Home Brew Supplies question

**derosa** · 4th January 10, 10:34 PM

So what are people using to cork their bottles? I'm a very light drinker looking to make mead and like the idea that the last few bottle might be around for a number of years. My reading suggests using synthetic corks for the long term but that synthetic can only be installed with a floor corker. Are there any other options?

**Madadh** · 4th January 10, 11:17 PM

I use the EZ top litre bottles. They have a ceramic cork with a rubber seal. I use them for both my beer and my mead.

**Kilted Jeeper** · 5th January 10, 06:11 AM

Originally Posted by 91tbrick

So what are people using to cork their bottles? I'm a very light drinker looking to make mead and like the idea that the last few bottle might be around for a number of years. My reading suggests using synthetic corks for the long term but that synthetic can only be installed with a floor corker. Are there any other options?

I 2nd the EZ top bottles. I don't use them myself, but have been told repeatedly I need to switch. Since you are in Rochester I know for sure you can get them at Sunset Hydroponics & Homebrewing as well as Beers of the World.

**jkane** · 5th January 10, 10:14 AM

First, I apologize for the big math mistake in my above post! Brain failed miserably.

It was 100 ml of bourbon per gallon, not 1 ounce. Not sure what I was thinking. That is like 3.5 ounces. I edited it so it's right now.

Use what ever cork you like. Yes, mead does not need/want to "breath" like wine does. That is the theory anyhow. It will age slower with synthetic, but it will be very hard to tell unless you are waiting 30-50 years to sample! Are you that slow of a drinker?

The flip tops with rubber seals are a great idea. The don't breath much, and are great of mead. You can also use regular beer bottles and just cap them for an airtight seal. If you want bigger bottles, look for the bigger brown beer bottles.

I also keg most of what I make. Keeping the top covered with CO2 or Nitrogen is good long term. But that is only a couple of years.

I use mostly cork corks. I have no complaints about them. They do get that "woody" oxidation flavor after 5 years or so. I have not had synthetic corks for more than a couple of years, so I can't say if they will not really turn out the same.

BTW: I picked up a floor corker at a local brew store clearance sale many years ago. It was the floor model, and I got it for like $60. It has worked flawlessly for me through about 1500 bottles of mead and wine. Keep your eyes open for used ones. They are nice.

**lethearen** · 5th January 10, 03:35 PM

I used to brew my own mead, and would go to Homebrew Headquarters to get my stuff. But to be honest, I only went there because it's local and I don't have to wait/pay for shipping ;) Labels I tended to get from 4th & Vine because they had a good selection for many occasions.

As for bottling it, I've used cork capped with wax, cork capped with foil, corks with no cap, plastic champagne corks, O2 absorbing beer bottle corks, and Grolsch-style flip-top bottles. Of the lot, the Grolsch-style (same as EZ tops maybe?) is the most versatile. They come in lots of sizes, seal tightly so you can store as long as you need, and can easily be recapped if you don't finish a bottle in a night. They might be a little more expensive up front, but as long as you can reuse them it's not that bad. Oh, and they don't require any special corking/capping equipment

Floor corkers are expensive, so I had a hand-held jobbie with natural cork. Let me tell you that was a pain in the patookis. Using beer bottles with the O2 caps is a lot easier (though requires it's own capper tool), and gives you convenient sizes.

I'd like to get into homebrewing beer, but that's a hobby I'm going to have to keep on the back burner for a while. I'll just live vicariously through y'all