FotHB XVIII: In Memory of @aharri1 [RIP]

[Dgallo]

@Dgallo - I would like to eventually get in one of these FotHB. Like you I brew about once every 2 months. I always keg my brews so any bottling would be done after the fact. Care to share secrets on keeping those bottled homebrews from going flat over long periods of time? Do you bottle from keg or do you bottle a few at the same time you are kegging?

I use one of these and bottle right from the tap. You just need to have forward sealing taps. If you don’t have them already get ones with flow control, makes your life so much easier.

https://shop.greatfermentations.com...MI_puj6r_ggwMVVVtHAR0a2QLnEAAYASAAEgJRjvD_BwE

 

[3 Dawg Night]

@agentbud Jump in here!

Thread 'FotHB XIX: Legal to Drink in Canada' FotHB XIX: Legal to Drink in Canada

 

[RCope]

Holy Porch Bomb Batman! @fourfarthing outdid himself…I know what I’m drinking for the next few weeks. I think he overcompensated after his brewery was briefly overtaken by a rogue saison yeast! Cheers!

 

[fourfarthing]

Holy Porch Bomb Batman! @fourfarthing outdid himself…I know what I’m drinking for the next few weeks. I think he overcompensated after his brewery was briefly overtaken by a rogue saison yeast! Cheers!View attachment 839590

I need to point out that there is a label in the middle unlike the rest. That is a barleywine that I received from @aharri1 in our last trade. Had to share it given the name of this one.

Enjoy sir.

 

[agentbud]

I use one of these and bottle right from the tap. You just need to have forward sealing taps. If you don’t have them already get ones with flow control, makes your life so much easier.

https://shop.greatfermentations.com...MI_puj6r_ggwMVVVtHAR0a2QLnEAAYASAAEgJRjvD_BwE

When filling bottles from keg with one of these, how long are you finding that your bottled beers stay carbonated and fresh? NEIPAs vs Stouts?

 

[Dgallo]

When filling bottles from keg with one of these, how long are you finding that your bottled beers stay carbonated and fresh? NEIPAs vs Stouts?

At least a few years for carbonation. Fresh? If stored cold I’ve bottled IPAs off kegs where the comp was a few months away, kept them cold, and had to ship them and have had no mention of age or lack of brightness/aroma. Stouts, even longer. I kegged my barrel aged stout first and then bottled off the tap cooler for cellaring (to dial in the carbonation). The bottles have been stored about 60*f since this past July and are fine. I’ll be drinking one during one of the games tonight

 

[agentbud]

duplicate - sorry

 

[BongoYodeler]

@Dgallo I've been thinking of getting a Tapcooler and will probably pull the trigger some time in the next few weeks. What kind of learning curve did you find until you could confidently bottle? I've watched a few youtube videos and it seems fairly straight forward.

 

[agentbud]

At least a few years for carbonation. Fresh? If stored cold I’ve bottled IPAs off kegs were the comp was a few months away, kept them cold, and had to ship them and have had no mention of age or lack of brightness/aroma. Stouts, even longer. I kegged my barrel aged stout first and then bottled off the tap cooler for cellaring (to dial in the carbonation). The bottles have been stored about 60*f since this past July and are fine. I’ll be drinking one during one of the games tonight

Thanks. I pour from keg using standard picnic taps that would not be compatible but I see they sell an adapter (QD, hose and valve) for the tapcooler that allows connecting directly to the keg. I may give that a try.

 

[Dgallo]

@Dgallo I've been thinking of getting a Tapcooler and will probably pull the trigger some time in the next few weeks. What kind of learning curve did you find until you could confidentially bottle? I've watched a few youtube videos and it seems fairly straight forward.

It’s as straight forward as it looks. Pretty much hook it up. Pressurize bottle. Open tap start releasing pressure until your flowing fairly quickly but without much if any foam, turn off tap when your full, slowly take bottle off and then just make sure the spigot is out of the beer before fitting the co2 button to Purge. Cap right away

 

[BongoYodeler]

It’s as straight forward as it looks. Pretty much hook it up. Pressurize bottle. Open tap start releasing pressure until your flowing fairly quickly but without much if any foam, turn off tap when your full, slowly take bottle off and then just make sure the spigot is out of the beer before fitting the co2 button to Purge. Cap right away

Thanks!!

 

[agentbud]

"... the co2 button..."

? Meaning just a last blast of CO2 in the headspace or does this mean something else?

 

[RCope]

@agentbud Not Dom, he can certainly answer for himself. If he is able to control the pressure/flow to the point there is no foam at all, then a short blast of CO2 into the headspace is prudent. I usually slowly remove the tap cooler tube after filling to the top (with a couple of centimeters of foam), then briefly open the tap to allow a bit more beer/foam at completion. This gives me enough "head" that I can cap on foam and still have only a centimeter or so of head space. If there is more or less than that, then that beer gets distributed to friends. I send the best bottles to this trade .

If I sent beers to a competition, I would make sure that I have the correct amount of headspace (for me, about a centimeter). If not enough, I worry about blow ups (never happened, yet), if too much, I worry about oxidation... There is a bit of timing, carb level experimentation, and trial and error with filling but it is still simple with the tap cooler. I'm on my second one.