knock on wood) had any problems with using regular bottles for highly carbonated brews. I don't know that I've ever gone up to 4 volumes (I don't keep notes) but certainly 3.5 and maybe 3.75. But then again, others have obviously had issues with them or there wouldn't be so many recommending thicker glass.

I look at it this way, Victory's Golden Monkey, for example, is fairly highly carbonated as is Paulaner Hefeweizen and they both come packaged in regular bottles.

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Interesting. I get confused too, as there are all sorts of domestic Belgian-styles that seem to come in lighter bottles. Allagash, for instance, doesn't seem to have bottles that are necessarily stronger than Sierra Nevada, for instance. (Founders, for example, is a different story, however.) I also wonder about North Coast (Thelonious), Unibroue, and Ommegang.

I drink Belgians every now and then, and will definitely keep the bottles. But for now, I don't want to buy a case of bottles if I can at all help it.

You're welcome...

signmastr said:

I recently bottled an American Trippel using GF bottles. Highly carbonated, no problems at all. Wing cappers are another story though. Small shoulders on the bottle...

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Sorry, is this what you mean?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/warning-wing-capper-users-331052/

I've capped GF bottles before. Think it might cause problems for a beer with higher carbonation requirements?