Changes

The following gives a step by step process for corking and caging with a non-champagne floor corker. For a more detailed description with pictures, see [http://horscategoriebrewing.blogspot.com/2013/11/corking-your-homebrew.html Dave Janssen's blog post about corking]. The more common floor corkers work by both compressing the cork and pushing it into the bottle with the movement of the arm. In order to leave the cork partly exposed, and to control the exposed cork level, place a standard carboy bung on the rod which pushes the cork. This positioning can be adjusted as needed. Push the cork into the bottle until you reach the bung, then bring the arm all the way up. Remove the bung and lower the spring-loaded pedestal holding the bottle. Then, while holding the bottle with one hand, lower the corking arm completely and bring the bottle down, letting the cork be pushed fully out of the compression section of the corker. Play around with cork depth to find the right amount for you for ease of removal based on your corks, bottles and carbonation levels. The amount of cork sticking out should be more than how it appears when it is caged, as the cork is vertically compressed or '"mushroomed' " during the caging process. See [[Corking#Mushrooming|Mushrooming]] below.

Inserting the cork too far into the bottle can result in a cork that is difficult to remove. It might be necessary to manually [[Corking#Mushrooming|"mushroom"]] the fork cork in order for the cage to fit. The below cork was inserted about 3-4mm too deep <ref>https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1920123874682484/?comment_id=1923456904349181&reply_comment_id=1923497444345127&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R9%22%7D Mitch Ermatinger. Milk The Funk Facebook group thread on cork depth. 12/18/2017.]</ref>:

"Mushrooming" is the actual or perceived compression of the top part of the cork that protrudes out of the bottle, and is often preferred for the aesthetic appearance. The Some of the practical benefits of mushrooming are debatable, as is the cause of mushrooming when no effort is made by the brewer to manually compress the top portion of the cork. Some people believe that this compression happens naturally after packaging over time and is due to high carbonation in the bottle pushing the cork out of the bottle, which is held in by the cage. However, in many cases this might be just an illusion of appearance and the cork may not actually be compressed at all, but just appears to be compressed by the cage due to the much thinner "leg" of the cork which is compressed by the lip of the bottle (see [http://www.notcot.com/images/2009/09/gatinoismain.jpg this image] for an example). Some people claim observe that manual mushrooming makes removing the cork easier (due to less cork being inside of the bottle) and allows for more "pop" noiseand less CO² to escape the bottle over time, while others say that mushrooming does not serve any functional purpose and is not necessaryas long as the corks used are able to be inserted at a proper depth and the cages fit. Some have noted that in order to insert some corks to a proper depth (see [[Corking#Cork_Depth|Cork Depth]]), manual mushrooming must be done so that the cage will fit. See [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1920123874682484/ this MTF thread] for more opinions from various brewers.

Actual mushrooming of the cork can be accomplished manually by hand, though be aware that flaws in the bottle may cause the neck to break, which would be a very dangerous situation if you are applying the downward force by hand. It can more easily and safely be applied with a bench capper. Put the cage on the cork and compress both with a bench capper. Hold the bench capper arm in place with your shoulder/armpit, leaving both hands free to orient and twist the cage. Special cage twisting tools are available, though pens such as sharpies or some interchangeable screwdrivers are about the right size. You could also use twist lock pliers if you have them around. There are also machines available that will semi-automate this process for commercial brewers.