Bottling for Competition...

[matthewgardner]

I have only bottled two out of about 50 batches of beer...I got a hook up on a keg set up early from my Pepsi employee brother. I am going to be bottling a couple of six packs for competitions. What's the best method to bottle - I usually keg everything via force carb, so I am kind of leery of using sugar. Is there a ratio to use to get enough beer for a six pack with priming sugar as opposed to putting a whole batch on sugar and then kegging what I have left.

This post is kind of rambling...a bit deep in the brews this evening...Cheers!

 

[Yooper]

I have only bottled two out of about 50 batches of beer...I got a hook up on a keg set up early from my Pepsi employee brother. I am going to be bottling a couple of six packs for competitions. What's the best method to bottle - I usually keg everything via force carb, so I am kind of leery of using sugar. Is there a ratio to use to get enough beer for a six pack with priming sugar as opposed to putting a whole batch on sugar and then kegging what I have left.

This post is kind of rambling...a bit deep in the brews this evening...Cheers!

Since you usually keg, why not bottle from the keg? That way you don't have to deal with any priming sugar at all. That's what I do.

 

[boo boo]

I use a beer gun to bottle from the keg. So easy.

 

[matthewgardner]

@Yooper - are you racking to a keg then bottling by using your faucets? I haven't had luck with keeping bottles carbed when I do that. I have bottled a couple when I come home for lunch when the local homebrew club meets, but they never really hold up as far as carbonation goes. A beer gun is a bit out of my price range.

I haven't heard good things about a those carb tablets either.

 

[Yooper]

@Yooper - are you racking to a keg then bottling by using your faucets? I haven't had luck with keeping bottles carbed when I do that. I have bottled a couple when I come home for lunch when the local homebrew club meets, but they never really hold up as far as carbonation goes. A beer gun is a bit out of my price range.

I haven't heard good things about a those carb tablets either.

No, but I HAVE done this: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun-24678/ and I've won competitions with beer bottled with that method!

I got a fancy beergun for Christmas, and I love it. But I haven't entered any competitions since I got it. My perception is that it's great, but the BMBF (Biermuncher Bottle Filler) method gave me beer that stayed carbed up and didn't have any oxidization issues as well so I can say that I haven't noticed a difference between careful bottling with the BMBF and the Beergun.

 

[matthewgardner]

As always - you're the best Yooper!

 

[BrewThruYou]

You'll get varying opinions...there's the racking cane in a picnic tap, bowie bottler if you have Perlicks, the blichmann and a counter pressure bottle filler.

 

[AmandaK]

I didn't have good luck with the BM Bottle Filler, so when I won a $100 GC to NB, I bought a Beer Gun. LOVE IT.

 

[PA49erFan21]

I just posted this in another thread earlier today. I also do the force carb method in my keg and I never use any priming sugar. Works everytime.

I just insert a 1/4" dia. hose inside the tap spout (or whichever size fits inside the spout), then fill a bottle or growler as needed. No need to remove the tap. Works pretty well, but I still get more head than I'd like. Then I just cap it and refrigerate it.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/keg-bottling-wrong-way-pics-317091/

 

[Darwin18]

I used the "We No Need No Stinking Beergun" with my picnic taps on my kegs and I've won numerous ribbons using this method. It is absolutely, absolutely critical that you are bottling on the foam. That way you reduce oxidation. Turn the PSI way down and fill the bottles slowly. Don't be afraid of spilling a bit of beer either.

Now that I upgraded to Perlicks, I'm probably going to invest in a Bowie Bottler o.

 

[KYB]

If I'm just bottling some for short term, I turn down the psi and hold the bottle to the tap and let it run down and fill real slow. I got a gold and bronze medals from bottles filled this way, months after filling. Otherwise ill use a beer gun. 1yr later and my big ris still has good carbonation from using the beer gun.

Oh I also tried the picnic tap cane filler method, more trouble than it was worth. I actually got more foam that way, I think due to the cane being so tall. Probably would have been better if I cut it down but saw no need to continue doing it that way.

 

[matthewgardner]

I have perlicks - I will investigate the Bowie Bottler.

 

[Zamial]

Time to fess up I guess...

I use a super cheap super simple method of a beer gun/We don't need no stinking beer gun.

It is a 6 inch piece of 1/2" silicon tubing, a nylon (I think) 1/2 hose barb to 3/8 hose barb, a 3 foot peice of 3/8" silicon tubing to a chunk of SS flex tube (like on an immersion chiller) but a 3/8 racking cane cut would work just fine. I wish mine was a little longer. I have a universal bung for filling growlers and TAD bottles, under that is a #7 (I think...) drilled bung to fit into the bottles.

I put the hose over my tap (I have a Perlick but I bet this would work on pretty much any tap), Pour a pint of head through the wand. Then start to fill the bottles as it would be intuitive to do so. I have bottled hundreds of bottles with this an no infection or lack of carb issues detected. I do not even screw with the CO2 psi...

It takes a bit of getting used to but it works.