Carbonation Drops

For NEIPAs or any hop centric beer, oxidation is a concern. If you bottle from a keg once it is fully carbed, you can fill it up to the brim with beer. If you are carbing in the bottle, you need to leave headspace in the bottle or you run the risk of bottle bombs from the additional pressure created during fermentation.

 

It takes some getting used to, but after you do a few, it gets easier. Just remember before you start, turn off the CO2, vent the keg, then turn the CO2 back on with just a few psi. Just enough to push the beer through the tubing. If you search the internet for homebrew counterpressure fillers, you will see some videos about how to do it.

 

Every batch I brew I bottle 6-10 for competitions and/or aging. I always use the carbonation drops and only once have I ever had an issue

 

I leave a normal amount of headspace. The issue that I had was that the first time I ever used them the beer didn't carbonate much at all. However, because the carb drops have worked every other time for me my suspicion is that I just didn't give them enough time. The beer I used them in was a 11% scotch ale and I was only able to give them about two weeks to try to carb. Often with higher abv beers it can take a month or more to carb properly

 

Carb drops work fine as well as a beer gun/counter-pressure filler.

 

room temp...the only way to carb without force carbing