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Lambic Digest #0591
From postmaster at lance.colostate.edu Sun Apr 30 03:39:01 1995
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Date: Sun, 30 Apr 1995 00:30:15 -0600
From: lambic-request at lance.colostate.edu (subscription requests only - do not post here)
To: lambic at lance.colostate.edu
Subject: Lambic Digest #591 (April 30, 1995)
Lambic Digest #591 Sun 30 April 1995
Forum on Lambic Beers (and other Belgian beer styles)
Mike Sharp, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Re: Corking? Been there, done that, etc. (Todd Gierman)
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Date: Sat, 29 Apr 1995 13:06:55 -0500
From: tmg at galactose.mc.duke.edu (Todd Gierman)
Subject: Re: Corking? Been there, done that, etc.
True romantics ask about corking their p-lambics:
>In LD 589, Marc (Marhug at telecom.usu.edu) asks:
>
>> Do I need to fasten little wire dealies on top of all the corks? If
>> so what's a good way to do this? Seems to me last time I corked some
>> wine bottles those buggers were in there pretty tight. But I don't
>
>I would not trust a cork alone to contain a carbonated beverage. Might be okay
>at basement temps, but if they warmed up they would start to blow. If the
>bottles can take a crown cap, cork 'em then cap 'em. Otherwise, any place that
>sells winemaking supplies will have those wire baskets available.
>
>Which brings me to a related question: I have been corking a number of meads
>and ciders for a few years now, but have not done a beer. As I approach the
>date of my first lambic bottling I would love to honor that drink as I honor
>my meads. What I'm guessing is that the 'mushroom' type corks are indeed that
>shape before they go into the bottle. Where do you find those and how do you
>cork bottles with them ? I have an antique corker (bench style) that
>compresses the whole cork and slips it in the bottle. Works great, but I'm
>sure it won't work on those mushroom types. Special corker needed ? You tell
>me.
>
>Don't suggest the plastic mushrooms. Heresy.
>
>I suppose a possibility would be to get an extra long cork, and insert it
>2/3 of the way, then wire it.
>
>Any suggestions ? Cork heads unite !
>
>Cheers,
>
>Mitch (I love pulling a cork out of a lambic bottle)
>
Sorry, guys, unless you're set up with a special champagne corker (to the
tune of several hundred $) you are left to choose between crown caps on
American champagne bottles or plastic mushrooms with wire dealies. I
think that it is extremely difficult to even get the authentic champagne
corks and if you can it doesn't seem that you can get them into the bottle
with a mallet without damaging them. You can cork and then cap, but
regular wine bottle corks don't fit the neck of a champagne bottle properly
(sloping sides), and such corks offer little beyond the inconvenience of
needing a corkscrew in addtion to a bottle opener to enjoy your hard earned
p-lambic.
I resorted to both when bottling my two p-lambics. Where American
champagne bottles could be had, I used crown caps. Once the American
bottles were used up, I used the plastic stoppers and wire bales for the
few European bottles. Caution: the European splits do not work well with
the plastic stoppers, as the inner diameter can vary some. As a result,
some bottles cannot retain the CO2. The other drawback is that plastic
stoppers and wire bales cost about $0.10 each (that's $0.20 per bottle)
from a local supplier. If you are willing to buy several hundred, you can
do marginally better from a catalog supplier. The good news is that the
plastic stoppers are reusable; the bad news is that the bales are not.
Through the course of experience, I have come to prefer crown caps. They
are cheap, simple and quick (on and off). If you are determined to store
your p-lambics on their sides (as is the tradition), then you might stick a
cork in before capping. I have put a few on their sides, but they throw so
much sediment that I wonder how cleanly they will pour with that long
trail of sludge laying there.
Todd
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