Joewalla88
Well-Known Member
Is it possible to cork a beer by hand without a corker? I want to cork and cage my next batch of sour beer, but not sure if it's possible without buying more gear that I don't really want to invest in right now.
Corking?
- Thread starter Joewalla88
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Corkers compress the corks to allow them to enter the bottle neck. I don't see how you could do that without at least a hand corker (and that's going to get old in a hurry). I also don't think you can simply pound a Belgian style bottle cork into a bottle without something going quite wrong in the offing.
fwiw, some lhbs's loan or rent bench corkers...
Cheers!
fwiw, some lhbs's loan or rent bench corkers...
Cheers!
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Joewalla88
Well-Known Member
What about one of those double lever corkers?
imasickboy
Drinkasaurus extraordinarius
That will compress and insert your corks, but I have no knowledge regarding those corkers, and partial insertion for cork and cage.
If you're going to buy, get one of the Portuguese bench/floor corkers. I can confirm that they do beer corks well, at a cheap-for-a-floor-model price.
If you don't want to buy, borrow or rent a floor corker. Some near you has one, I promise. They're pretty common.
If you're going to buy, get one of the Portuguese bench/floor corkers. I can confirm that they do beer corks well, at a cheap-for-a-floor-model price.
If you don't want to buy, borrow or rent a floor corker. Some near you has one, I promise. They're pretty common.
Amadeo38
Well-Known Member
There are plastic corks (actually called champagne stoppers) that have a mushroom shape that you just push down in with your palm. Then cage. I’ve used them with champagne level carbonation and as long as your cage is secure you’re good to go. Now, when you remove the cage, all bets are off.
Plastic Champagne Stoppers, Bag of 50 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0068RP2YI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Plastic Champagne Stoppers, Bag of 50 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0068RP2YI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Joewalla88
Well-Known Member
If all else fails, I'll try this route. Though your all bets are off thing make me a little concerned.
I've used these corks/cages on carbonated wine. You can push them into a champagne bottle just fine.
What type of bottles are you planning on using?
Joewalla88
Well-Known Member
I'm just hoping to reuse some bottles I've been collecting. Rodenbach, dutchess, other random Belgian style beer bottles.
Amadeo38
Well-Known Member
I’m just saying that they may not hold as well as regular corks but the cage keeps them on there. Once you take the cage off, if the beer is at 5 volumes co2, it may pop out on its own so just keep it pointed safely. I doubt you’ll aim for carbonation that high. Mine was done with a sparkling mead.
mashpaddled
Well-Known Member
With the plastic corks you'll sometimes find bottles don't make a good seal, especially on some of the green 750s. For whatever reason there is some variance among the exact size of the mouth opening on those. Otherwise, they work fine but they aren't as air impermeable as wood or synthetic wood corks so you will get more oxidation over time. If you plan to drink them within a few years you'll be fine though.
If you have a wing capper that can cap 29mm caps you can insert a straight cork and cap over it like lambic and some saisons. Otherwise you can probably find somebody local to you who has a floor corker you could borrow. Some homebrew shops rent them out as well.
If you have a wing capper that can cap 29mm caps you can insert a straight cork and cap over it like lambic and some saisons. Otherwise you can probably find somebody local to you who has a floor corker you could borrow. Some homebrew shops rent them out as well.
I have the ubiquitous Portuguese floor corker - it won't do the Belgian (mushroom shaped) corks. Nor will it do champagne corks. A champagne corker is designed just for those bottles and I doubt you'll find a loaner, but maybe. My local LHBS does loan out their regular floor corker.
Regarding the hand corker, I wonder how that would work. Floor corkers work so well because they compress the cork to fit into the bottle. You wouldn't get that with a hand corker.
If all you're really looking to do is reuse these bottles try looking into different size crown caps. Not all cage-type bottles will take a cap, some will take a standard crown while others require a slightly larger version.
I cork and cage my 'special' beers that will be given as gifts or such or if I'm feeling fancy that day. In order to do it properly one must invest in the appropriate corker-capper. There is a funnel for the cork where it squeezes it into the neck of the bottle. The corks themselves are not mushroom shaped until they have been in the bottle, they look like really fat wine corks when they are fresh. The plastic ones will work, however, may not compress like cork and it sounds like you have random sized openings, so may not be as tight a fit in the wider mouths.
fwiw - I have had a kriek in bottle since spring 2013(brewed spring of 2012) with standard crown caps, they are holding up just fine and the kriek tastes better with each bottle i open
Joewalla88
Well-Known Member
Do the wing cappers work for the 29mm caps? I thought they didn't for some reason.
most wing cappers are 26mm, but they can be found with interchangeable heads
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPGJVYC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPGJVYC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
I have a wing capper (metal one) and I have the 29mm bell for it. I've used it on 29mm bottles, worked the same.
Joewalla88
Well-Known Member
Okay, so I bought a 29mm bell for my capper. I also read something about reversing the teeth? What's that mean?
imasickboy
Drinkasaurus extraordinarius
I'm not sure what you mean. Belgian and champagne corks are typically cylindrical when they go in the bottle, and get the mushroom shape after the part that's outside the bottle decompresses back to it's original size. And the Portuguese corker will do those.
Or are you talking about something completely different, that I'm not familiar with?
Haha, you're right, they aren't mushroom-shaped when they go into the bottle. But they are once it's in there, and because of that you won't get the bottle back out of the normal wine corker. The bottom plate of the corking head has a little hole on the wine corker that will catch the head of the cork when it expands, and that's the problem. I wish I would have bought the champagne corker in the first place!
imasickboy
Drinkasaurus extraordinarius
I do cork and cage Belgian bottles with my Portuguese. It's easy, though not as easy as when I do wine bottles. After you raise the handle, the iris opens, and you just need to pull the bottle downwards, and then out. They don't get stuck, but they are snug in there.
For $60-something, the Portuguese is definitely worth it's money as far as Belgian and wine bottle corking. The Colonna bench capper/corker, which I also own, is great for capping, but mediocre at corking.
For $60-something, the Portuguese is definitely worth it's money as far as Belgian and wine bottle corking. The Colonna bench capper/corker, which I also own, is great for capping, but mediocre at corking.
Hey all, I was wondering if the following corker could be used for cork and caging Belgian bottles:
https://www.morebeer.com/products/table-top-corker.html?site_id=9
It looks pretty similar to the Portuguese or Italian floor corkers I’ve seen others use on YouTube. Also, I’ve heard to use a #7 stopper to set the gap — is that the standard carboy bung or the drilled rubber one?
https://www.morebeer.com/products/table-top-corker.html?site_id=9
It looks pretty similar to the Portuguese or Italian floor corkers I’ve seen others use on YouTube. Also, I’ve heard to use a #7 stopper to set the gap — is that the standard carboy bung or the drilled rubber one?
imasickboy
Drinkasaurus extraordinarius
That's what I have, and yes, you can do Belgians with it. It's kind of big to be "tabletop", however. So if you buy it, expect something bigger than they lead you to believe.
I don't use a stopper for depth, I use the adjustable nut that's there for setting depth. Your choice, however. Either will work.
Awesome, thank you.
Had to make the jump to a corker since vendors are out of the cappable Belgian bottles.
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