As long as you calculate bottle conditioning at about 2.1 or more atmospheres then I can't see you having a problem. Also, when I bottle I ALWAYS use conditioning yeast, I found that assures a good bottle condition and when it comes to the heavies... i.e. imperial stouts, heavy Belgians 10% or more, and barley wines, the corks pop pretty easily. On my stouts which are at about 2.3 atmosphere, the cork will rise considerably when partially twisted and then pop on the next twist.
No, actually I've not had any loss of carbonation when ive used this method. It's just as sealed as a commercial version. Just make sure that 50% of the cork is into the bottle. Ive had 30% of cork in with the rest out and they still compress well and seal well.
@@richardwheeler7821 Thank you so much for your reply. May I ask your another question?, Could you use a plastic cork stopper for carbonated beers? Due to the supply chain problems we are currently having a hard time with I'm planning to use regular Claret Bordeaux wine bottles instead of Belgian bottles I plan to change the normal wine cork for a champagne cork either wood or plastic, it's not the usual but seems suitable as champagne corks are rated for up to 7 Vols of CO2, and my beer only has 2.7 Vols of CO2.
@@rubenortiz6576 I don't know, I've not seen Belgian style synthetics yet but they may exist. I've had to cut down a LOT on brewing due to health but I would say a google search of Belgian synthetic corks would show if they're available or not. I've heard that the synthetics, as long as they've d been properly sanitized are much more long lived than standard cork.
@@rubenortiz6576 I'm not sure what you mean by plastic cork stopper. If you have a carbonated beverage the pressure on the cork will be based upon the atmospheres in the beer itself. A standard cork, synthetic or not, will most likely NOT hold a carbonated beverage for any length of time unless that carbonation is minimal, even then I'd not trust it which is why I've used cages.
Those are standard sized Belgian Corks, pretty thick!! Here's a link to the ones that I use. www.northernbrewer.com/products/belgian-beer-corks-100-count
@@richardwheeler7821 OK thanks. Do you know what kind of pressure they are good to? At what point would I need a Champagne cork. I'm thinking that as the pressure rises, eventually they would become leaky, otherwise the champagne houses would use the smaller cork? The other side of that question - is there a minimum pressure to pop out a champagne cork? Where does one stop being used and the other used? Thanks for your input. I'm new to natural cork in my cider and champagne and I'm still working out my method.
@@urbanevintner105 The pressure is entirely up to you, I think that generally champagne has a pressure of 3.2 atmospheres but I'd suggest looking it up. I use thicker bottles specifically designed for higher pressures. Cork and cage can last for decades if you're using a good Belgian cork although I wouldn't age that long. The cage is designed to hold the cork in so if you get a good seat on the cork the cage will hold it. I've had brews that are right around 2.4 atmospheres and the corks come right out with a little twist, so pressure doesn't have to be very strong. I tried making champagne and it failed miserably, I'll stick with Belgian and strong ales.
Excellent! Exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you for the video!... very helpful. Do you use Belgian corks on standard re-cycled wine bottles?
No, only when I'm using Belgian bottles and doing brews that use cork and cage. I use #8's on white wine bottles and #9's on reds.
How well does the cork come out when its time to drink? I have heard of various problems with being too tight.
As long as you calculate bottle conditioning at about 2.1 or more atmospheres then I can't see you having a problem. Also, when I bottle I ALWAYS use conditioning yeast, I found that assures a good bottle condition and when it comes to the heavies... i.e. imperial stouts, heavy Belgians 10% or more, and barley wines, the corks pop pretty easily. On my stouts which are at about 2.3 atmosphere, the cork will rise considerably when partially twisted and then pop on the next twist.
Excellent video, will beer lose carbonation using this method over time?
No, actually I've not had any loss of carbonation when ive used this method. It's just as sealed as a commercial version. Just make sure that 50% of the cork is into the bottle. Ive had 30% of cork in with the rest out and they still compress well and seal well.
@@richardwheeler7821 Thank you so much for your reply. May I ask your another question?, Could you use a plastic cork stopper for carbonated beers? Due to the supply chain problems we are currently having a hard time with I'm planning to use regular Claret Bordeaux wine bottles instead of Belgian bottles I plan to change the normal wine cork for a champagne cork either wood or plastic, it's not the usual but seems suitable as champagne corks are rated for up to 7 Vols of CO2, and my beer only has 2.7 Vols of CO2.
@@rubenortiz6576 I don't know, I've not seen Belgian style synthetics yet but they may exist. I've had to cut down a LOT on brewing due to health but I would say a google search of Belgian synthetic corks would show if they're available or not. I've heard that the synthetics, as long as they've d been properly sanitized are much more long lived than standard cork.
@@rubenortiz6576 I'm not sure what you mean by plastic cork stopper. If you have a carbonated beverage the pressure on the cork will be based upon the atmospheres in the beer itself. A standard cork, synthetic or not, will most likely NOT hold a carbonated beverage for any length of time unless that carbonation is minimal, even then I'd not trust it which is why I've used cages.
where u buy the corks? and cages?
For online my favourite is Northern Brewer!!! www.northernbrewer.com/ It's best for bulk supplies.
what size corks are you using?
Those are standard sized Belgian Corks, pretty thick!! Here's a link to the ones that I use. www.northernbrewer.com/products/belgian-beer-corks-100-count
@@richardwheeler7821 OK thanks. Do you know what kind of pressure they are good to? At what point would I need a Champagne cork. I'm thinking that as the pressure rises, eventually they would become leaky, otherwise the champagne houses would use the smaller cork? The other side of that question - is there a minimum pressure to pop out a champagne cork? Where does one stop being used and the other used? Thanks for your input. I'm new to natural cork in my cider and champagne and I'm still working out my method.
@@urbanevintner105 The pressure is entirely up to you, I think that generally champagne has a pressure of 3.2 atmospheres but I'd suggest looking it up. I use thicker bottles specifically designed for higher pressures. Cork and cage can last for decades if you're using a good Belgian cork although I wouldn't age that long. The cage is designed to hold the cork in so if you get a good seat on the cork the cage will hold it. I've had brews that are right around 2.4 atmospheres and the corks come right out with a little twist, so pressure doesn't have to be very strong. I tried making champagne and it failed miserably, I'll stick with Belgian and strong ales.