Keg to bottle, carb question

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by cheers2beers, Feb 27, 2016.

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  1. cheers2beers

    cheers2beers Initiate (0) Oct 23, 2005 Texas

    After 12 years of home brewing and making great beers over these years, I'm finally going to make a beer to enter into a homebrew competition. I've been kegging and stopped bottling for about 8 years.
    My question is, can I fill bottles to be judged from the keg (growler style) and expect the carbonation to be still relevant by judging day. Have to have these bottles turned in by may 13th, to be judged on may 22nd.

    Thanks for any and all advice
     
    #1 cheers2beers, Feb 27, 2016
  2. FeDUBBELFIST

    FeDUBBELFIST Pooh-Bah (1,765) Oct 31, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    You might consider getting a beer gun or The Last Straw bottle filler. Expensive (~$100), but they have their merits, especially if you plan on entering a lot of competitions. Google Blichman Beer Gun. There is a YouTube video floating around which shows the product in action.

    A less expensive option would be to intentionally overcarbonate your beer in the keg for a few days, then bleed the pressure right before bottling and slowly fill. The excess carbonation will leave the beer and fill the headspace and, if done correctly, should be close to how you would have intended to serve it. I don't know the math, but I would increase the PSI by 3 pounds or so.

    If you can, purge your bottles with co2 (the beer guns do this for you automatically) and also cap on foam. I would recommend doing a few early trials and see how the beer holds up for the amount of time between submission and judging.

    Good luck.
     
    #2 FeDUBBELFIST, Feb 27, 2016
  3. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    People have certainly won ribbons with bottles that were filled growler style, but it's not ideal. A Beer Gun or a counter pressure filler (CPF) would help you minimize oxygen intake. You can make your own CPF on the cheap. Here's an example...

    Personally, I use a Beer Gun.
     
    #3 VikeMan, Feb 27, 2016
  4. cheers2beers

    cheers2beers Initiate (0) Oct 23, 2005 Texas

    I heard of the beer gun but never really had a need for it. Just purchased one from Northern brewer, thx guys
     
    #4 cheers2beers, Feb 27, 2016
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