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Muskoka bottles experience

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 4:09 pm
by spacegras
Hey,
I'm on my 3rd AG batch, a dunkelweizen, and I'm getting my bottles ready. I've been using primarily bottles from muskoka, 99% detour, the ones with the lawn chairs embossed in the neck.
They've worked great for my smash, which was about 2.5 vol if remember, and excellent for my way undercarbed bitter. But the style profile calls for 3.5.

I'm just wondering what your experiences have been with this bottle. I'm probably going to put 3 vol into this batch.
I may also be splitting the batch between the muskoka and erdinger bottles I've collected on my recent rampage through their brands.

I contacted muskoka, and got a reply asking for clarification on my intended use for the bottles but they never responded with any info.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as most info on the subject of co2 volumes is from an American view point and still isn't that clear or helpful.

Thanks,
Spacegras (Chris)

Re: Muskoka bottles experience

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 4:17 pm
by jeffsmith
Those bottles are pretty light. If it were me, I'd probably try to get something a bit heavier.

Re: Muskoka bottles experience

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 5:10 pm
by spacegras
Just out of curiosity, what volume would you feel comfortable with using those bottles?

Trying to find a safe guideline for bottling is very difficult. Most info, like I said is American, listing their ISB safe for 2.5 to 3 depending on the source.

Re: Muskoka bottles experience

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:25 pm
by jeffsmith
I'd bottle an American style beer in those with moderate carbonation, say 2.3 vols. Getting into things like Belgians and Hefes, I'd want something more like Garrison's 500ml bottles. Grolsch would be great as well.

Re: Muskoka bottles experience

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 10:29 pm
by spacegras
hey Jeff,
thanks for the reply. not sure if you're familiar with the Erdinger 500ml bottles for both the hefe and the dunkel, but do you think they would be good? They are a bottle conditioned beer, I believe they add lager yeast to the finished beer to bottle ferment/condition.
I brewed to make a 3 gallon batch, but I wound up with only about 2.5 into the fermenter .

Re: Muskoka bottles experience

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 10:36 pm
by CorneliusAlphonse
I've used em lots (well, tank house bottles from 2008, but should be the same) and never had an issue. Never purposely carbed anything above 2.5 in them, but did have an infection... Probably 48 gushers, none of them broke. Not sure I would purposely carb anything above 3 in them though.

Re: Muskoka bottles experience

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 10:46 pm
by spacegras
CorneliusAlphonse, Did you mean the Muskoka bottle? I think I'm going to try for the 3 vol in them, but I fear the bottle bombs!

Re: Muskoka bottles experience

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 10:53 pm
by CorneliusAlphonse
Ooooops. I was thinking mill street. I think they're a touch thicker. My bad

Re: Muskoka bottles experience

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 11:01 pm
by spacegras
haha, no prob

Re: Muskoka bottles experience

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 11:39 pm
by jeffsmith
spacegras wrote:hey Jeff,
thanks for the reply. not sure if you're familiar with the Erdinger 500ml bottles for both the hefe and the dunkel, but do you think they would be good? They are a bottle conditioned beer, I believe they add lager yeast to the finished beer to bottle ferment/condition.
I brewed to make a 3 gallon batch, but I wound up with only about 2.5 into the fermenter .
Erdinger bottles are very similar to the Garrison ones if memory serves. Should work great.

Re: Muskoka bottles experience

Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 8:45 am
by McGruff
I use Steam Whistle bottles. I usually go with 2.6 volumes, but have gone to 3 with a Belgian I brewed once. I weighed my older Steam Whistle bottles and they are heavier than the newer ones. I used detour bottles before and would agree that 3 volumes is too high.

Re: Muskoka bottles experience

Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 12:28 pm
by spacegras
It dawned on me this morning on my way to work that I had done a Brewhouse kit not too long ago that I bottled as directed.
The kit comes with a 200g packet of dextrose. In 5 gallons that would make 3.5 vol believe, so the muskoka seemed to survive no issues.
Brain dead sometimes

Re: Muskoka bottles experience

Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 6:19 pm
by spacegras
So from my notes I think I bottled the Muskoka bottles and Newfoundland Domestic bottles, as well as a few liter and 500 mill swing top bottles to 3.25. That's based on 5 gals at 20(68) highest temp post ferm complete using 200g of dextrose.
I think it's probably safe to aim for 3.5 vol, but I may just bottle at 3 to 3.25.
I just need to make sure I'm getting a more accurate reading of the amount of beer I'm bottling, the pale I have bottled now, I got half gallon more than I primed for and actually didn't notice till I was filling.