Bottle observation - size matters?

[Lizard]

Hello,

I'm a lazy bottler, and I use 1/2 gallon growlers and put any leftovers into 750ml wine bottles. Sanitized plastic screw caps with a little extra torque keeps them tight enough to build pressure. I have no problems with carbonation or pouring a head. I will be going to smaller bottles and crown caps, especially after this week's observations:

Last weekend, I opened a 750ml bottle of my last batch (Imperial Oatmeal Stout) and the entire glass (I like the BIG mason jars) was smooth, all the flavors and aromas were as they should be. This was after only 8 days in the bottle - I was pleasantly surprised.

However, I cracked open a growler and it foamed up so I knew carbonation occurred, but tasted too sweet, had a cloying aftertaste that the previous bottle did not.

My suspicion is that because the growler is 2-3 times the volume of the bottle, it needs more time to finish off the corn sugar?

I'll know more next week, but anyone have similar experiences?

 

[Stef1966]

I noticed the big bottles seem to take a longer time to finish too.

 

[Parker36]

You shouldn't be using wine bottles. They aren't made to hold pressure and can explode

 

[Revvy]

Yes. I have some pints, 22 oz bombers and other sizes that I often use, but since I enter contests I usually also do a sixer or two of standard 12 ouncers for entering. And inevitably the 12 ouncers are done at least a week faster than the larger bottles.

 

[maltMonkey]

My understanding is that growlers will leak CO2, regardless of how well you twist on the cap....

 

[Lizard]

I've never had a brown 1/2gallon growler explode in 2 years. Those clear 1-gallon ones do though.