Cork problems, shooting their load!!

[Turbotez]

Ok, bottles 4 gallons yesterday of various wurzels. Using the same corks as i have before (Favourite Quality high density ones from Blackheath market) but also used some high density ones from Harris (which i like very much!! ).

Now i've never had a single problem with these corks before but, less than an hour after bottling, i had a cork come out of a blackcurrant ribena :shock: and a leak on a cranberry and raspberry :cry: Then this morning woke and checked (well i was looking for the tape measure :geek: ) and a cork came out of another cranberry and raspberry :? (as in a different one to the one that was leaking!).

All 3 of these were with the Fav Quality corks. All the wines had been degased and had Pot Sorb prior to clearing etc and they are kept in the cool area where clearing takes place :thumb:

Could this be a few shady corks??

Should i have dried the corks more prior to corking??

Im hoping that no more will fail but im worried!!!! :wha: :pray: :cry:

 

[Moley]

I use the same corks as you, and buy them from the same places. Touch wood, I have never had one pop.

They don't need soaking, mine just get a couple of minutes in a mild sulphite solution, then I shake off the excess.

Have you over-filled your bottles or is there still a gap of around a couple of cm between the cork and the wine. Are these previously corked or screw-necked bottles? I'm guessing the latter, where the cork will be a slightly looser fit.

 

[Turbotez]

im acctually leaving more space than i usually do, filling to the neck of the bottle.

I dont soak them for long, just put them in 250mls of water with a crushed CT, then shake off the access.

Im using screw top bottles but these are the same as i have previously used aswell.

 

[Samarith]

Do you have a vacuvin type system for vacumn sealing partly drunk bottles?

I found with my ginger wine that the corks where popping due to secondary fermentation. Its pretty easy to check by using the vacuvin, after a few pumps you'll see a mass of CO2 bubbles released.

 

[phoenix68]

Ive been using second hand screw cap wine bottles and just reusing the screw cap, use them once then chuck them away as I've got good source.
I've been using them mainly for bottle conditioning ale however I have made larger recently and I'm not impressed with the results it seems to be rather flat. I've been wondering if this is down to using second hand caps, there is no sign of leakage but it has played on my mind.
What are you thoughts on second hand screw caps please bear in mind this is the third beer Ive made so haven't got any real experience of my own.

Thanks for your help Graham.

 

[Moley]

What are your thoughts on second hand screw caps please bear in mind this is the third beer Ive made so haven't got any real experience of my own.

Well my first thought is that screw-topped wine bottles aren't intended as pressure vessels and are therefore totally unsuitable for beer.

Like you, I re-use screw tops once only, and even then I only re-use the type which have a plastic inner disc but not the ones with foiled cardboard inserts.

 

[babe10]

On this subject what would be the best (cheap) corker to use. I bought a hand corker at wilkinsons and had a dummy run with it but the cork wont go in i want to cork if giving a wine gift. Im gonna ask friend to save their screw tops for me. I have enough bottles at the mo.

 

[phoenix68]

Not sure what to do now it never occurred to me that you can't use wine bottles to store beer I've got a couple of hundred of these washed and saved obviously beer aside should I use corks in these rather than the old screw caps i think they are foil and card board lindeman's and wolf blass wines etc.
Can you buy new caps for these bottles corks or scrap them.
Ive got about 40 bottles of beer and 30 + bottles of wine stored in these disaster.
As for beer I suppose i need to buy kegs

Cheers for your help Graham..