Jump to content

Bottling temperature


detroitdistiller

Recommended Posts

what temp is everyone bottling? i have been going with the 60 F standard for gauging. however, with expansion on these hot summer days, i'm having some caps starting to push out a little bit. thinking about bottling hotter and adjusting volume accordingly. am i way off on this or does anyone have a better idea? using a volumetric filler.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had to find a different bottle to solve the problem we were having.

We do our QC check by weight. A 750ml bottle of 80pf product has a net weight of 712 grams, regardless of temperature. So we have a small scale that's good to 11 lbs or so, but also reads in grams. We weigh a batch of bottles, eight in our case, and write the weights on the bottles, then send them through the bottling line and weigh them again. The difference is the net weight.

Our first clue to a problem was that the variance in bottle tare weight was fairly large. Since the outside of the bottle is coming out of a precision mold, the difference in weight indicates a difference in internal volume, the heavier bottles having less space inside for the juice...and those were the bottles that blew their corks on hot days. We experimented with a few things, but heating the product prior to bottling was not one of them - clever, though. Our interim solution was sub-optimal. We referred to the mfgr's bottle drawing, which showed the fill height. We filled to that level, and although it might have been a few ml short, the remaining head space was sufficient to prevent product loss in the field.

Our new bottles share none of those qualities. The fill height is just at the bottom of the neck, and they can handle 115 F with no trouble.

Good luck,

Will

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We gauge and bottle at temperatures close to ambient. On hot days we make sure that the bottling tanks are around 80F so that condensation doesn't form on the bottles and cause labeling issues. When it is cold we bottle around 65F. You need to correct your wine gallons based on the correction factor in table 7 of the gauging manual if you gauge by volume. Prior to bottling you should weigh your containers and tare them out. For 750mls you weigh and tare 5 bottles. Fill the bottles and check the weight of the product based on the alcohol content you are bottling and reference table 5. You will need to multiply the weight per wine gallon by .990645 to equal the 5 bottles since 5 bottles equals .990645 wine gallons. Adjust the fill by adding or removing product until you get to the correct weight. Even the fill between the bottles and that will be your fill height.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had to find a different bottle to solve the problem we were having.

We do our QC check by weight. A 750ml bottle of 80pf product has a net weight of 712 grams, regardless of temperature. So we have a small scale that's good to 11 lbs or so, but also reads in grams. We weigh a batch of bottles, eight in our case, and write the weights on the bottles, then send them through the bottling line and weigh them again. The difference is the net weight.

Our first clue to a problem was that the variance in bottle tare weight was fairly large. Since the outside of the bottle is coming out of a precision mold, the difference in weight indicates a difference in internal volume, the heavier bottles having less space inside for the juice...and those were the bottles that blew their corks on hot days. We experimented with a few things, but heating the product prior to bottling was not one of them - clever, though. Our interim solution was sub-optimal. We referred to the mfgr's bottle drawing, which showed the fill height. We filled to that level, and although it might have been a few ml short, the remaining head space was sufficient to prevent product loss in the field.

Our new bottles share none of those qualities. The fill height is just at the bottom of the neck, and they can handle 115 F with no trouble.

Good luck,

Will

Are you sure you have the right size corks?? Sometimes even with the right fill height and you fill at 60F just the expansion of the alcohol putting pressure on the cork will cause it to rise. If the bottle is in the sun or seat of a car that is hot the contents will expand much more than you think it would. Coop

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you sure you have the right size corks?? Sometimes even with the right fill height and you fill at 60F just the expansion of the alcohol putting pressure on the cork will cause it to rise. If the bottle is in the sun or seat of a car that is hot the contents will expand much more than you think it would. Coop

we fill at ambient.

I think that DetroitDistiller's point was similar, that by raising the temperature during fill, the volume is greater, fills up higher in the neck, and thus should make a slight vacuum when returned to lower temperature. by contrast, if i bottle at 30F, not only do i make my bottles sweat (which makes a big problem for labels as Drew points-out), but I also add a larger column of dense air above the product, and when the product expands due to heat, that extra volume of air will put my closure at a disadvantage.

The more important thing to consider if you're using a volumetric filler, is that volume is temperature dependent, and volumetric fillers can deliver less product at the higher temperature (if they're volume delivery based), and they can also deliver more volume (if they're time/viscosity based). The only way to calibrate is by weight. Drew does a bulk check, but we prefer to do an individual bottle check.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes we bottle at ambiant or a bit lower, weigh each bottle. At our numbers it is just to easy to weigh. As will stated some look a bit fuller. We keep those for the shop. And as always it is good to have confermation on info. Thanks D.D for asking. Just a question: Does Cork for you all mean cork or synthetic T's? Do you have PVC capseals on these when they move?

3 more posts and I'm at 100. Then maybe I won't bother you all for a while? Just kidding.

Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We gauge and bottle at temperatures close to ambient. On hot days we make sure that the bottling tanks are around 80F so that condensation doesn't form on the bottles and cause labeling issues. When it is cold we bottle around 65F. You need to correct your wine gallons based on the correction factor in table 7 of the gauging manual if you gauge by volume. Prior to bottling you should weigh your containers and tare them out. For 750mls you weigh and tare 5 bottles. Fill the bottles and check the weight of the product based on the alcohol content you are bottling and reference table 5. You will need to multiply the weight per wine gallon by .990645 to equal the 5 bottles since 5 bottles equals .990645 wine gallons. Adjust the fill by adding or removing product until you get to the correct weight. Even the fill between the bottles and that will be your fill height.

thanks everyone for your valuable input! i think we're going to try out drew's answer here. as i get older, my brain doesn't handle all the math as well as it used to but once i get a spreadsheet set up i won't have to do it again!

answers to the various questions:

i use synthetic Bar Tops. they are the correct size, but it seems with slight variation in glass and corks, some fit perfectly, some are a little tight, some are looser. we seal them with a self-adhesive strip over the top of the cork and down the neck. it's a bit more work, but looks sharp. i'm sure they don't hold as strongly as a shrink capsule would, but until i get a really nice looking capsule, i'm sticking with the extra work!

good luck all, and many thanks,

rifino

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...