Keeping carbonation from keg to bottles

[DrunkenCanuck]

Quick but pretty rookie question I am sure. I need to put some beer from my keg into bottles to enter into a competition, but it isn't keeping for more than a few days before losing carbonation. I force carbed the keg and bottled two bottles a few weeks ago into swivel top bottles and put them in the fridge. Poured one and the beer doesn't taste as good without any carbonation, it poured pretty well flat. Should I use some conditioning tablets after the bottles have settled out from pouring or go with some priming sugar? I need to submit two bottles for a competition which is next month, but I have 4 weeks before I need to have them submitted. Could I get away with just bottling them straight from the keg and hope that they keep for a week?

 

[Gadjobrinus]

Are you sure it was a matter of them losing carbonation once bottled - meaning, they were carbonated fine on day 1 in the bottle, but lost it after days 2, 3, etc.? I don't know why they'd lose carbonation if properly sealed, but they can easily lose carbonation during transfer if not under counterpressure. Have you tried this, counterpressure filling? Keeping cold as it transfers is also really important.

Do you know if you reached terminal gravity before force carbonating? The only reason I'm asking is uncertainty when it comes to bottle conditioning. My guess, and it's only a guess, is your best bet would be to naturally condition your bottles immediately - but that depends on where your beer actually is, in terms of its terminal gravity.

It's that, or counterpressure filling, would be my advice.

 

[desabat]

What do you use to bottle from the keg? What's your process?