Large format bottling

[blakelyc]

Hi folks:

I just put a Saison into primary yesterday, and I've decided that I'd like to put it into something larger that my usual 22oz bombers. I was looking into 750ml cork-finish bottles, which i might do if this were my normal thing, but I'd prefer not to buy it if I can find another good way to get larger bottlings. I have seen these 1-liter swing tops around. Are these things safe to bottle condition in? I see a lot of comments where people struggle to maintain carb levels with swing tops.

Thanks in advance,
-b

 

[Nateo]

You can buy green American champagne bottles for around $22/case. Those will take a normal crown, no corking needed. You just need a bench capper, as the twohanded deal won't work with them.

 

[pericles]

I wouldn't bottle carb or long-term condition anything in grolsch bottles, personally. Even if you do everything right, the rubber grommet will eventually dry out and crack and allow oxygen into the vessel, and CO2 out.

 

[thughes]

You can buy green American champagne bottles for around $22/case. Those will take a normal crown, no corking needed. You just need a bench capper, as the twohanded deal won't work with them.

Wing capper works fine with these, you just have to flip the metal plates around to the larger 750ml setting.

 

[amandabab]

I'll second the american champagne bottles and caps.
I have good luck with flip tops, others don't.

The problem with cork bottles is pressure will pop the corks.
When you make wine you spend a lot of effort stopping fermentation and degassing prior to corking.

 

[blakelyc]

Capping American champagne bottles should have occurred to me... isn't that what Dogfish Head does on most of their specialty brews? I also had the thought of using plastic champagne corks with the wire bales. It wouldn't look nearly as nice, though.

Anyways, I don't see the bottles for sale at either Northern Brewer or Midwest Supply.... do either of you have a source? I suppose I could buy a case of something cheap like Korbel and have a mimosa party.

Cheers!
-b

 

[amandabab]

i just scrounge the bottles when I find them.

if your willing to do bails, belgian bottles with bails always look nice

 

[smokinghole]

I wouldn't bottle carb or long-term condition anything in grolsch bottles, personally. Even if you do everything right, the rubber grommet will eventually dry out and crack and allow oxygen into the vessel, and CO2 out.

Personally I bottle condition and long term condition beers in grolsch bottles all the time. I have not had a dry gasket problem, and I have never had a carbonation issue due to the flip tops. I don't know what sort of bottles people are using that have issues but all my actual grolsch bottles work just fine. My guess is that he'll have this beer consumed by the end of summer. I have old ale that I packaged up April 2011 still relaxing in brown grolsch bottles.

 

[Nateo]

I bought two cases from Brewmaster's Warehouse recently. You need to order them somewhere with flatrate shipping. The shipping weight for two cases was 42lbs. They're green, but they're pretty opaque and I don't store my beer in bottles exposed to light anyway, so I'm not concerned about skunking.

Champagne is usually capped before it's riddled and disgorged, then they'll put corks in after dosage. Some Champagne makers just recap with a crown, though, so there's no concern crowns won't hold 5+ volumes.