Transferring from one bottle to another

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oregonskibum

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I have some beer in 750ml bottles that I would like to send into the NHC. The bottles were carbed in bottle using priming sugar. My question - is there a way to transfer to smaller format bottles without losing a lot of carbonation or introducing too much oxygen? I can purge the target bottles with CO2. But how much carbonation can I expect to lose in opening the bottle and in the transfer process? Is there any way to minimize or recoop that lost?

Cheers.
 
I don't know if there is a way to recoup lost co2, but there is a way to minimize the loss. You need to get the beer and the smaller bottles as cold as you can without freezing. The temp will help keep co2 in solution.
purge the new bottle, open the big bottle and carefully pour down the side. try not to leave a lot of head space. immediately cap.
 
You're planning to enter one of the most prestigious contest in the homebrewing world and you want to do WHAT? You think you can go from one bottle to another and actually you could do it in such a way that wouldn't run the risk of oxidyzing or infect your beer?

Why is it that people's common sense seem to shut down where the word contest comes in? When you enter a contest, you want to be entering the beer in the best state possible. There's really no easy way to move beer from one bottle to another that wouldn't perhaps risk oxydation. At the minimum you will screw the carbonation up.

Just how were you going to get the beer from one bottle to another? Even if you purged them, how are you actually going to move the beer from bottle a to bottle b without it being exposed for even a couple seconds?

And in the future, for every batch you bottle, bottle at least a sixer in plain, unmarked 12 ouncers, and set it aside, JUST for contests. that way come contest time you will have bottles that you can enter, without having to worry about stuff like this.

We get threads like this all the time, and I don't get why folks would even consider messing with something like this....The point of a contest is to enter your beer in it's best condition possible. Not to do something that could oxydize or infect your beer, just in the hopes that it will turn out "ok."

The point of entering contests is to be judged by experts and experts can and will pick up any flaws in your beer.

So really, you don't want to do something that could render your beer in less than stellar or pristine conditions.

There are a million contests, and most of them are on an annual basis...this won't be the only contest, nor will it be the only batch of beer you make...

It's funny. this is the only hobby I have come across where people would try something like this before submitting their heart and soul to a panel of judges.......I mean you don't hear a painter say, "I want to enter my canvas in a contest, the rules say it can be no bigger than 8 x 10, mine's 9 x 12, so I guess I need to get out an exacto blade and cut my painting down to size.

Talk about cutting corners. ;)

If it ain't gonna be perfect, then don't bother......Don't try to compromise...you would be surprised at what the judges can pick up on.
 
A simple 'no' would have sufficed. I realize my planning could have been better, but your novelette doesn't really add any value to this thread. In hindsight, I should of, would of, could of done a lot of things differently.

But thanks for the philoshopy lesson...
 
It's tricky, but it can be done. Gordon Strong talked about this in his book as well on the Brewing Network and Beersmith podcast. Get your bottled beer as close to 32 degrees as possible to start with. Get a 1 liter plastic bottle (I use the club soda bottles) and you'll also need a carbonator cap. Flush the 1 liter bottle with C02 and slowly pour the beer in at an angle. You'll lose some carbonation here which is why we need the carbonator cap. Connect your gas and fill the head space of the bottle through the carbonator cap and purge the air a few times. Set your PSI slightly higher than you want the final product and keep the gas connected till its done. Get the beer to 32 degrees and put a sanitized bottle in the freezer. There's two ways to do the next part. Slowly release the pressure from the plastic bottle. Flush the the glass bottle with C02 and slowly pour the beer in at a 45 degree angle. Again you'll lose a small amount of carbonation which is why we slightly over carbed the plastic bottle. The other option I like better is drill a small hole in the plastic bottle cap slightly smaller than your 3/16 beer line and insert the tube though the cap. Put the cap back on the plastic bottle and bottom fill the glass bottle slowly. Purge the head space with C02 and cap.

The procedure is a PITA, but it works. I'm sure you'll pick up a little O2 in the process, but if you get the beer real cold, purge bottles, and pour very slow it should be pretty minimal. That being said I would do this procedure a couple days before you ship them for judging.
 
I do this with pretty good results. If you don't know, BMBF=BierMuncher Bottle Filler.

bottle xfer.jpg
 
oregonskibum said:
A simple 'no' would have sufficed. I realize my planning could have been better, but your novelette doesn't really add any value to this thread. In hindsight, I should of, would of, could of done a lot of things differently.

But thanks for the philoshopy lesson...

Dido don't be an a$$
 
I do this with pretty good results. If you don't know, BMBF=BierMuncher Bottle Filler.
Where do you get the corks that fit a 750/1,000mL. bottle and still have room to drill 2 holes with transfer/CO2 tubes to be inserted? I thought of the same idea before I read this post, but did not think its possible to move beer from any small opening bottle or flip-top, and still have room in the cork for the 2 or 1 ports????
 
I had a slightly different "bottle to bottle" problem. I force carbed in a 2 liter PET bottle, and want to fill some 12 oz bottles for upcoming competitions. I tried the "get it cold and pour slowly" routine. It worked OK, but still had issues.
Last night I tried something different. I took a grey quick disconnect, took it apart and sanitized it and re-assembled it. Then took a 3 inch length of tubing and put it on the threads of the quick disconnect, and put a racking cane in the other end of the tubing. My thoughts were that the transfer would be better controlled and keep foaming to a minimum. To my surprise, it worked pretty well. Not nearly as much foaming loss during the transfer. I just have to wait and see what comes back on the judging sheets.
I do like the idea of the BMBF to transfer. I might have to see what I can come up with for 2 liter bottles.
 

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