Corking Belgians

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wtwerner

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I am getting ready to cork some Belgian bottles for the first time and I was wondering if anyone had any tips. I'm using the Colonna Capper/Corker, Belgian bottles, and Belgian corks topped with wire hoods. I was wondering how far I should get the cork into the neck of the bottle. Unfortunately, I don't have any Belgians on hand to measure for myself. Any other tips would be appreciated as well.

Thanks,
Tommy
 
The most recent BYO actually had an article about this. I don't have it with me but I might be able to scan it in and send it to you.
 
I can't take credit for this, from morebeer.com:

A long-time customer - John Francisco - told us a tip that he uses when corking his Belgian beers - put a #7 stopper (FE440) over the plunger rod of the corker so that only 1 3/4" of the rod is exposed. This will stop the cork from going into the bottle too far. A wire hood can then be fastened over the remaining 6/8" - 7/8" of cork sticking out of the bottle. We have tried this and it works great!
 
First off, practically everything I needed to know I learned from this guy. I only had to figure out my settings for repeatability.

I set the base plate here - 6 full slots up from the bottom. I marked it with tape to make it easier to put back after each bottle.
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Put your cork in and press to one index finger width or so (~1/2", your finger may vary)
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Pull the plate, push the cork and bottle through the funnel, attach wire hood, and voila!
DSCF3296.JPG


No trouble getting the wires on properly and the cork sticking out is comparable to the real Belgians I had sitting around. LOVE that Colonna Capper/Corker! :ban:
 
I just did a quick practice cork in an empty bottle. When the plunger pushed on the cork, it favored one side so it looks like it presses down that side more than the other. I was wondering if anyone has the same issue and does it matter once the cork expands after a while?

-Tommy
 
I just did a quick practice cork in an empty bottle. When the plunger pushed on the cork, it favored one side so it looks like it presses down that side more than the other. I was wondering if anyone has the same issue and does it matter once the cork expands after a while?

-Tommy

I noticed a little bit of this. You get a lot more if you push on the cork off center. Just make sure the cork is upright and centered on the plunger before you start pushing. The wire retainer covers up the lopsided-ness.

I just went downstairs and checked; the pusher post on my corker is not perfectly aligned with the bottom hole of the funnel. That is probably causing the issue. Not sure how to fix it though.
 
One thing I've been doing is once I take the bottom plate off I put the next cork above the previous one to push the corked bottle out of the press. Before I had to wiggle the bottle back and forth to get the remaining cork out of the funnel, this way it just pops right out and the next cork is set to go.

Great machine though.
 
One thing I've been doing is once I take the bottom plate off I put the next cork above the previous one to push the corked bottle out of the press. Before I had to wiggle the bottle back and forth to get the remaining cork out of the funnel, this way it just pops right out and the next cork is set to go.

Great machine though.


Now why didn't I think of that? :drunk:

That's a damn good idea.
 
From what I can tell you need a corker to do this, I do not have one, is there any way to cork bottles WITHOUT using a corker?
 
From what I can tell you need a corker to do this, I do not have one, is there any way to cork bottles WITHOUT using a corker?

You are not going to push a Belgian cork into a bottle without a GOOD corker. You might be able to push a #7 cork in by hand or with one of the el-cheapo $4-$7 corkers but a #9 would be darn near impossible and Belgian corks are even larger and need to be compressed significantly just to get them inserted.
 
You are not going to push a Belgian cork into a bottle without a GOOD corker. You might be able to push a #7 cork in by hand or with one of the el-cheapo $4-$7 corkers but a #9 would be darn near impossible and Belgian corks are even larger and need to be compressed significantly just to get them inserted.

So no chance I can do this with out the right tools, ok that is what I needed to know. Thanks!
 
Well I got them corked and they look great! I borrowed a corker from a buddy it is the style that squeezes the cork down to tiny and then you just hold pressure on the top while you push the lever down. I used black electrical tape to make a stop so that the cork would not go all the way into the bottle then added the wire tops! They look great now I just have to come up with a lebel for them and I think they are going to make awesome xmas gifts!!:mug:
 
Grats!! I broke down and bought a Fearri corker, corked my first batch of Belgians today as well. And you're right, they really do look awesome
 
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