Large Format Champagne bottles?

[smokinghole]

Anyone know of a place to buy large format champagne bottles? I want a few 1.5L bottles and a 3L maybe. I can find 3L wine bottles but not champagne. I searched Ebay but could only really find collector display bottles at $50 a pop.

The closest I came is the big ass bottle that Stone releases Arrogant Bastard with. http://baderbrewing.com/store/product.php?productid=22223&cat=328&page=1 I might buy a couple just for ****s and giggles.

 

[StMarcos]

No. But I'd like to know the same thing. Thinking I might call korbel or mumm. I'm looking for 6-9L....

 

[mikeysab]

You could just buy a bunch of mumms

 

[smokinghole]

I just emailed Calglass. They say they there is case size availability and bulk. So I emailed looking for minimum and bulk orders. Will let you know what I hear.

 

[smokinghole]

Calglass must not want any business. That's fine though if I ever really wanted to I found out who their bottle maker is for the large champagne bottles in Europe. There is really only one big champagne bottle manufacturer that I could find. Especially the big bottles.

Anyhow for the time being I got myself a used 3L bottle with a box for $25 shipped. After shopping around and looking at vendor prices for 3L still wine bottles at $20 I decided $25 with a wooden crate and free shipping was reasonable. Now to figure out what the hell I'm going to bottle in it!

 

[smokinghole]

So here's a little information update.

The large format champagne bottles are slightly different in the corking and caging department. The necks are considerably more thick than a standard bottle so regular wire hoods will not fit. I believe the wire hoods I have are for champagne/belgian beers and they don't fit. The bottle mouth is slightly larger as well. So while I use belgian beer corks in champagne bottles I don't think a belgian cork would give me a sufficient seal in this larger bottle mouth. For belgian beers I suspect standard champagne corks will be sufficient due to their size over a belgian cork. I am waiting to hear from a sales rep from St. Gobain whom is the manufacturer of most all large format bottles. Hopefully I can source some cages for this behemoth bottle.

 

[smokinghole]

Well I just procured a 6L bottle. It came with the cork and I might have to rescind my previous comment about the cork being a different size. Eitherway I can't wait to fill these.

When it comes to cages for these big bottles I will have to custom make a restraint cage of my own using safety wire. I have seen "artsy" prosecco bottles with string holding the cork in which would likely work just fine here too.

From left to right we have:
6L Methuselah
3L Jeroboam
1.5L Magnum
750mL
375mL

 

[lschiavo]

Those are cool. I should get some so I can cut back to one beer a day

 

[tennesseean_87]

For posterity's sake, you might get up early the first day the recycling man comes after New Year's. I got a bunch of 750mL and one 1.5L bottles last year. Some (probably the cheaper ones) actually take 26mm caps, just like (the not so cheap) Dom Perignon. You might be able to find a place that has them for parties at that time of year and get their empties.

 

[Cyclman]

Freakin' awesome!

Maybe bottle it with a 3Yo Wild Beer?!

 

[jungatheart]

I got several free at my small town recycling center. They'll gladly save them for you as you are doing
what they want you to do......Recycling.