First Cage and Cork - Cork to tight to remove

[pcancila]

First cage and cork, did a Belgium strong ale, bottle conditioned for about 8 weeks and when i tried my first bottle i couldn't get the cork out. I ended up having to use a combination of a wine opener, hand towel and two arms two legs to pop the cork out. I thought i did everything right, cork was set at right height to get a good fit under the cage. I reused Belgium bottles previously enjoyed so only thing i can think of is corks are too big?????

Any tips for next time?

 

[Hermit]

How was the carb level? That is supposed to help push the cork out.

 

[pcancila]

Carb level was high, if anything i thought i carbed too much. Only thing i noticed compared to other cage and corks that i have had is the the cork was very dry. I feel like most corks that i have removed from Belgium bottles are a little wet of damp and slid out of the bottles. Maybe over time the corks will absorb moisture?

 

[JetSmooth]

Eight weeks? Totally not long enough. My golden strong ale is just now coming into it's own and I bottled it in October. I couldn't get the corks out the first few weeks. They don't exactly "pop" ou tlike champagne now, but I can work them out with a tea towel for grip.

Carb level should also be very high. What seems high after eight weeks will "settle" into the beer somewhat.

Most importantly, how's it taste?

 

[camiller]

Belgian corks should be about ~25mm, champagne corks are ~31mm. I suppose it is possible you have the wrong corks. If you have a un-used one measure it.

 

[pcancila]

measure it i will when i get home! it fit the cage good though from what i remember, but i will definitely measure

 

[surfingpl]

I am having the exact same issue right now. I just opened the first one tonight, I used a pair of channel locks to loosen the cork then it came out pretty easy, but no way it was gonna move without some real leverage. I used these corks from B3:

corks here

It's a rye saison, and it is carbed up nicely. It's only been in the bottles for 3 weeks, but I can't imagine it getting too much more carbonation? The beer tastes fantastic btw, maybe my best ever. I was thinking of giving these as gifts this holiday season, but I don't want people to have to use a wrench to open my beer.

 

[surfingpl]

btw I just measured the corks with a caliper and they are approx 25mm wide x 44mm long. They are definitely longer than the corks in the chimay bottles in the pantry.

 

[beeraroundtown]

Don't purchase Belgian corks from More Beer, twice now I've received total crap Belgian corks from them. Make sure they have "Ref" written on the side like the ones Northern Brewer sells. I've never had any problems with the "Ref" corks.

I know the exact problem you're having as I've used the same ones, they are a total pain to get out of the bottle and often don't seal correctly. I ended up having to just cut the top of the cork off then use a wine opener to pull the rest of the cork out.

I don't think it's a problem with the sizing, just the stiffness of the cork. You should write More Beer and tell them how crappy the corks are, they will refund you and hopefully change up their Belgian cork supplier.

 

[Cellarbrau]

Belgian corks should be about ~25mm, champagne corks are ~31mm. I suppose it is possible you have the wrong corks. If you have a un-used one measure it.

Champagne corks come in 26 and 29 mm sizes.

 

[neut2004]

I've had the same problem. I think this must be the nature of the beast. I wonder why our corks are slippery like the ones from commercial Belgians. I've had to use a grippy jar opener to get them off (or let a stronger friend work on them). I'm planning on giving some as a gift, and I'm going to include one of those grip things.

 

[surfingpl]

This is a bummer. I was actually going to buy the corks from Northern Brewer at first because I was ordering some other stuff from them, but they were sold out of the corks. I guess I will try opening another bottle in a couple weeks and see if it is any easier. I don't want to go through the trouble of designing and printing waterproof full color labels at this point unless the recipients of the beer will be able to open them without a tool.

Do you guys think storing them horizontally for a while will make things better, or worse?

 

[beeraroundtown]

no, it makes no difference. I store all mine on the side and those corks still don't work.

 

[surfingpl]

Greg from Morebeer got back to me and says he uses these corks all the time for his own brews, and has no problems with them. I will wait a little longer and hopefully the corks will come out easier. I will try to post an update in a few weeks.

 

[beeraroundtown]

Did you buy the corks in a 100 pack?

 

[surfingpl]

I only bought 50. I used most of them - probably 40 or so. I bottled a sparkling mead at the same time and used 12 for that.

 

[surfingpl]

Just an update - the corks are a little easier to get out now. Most of them will come out without any sort of tool. Just like so many things in homebrewing, time makes it better . Not sure why, the carbonation levels seem the same?

I would suggest if you going to use these corks and cages, you should plan a little more time for aging.

 

[LakesideBrewing]

I'm having the same problem and I don't think it's the corks. I used the Belgian corks from Northern Brewer with the 'ref' on them. I bottled a Saison with great carbonation, but the corks are real tough to get out. I need to cut the top off and use a cork screw. Not the fancy presentation I was hoping for.

I'm about to bottle another beer later next week and I don't want the same problem. Is it possible that I put the cork in too deep?

Thanks,
Mike