Corking Belgian bottles with Portugese double-lever corker.

[corwin3083]

I have a lambic and a tripel that I'd like to put into Belgian bottles. I have the bottles, corks, cages, but I realized when I test-corked an empty bottle that my Portugese double-lever corker pushes the cork all the way into the bottle.

This is the type of corker I have: http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=1336

Now, IF I was to simply push the Belgian cork all the way into the bottle, and cage the bottles as well as I can, will the carbonation eventually push the cork up against the cage, sealing the bottle? Or is this a really stupid and dangerous idea?

 

[TNGabe]

Only danger will be when you have to use a corkscrew to open the bottles. I don't think normal carbonation will push the cork back up.

 

[corwin3083]

I planned to bottle with like 3 volumes of CO2. Would that be enough to push the cork up, do you think?

 

[TNGabe]

I planned to bottle with like 3 volumes of CO2. Would that be enough to push the cork up, do you think?

Not in my experience. I accidentally pushed the corks all the way in on a couple bottles carbed to 3.5 and they didn't pop back out.

 

[microbusbrewery]

I don't think the pressure will do much either. Can you seat it higher if you don't pull the levers/arms all the way? FWIW, I use the Colonna Capper/Corker and it works well.

 

[corwin3083]

I don't think the pressure will do much either. Can you seat it higher if you don't pull the levers/arms all the way? FWIW, I use the Colonna Capper/Corker and it works well.

No, the double lever corker really, really wants to push the cork all the way in.

However, it has come to my attention that a local friend has a floor corker that I can borrow, so the point appears to have become moot.