I keg, don't bottle very often and am putting 3 beers into the Ohio state fair. I have a saison and blonde ready to go (5gal each) and am going to a IPA (possibly black IPA as well). I usually use my beer gun to bottle which has worked. I only have one keg. How can I maximize what I have with limited space? Any help would be great or I'll be bottling this weekend.
Bottling advice for competition
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kombat
Well-Known Member
It's not just you, Matty, I'm at a loss for how to answer, too. What does "maximizing space" have to do with bottling from a keg for competition?
jageraholic
Well-Known Member
I think because he only has one keg? Not sure how you'll get 3 batches bottled if you only own one keg unless you have a lot of empty bottles to fill with the bottling gun.
I SEE... The Homebrew entries are due May 17. He has no time to bottle condition anything. He wants advice on how to cycle through the force carb and bottling of these styles. I am not a keg guy, but I think that is what he means...
Borrow a couple kegs from a friend?
kombat
Well-Known Member
Chill the beer, then rack it to the keg. Purge with CO2, then "burst carb" (shake the keg for 5-10 minutes while applying 10-12 psi of CO2). Drop pressure back down to 5 psi and purge excess. Bottle the entire batch with your beer gun. Once the keg is empty, clean it, and repeat with the next batch.
Note that the beer has to be cold before starting.
If you're worried about overcarbing, and you've got time, instead of shaking the keg, you could just put it in the fridge under about 30 psi of CO2 for 24-36 hours (check it every few hours near the end to make sure you don't over-carb), then once the carb is where you want it, drop the pressure down to 5 psi, vent the keg, and bottle as described before. Repeat for the next batch.
Note that the beer has to be cold before starting.
If you're worried about overcarbing, and you've got time, instead of shaking the keg, you could just put it in the fridge under about 30 psi of CO2 for 24-36 hours (check it every few hours near the end to make sure you don't over-carb), then once the carb is where you want it, drop the pressure down to 5 psi, vent the keg, and bottle as described before. Repeat for the next batch.
SleepyCreekBrews
Well-Known Member
the Ohio state fair isn't until the end of July ...that's PLENTY of time for the beer to bottle carb & condition .
Auger
Well-Known Member
According to this page the fair is 6/4 and entries are due by 5/17.
http://ohiostatefair.com/homebrew/
Auger
Well-Known Member
If you're only working with one keg and can't beg/borrow/steal/purchase any more, this is pretty much your best bet.
SleepyCreekBrews
Well-Known Member
Ahh, the competition is evidently before the fair ...3 weeks would be the bare minimum for bottle carbonation/ conditioning .
Good luck whichever method you choose
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