[colinhayes]

So I plan on making a rather sparkling beer for my wedding in May, and I'm wanting to go for somewhere around 4.5 - 5 volumes of CO2.  Regular old brown bottles will surely explode at this pressure, and I don't really have the money for a corker, big bottles, cork, and cages.  So what are my options?  Anyone know any sources for thick, heavy bottles of a decent size that can just be capped?  As much as I'd love to go out and buy ~50 bottles of a good belgian of the same carbonation level I'm going for, I'm simply not a millionaire.

[morticaixavier]

champagne bottles (The american ones) will accept a crown cap usually. I will try to find a link to an online supplier that I have used in the past but also check your LHBS and the big online ones (Northern Brewer MoreBeer etc.)

**EDIT** This is not the supplier I have used but I think they have a pretty good rep. The bottles are green so you will have to keep them out of the stong light but...

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/750-ml-green-champagne-bottles-12-per-case.html

You could cover them with gold foil and they would be pretty and light safe.

[a10t2]

Will a standard crown cap stay on with 5 vol of CO2 pressure behind it?

[Joe Sr.]

You can use plastic "corks" and cages on champagne and Belgian bottles.

They are relatively cheap and can be pushed in with a block of wood if they are stubborn.

[oscarvan]

You want to shower in it?

[colinhayes]

Will a standard crown cap stay on with 5 vol of CO2 pressure behind it?

I reckon it would.  Orval has 5 volumes in it, and it's just capped.

[colinhayes]

champagne bottles (The american ones) will accept a crown cap usually.

Do they take the regular size cap or is it a larger size?

[colinhayes]

You can use plastic "corks" and cages on champagne and Belgian bottles.

They are relatively cheap and can be pushed in with a block of wood if they are stubborn.

If I could avoid needing a corker, I could go for this...  Do you have a link to some specific corks you've been able to shove in by hand?

[tschmidlin]

You can see if you can scrounge some champagne bottles at a schmancy club/restaurant in your area.  The money you save on bottles can go towards a decent corker.

[a10t2]

I reckon it would.  Orval has 5 volumes in it, and it's just capped.

Good to know. I wouldn't have guessed it was that high.

[Joe Sr.]

Do you have a link to some specific corks you've been able to shove in by hand?

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/plastic-champagne-stoppers-bag-of-12.html

I didn't get mine here, I got them at the LHBS but these are essentially the same thing.  You need the cage of course.

Also, there are variances in either the plastic corks or the opening of the bottles (or both) so some are tighter, some are looser.

I've found that in general, imported champagne bottles are the tightest and Belgian bottles are the loosest, but I can get all to seal just fine.  Sometimes I need to try a few corks to get one that fits.

As to the crown caps, I always thought you needed a larger crown cap than standard to fit a champagne bottle, but I may be mistaken.  Supposedly you can change out the center-piece of a capper to accommodate the larger caps.