C02 seems high for this style, can crown caps handle it?

[jivex5k]

Hey guys, I've searched around but can't find this info. I made my first Berliner Weisse, damn, 3.45 C02 volume is BCJP seems pretty damn high....Can standard brown glass beer bottles with crown caps handle this pressure?
I've never seen a berliner in a bottle without a cork and cap, I just have crowns.

[Gymrat]

The caps can handle more than your bottle can.

[BigPapaG]

Yeah, Gymrat's right...

I would be wary of the bottles before the caps.

Hopefully you are using heavy wall Belgian bottles or 750ml Champagne bottles for those...

Else, I wouldn't carbonate past 2.75 to 3.0 vCO2, which should be fine anyway...

Even that starts to approach the limit for long neck 12 ouncers... (IMHO)

YMMV of course based on the head retention capabilities of your specific creation.

[jivex5k]

Hmmm...I have standard brown 12 oz bottles....

[jivex5k]

I'm just gonna dial it down to 3 to be safe.

[Inkleg]

I went 3 with my Saison, no losses yet.

[jivex5k]

Good to hear, they'll be safe in a big cooler anyways so even if some do pop it won't be the end of the world.

[jimjohson]

can accumulated stress, from repeated usage, cause a bottle to fail under higher pressures?

[Gymrat]

can accumulated stress, from repeated usage, cause a bottle to fail under higher pressures?

I think when glass stresses it cracks. It has no flexability. So if you don't see stress fractures anywhere on the bottle I think it is good as new. But I am no expert. There is no scientific basis to my opinion whatsoever. In fact I don't even know why I typed it. But there you go.

[jivex5k]

All done. For better or worse I went for a 3.2 CO2 volume. Brand new bottles, first time I had to buy bottles lol. I gave my friend all my bottles when I stopped brewing for a while.



Got 42 bottles out of it, not bad, took one for QC of course. Tasting pretty damn awesome if you ask me.

[BigPapaG]

Looking good!

[swenocha]

FWIW, when I had questions, I asked my friendly neighborhood commercial sour brewmaster (nice to have him on the friend list). He said that "the 750mls we use are rated for 3.5 volumes," but he may have been drinking when he typed it, so I don't know how accurate it is. I've read elsewhere that standard bottles are rated for 4.0, which doesn't align with his bomber number (which should be higher), so I also don't know how accurate that number is. I have shied away from using standard bottles, opting for the bombers and heavier stock, such as Green Flash bottles, for my sours/bretts/etc. You're likely OK with your remedy of cutting the volume, IMHO. I'm probably going to start cork and cage soon... I don't have the corker, but said brewmaster has offered his corker for loan.

[jivex5k]

Well I'll keep you guys posted if anything explosive happens, with pictures of course haha.
Now time to pop a KBS for my reward and sink into the night.

[John Sand]

I can see why standard bottles might be rated higher than bombers. Even though they are thinner, they hold less, and may have a higher ratio of thickness to volume. Remember that as any vessel gets larger, area increases by the square, volume cubes. I also think that as the circumference gets smaller, there is less unsupported area. Though those two points may be the same.
Disclaimer: I am not an engineer. I didn't finish college. I never took physics. I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once though.

[jimjohson]

lol