# AHB Wiki: Bottling with Champagne Bottles



## peas_and_corn (14/5/07)

This is the discussion topic for article: Bottling with Champagne Bottles


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## marlow_coates (25/3/08)

Hey. A thread I am quite keen to learn more about but the article is fairly short.

Questions: 
Once the beer is put into the champagne bottle surely secondary fermentation would take place here? 
If hung upside down then eventually frozen to remove the yeast sediment with an eventual plan of doing another fermentation proccess, wouldn't removing the yeast disallow it?

I could have misunderstood and that is just the champagne style. Have you tried this with beer?

Cheers

Marlow


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## Thirsty Boy (26/3/08)

I was under the impression that the addition of fermentables to carbonate the bubbly happened before the riddling? The champagne being carbonatoed, crystal clear and yeast free after the riddling process was completed and the cork and cage added...

But I might have it arse about.

Gonna try the whole Mthode Champenoise thing on a beer one day .... when I find myself more than usually inundated with spare time.

TB


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## Effect (13/1/09)

Seems like a good idea.

From what I understood, it had fermented and all they needed to do was get the yeast out and chuck a new cork in....


In a year or so I might do a batch of BIG beer that I can bottle in champagne bottles for special occasions.

I wonder where I could get some champagne corks, cages + a corking instrument...?


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## marlow_coates (4/8/09)

So I finally brewed a big beer worthy of champagne bottling.
A Russian Imperial Stout. 9.2%. And I plan on keeping it for many a year, and having on special occasions.

Now I did not do the 'methode champenoise' method. Too much effort and equipment required.

I have used Tirage caps on champagne bottles before, and have been quite happy, but I understand that after several years the caps begin to rust, and if I want this in 20 years time, I needed something else.

So decided on plastic champagne stoppers, with a wire cage.
Banging the champagne stoppers in with a hammer wasn't too hard, but getting the wire cages on was a nightmare.
They seemed too small for the bell head and just wouldn't tighten around the glass rim that will hold them in place.
I ended up taking the shiny metal top piece out of the wire cage to get some extra length on the wire, and they just fit around with some carefully applied force. 
Not sure how this will go once carbed up, but interested to see (also a little nervous).

Advice for future corking, is to take a bottle into the homebrew store, and try to fit it all on there. It is important to get sizes right, and if I hadn't bought extras I would have ended up having to cap and wasting all the effort.

Anyone else tried this and had such troubles?

Marlow


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## barls (4/8/09)

ok guys i use these for my corked beers, unfortuately i havent been able to source them in oz atm.
http://morebeer.com/view_product/6632/1023...elgian_Corks_25
http://morebeer.com/view_product/6862/1023...e_Cork_Hoods_25
and these to put it in( this is avalable in oz from most places)
http://morebeer.com/view_product/19436/102...an_Floor_Corker
also there was a good article in byo a couple of months ago
http://www.byo.com/component/resource/arti...orking-belgians
heres the link to my efforts
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=12741


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## marlow_coates (4/8/09)

Cheers Barls, good links and info there.

I now see where I went wrong, as the wire cages I was sold are clearly meant for wine corks. Damn the guys at the LHBS store can give me the shits.

So I have undersized cages around my beautiful plastic corks, but I still reckon they will do the job.

The real cork does look amazing, but I am after the durability of plastic cork, thick glass bottle, and big beer.

Ordered more champagne corks, with actual champagne cages from iBrew today so will see how they go.

Cheers again

Marlow


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## barls (4/8/09)

the belgian corks are more durable than you think. the other thing that ive found is if you use a set of lock wire pliers it makes it a lot easier to do the cages.


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## barls (30/11/09)

now being carried by ross at craft brewer


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## aking (9/1/10)

do you need to store these flat like a wine to keep the cork moist and the seal intact or upright the way you would normally store beer ?

have been collecting some bubbly bottles over x-mas


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## O'Henry (10/1/10)

Murray of Murray's recommends their AA4 be "Stored upright in the dark. It would be best to be 22 to 28c...". It is corked in a champagne bottle.


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## superdave (10/1/10)

I picked one of these up from Craftbrewer (Ross), was about $45-50 from memory; much better than trying to use a hammer/capper to push the corks in. Not to mention with that method I could only get the corks half in so they got pushed out by the pressure.






And the finished product. So far 3 weeks and still holding back the pressure.


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## limebouquet (10/1/10)

Phillip said:


> Seems like a good idea.
> 
> From what I understood, it had fermented and all they needed to do was get the yeast out and chuck a new cork in....
> 
> ...


I used to make honey beer, soem batches came out very like champagne, it would bee suited.


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## dkaos (18/2/10)

Doing a special brew in a couple of dozen champagne bottles would be brilliant. Letting it age, hidden away in the dark under-stair area of the house... Only to be discovered a year later! Sounds like a plan. How do you go about obtaining the champagne bottles? I don't drink that much of it compared to brewski's.


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## katzke (18/2/10)

Clints Gadgets said:


> Doing a special brew in a couple of dozen champagne bottles would be brilliant. Letting it age, hidden away in the dark under-stair area of the house... Only to be discovered a year later! Sounds like a plan. How do you go about obtaining the champagne bottles? I don't drink that much of it compared to brewski's.



Anyone do a champagne brunch? Or talk to a caterer that does weddings, they should be willing to set you up with a few cases of empties.


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## alowen474 (18/2/10)

Our local winery, and others do a blanc de blanc and put a crown seal on the champers bottle. A bit larger than the normal crown, but would be easier than a cork.
Change the bell in your capper and away you go.


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## JayCharles (18/3/10)

Hi All, 

You could dip bottle top, with crwn seal attatched, into heated wax. This could protect the crown seal from rusting and also prevent oxygen from leaking under the seal into the beer. 

I do this even with standard bottles that I plan to age for more than 9 months. So far- so good.

Cheers


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## JonnyAnchovy (17/6/10)

Jay Charles said:


> Hi All,
> 
> You could dip bottle top, with crwn seal attatched, into heated wax. This could protect the crown seal from rusting and also prevent oxygen from leaking under the seal into the beer.
> 
> ...



I made a massive mess trying this recently. How do you do it, and what wax do you tend to use?


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## DJR (1/1/11)

Do champagne bottles work with the Belgian corks, or is it better to use normal crown seal bottles eg. real Belgians?

Is there a commercial supplier of suitable bottles?

The tirage crown seals are easier but the presentation of a bottle with cork is much better


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## JonnyAnchovy (1/1/11)

DJR said:


> ...real Belgians?
> 
> Is there a commercial supplier of suitable bottles?




I'd be keen in getting/splitting some if you cand find them....


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## barls (1/1/11)

yes they do mate.
as for a comercial supplier, could be interested for the right price.


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## DJR (1/1/11)

barls said:


> yes they do mate.
> as for a comercial supplier, could be interested for the right price.



Sweet - so they'll be in green champagne glass instead of brown but that is OK. At least if i'm handing out good stuff it'll look the part - will go round to local clubs/pubs and see how many i can get my hands on

Plasdene doesn't seem to have much besides the usual crown seals and punt bottles - nothing else seems like it takes any pressure. If only the bottles that they do Duvel in and Morebeer sell were available here... hint hint


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## barls (1/1/11)

http://www.cospak.com.au/products.asp?CatI...amp;GroupID=109
i like these personally
http://www.cospak.com.au/productdetails.asp?ProductID=10075
the only problem is the 800 bottle pallet


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## DJR (15/1/11)

Got 100x belgian corks and 100x wire cages from Morebeer which arrived the other day.

The standard Italian 2-levered corker fits these corks, e.g. the ones that Country Brewer or other LHBS sell. I tried it in the shop with a Duvel bottle which is about the narrowest neck you'd have to deal with and it worked fine. Was easy enough to stop just before the end of the leverage so it sticks out half an inch or so.

Have my Peated Tripel going at the moment, needs to finish primary ferment and be CC'd for a couple of days and then i'll bottle it in some corked bottles - now just need to find some champers bottles which i am canvassing local pubs/clubs for.


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## barls (15/1/11)

if you really need some give me a yell. ill dig some out of my collection


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## ledgenko (15/1/11)

I am not sure if anyone has tried reusing the resealable corks found on bottles such as those from pelican Point?? I am hopeful as my Parents seeme to drink alot of this particular champers and have many cases in their "cellar" which do not last all that long to be honest so I am collecting a few doz to try out... If anyone has given them a burl please let me know how you went ... I will be updating for sure  .... I feel a heavy "blackthing" oatmeal stout kinda thing coming on!!! maybe a 10 - 13% Belgium ale???


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## barls (15/1/11)

any chance of a pic of the closure on this one as its not one i know


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## Frank (15/1/11)

barls said:


> any chance of a pic of the closure on this one as its not one i know


This would be the SPK by Zork, link. 

Edit: fixed link (I think).


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## barls (15/1/11)

if its the zork one ive never used them have a couple left her but just never used them
btw link doesnt work for me


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## Frank (15/1/11)

Link should work now.
Otherwise go to YouTube and search 'How to SPK'.


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## barls (15/1/11)

interesting ive never seen this version, ive seen the still version.
could work. personally id still cork the way i do


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## stephenkentucky (26/3/11)

We are building a brew on premise in the New England soon we are intending using champagne bottles ( from Plasdene) with 29mm Tirage caps, we will be buying pallets of bottles so if you need some drop me an email our link is here http://www.eastviewestate.com/ check out the menu link to Dobsons brewery.
we wont be taking delivery until about Sept, but happy to help where possible.


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