Zen_Brew wrote:But what the hell are you supposed to do with a high carbed belgian? You risk blowing a regular bottle up. I'd think that wouldn't make the competition people to happy either.
That's a good point Zen. I somehow was in charge of cellaring over 1700 entries last year for various competitions and the only pattern I saw in broken bottles was poor packaging. I didn't see any particular style that would arrive broken. I can't speak with any authority about how much pressure a standard 12 ounce longneck will hold. I know that when I send my Belgian Golden Strong to a competition, it's at about 3.5 volumes and, possibly through luck, it's always made it there. I don't judge but someone who did could speak to how often they judge a highly carbonated Belgian in a longneck.
Aside from how a beer in a 375 wine bottle stands out on the competition table compared to longnecks, I have no problem with the container itself, just the cork and cage and it's resultant height and vulnerability. If they were capped, no problem. I could see myself using them just for the reason you mention. And they might give the impression that they contain better beer than a longneck. I know, I'm a competition whore.
Tasty
