First ever homebrew contest

redarmy990 · Apr 11, 2018

Here is a picture of the beer I sent to the contest.
I defiantly lost carbonation somewhere.
As Qhrumphf says I think I need to over carb first to allow for losses during bottling.

seatazzz · Apr 11, 2018

Qhrumphf said:
You need to keep as much CO2 in suspension as possible. Purging first is good and necessary, but that's more oxidation than carb.

Invest in a proper bottle filler (Beer Gun, counter pressure filler, etc, or a diy variation). Long, narrow lines, narrow stem, keep everything cold, etc.

Carb slightly higher than normal (like 2.6-2.7 instead of 2.5 volumes) to account for loss. Keep things as cold as you can (near freezing), and/or lower head pressure on keg to minimize foaming. Purge bottle with CO2, fill from bottom until beer (not just foam, but actual beer) flows over from top. Remove filler. Purge headspace, moving down enough to cause enough surface disruption (just above liquid level) to cause foam up to/over mouth of bottle. Cap immediately. I've had hand bottled beers hold up carb/hold off signidicant oxidation, even stored warm for over a year, when bottled this way.

Fantastic, thanks. I've built a DIY bottle filler (from HBT of course) and will give it a practice shot with what I've got on tap before I bottle the entries. Wish me luck, I'll report back with results.

whovous · Apr 11, 2018

redarmy990 said:
Actually got my score sheets last night, got some really good feedback.
Iwill try to upload them, just wish Judges had better hand writing LOL

Did you get your scoresheets by mail or by email? I am still waiting for mine.

I entered two IIPAs - one was bottle carbed and I thought past its prime. The other was keg carbed and I thought it was clearly the better beer. Both were to style. The older bottle carbed beer was the one that got the ribbon. I expect the other one is going to get under-carbed comments as well. I used the "no stinking beer gun" method as well, but suspect I did not use it very well.

aprichman · Apr 11, 2018

I'd be interested in looking at the comments if you upload again. That's a nice looking beer. What's the recipe?

whovous · Apr 12, 2018

I got my comments. Otter Juice got 32 points and a third place ribbon. The judges (one a brewing professional and the other with no marked ranking) loved the aroma but felt the flavor did not match the aroma. Welcome to San Diego, the much fresher brew, got 24 points and was whacked pretty hard for oxidation by one and a "bitter metallic taste" by the other. They also commented that the bottle was not full. I think the latter beer was a better brew, but pretty clearly my first attempt at bottling from the keg was a dismal failure.

Oh well, I entered to learn, not to win, and learn I did. I need to figure out how to bottle from the keg.

BitterSweetBrews · Apr 17, 2018

seatazzz said:
So here's a question for all of you bottle-from-the-keg guys...how do you make sure the carb doesn't fade? I was thinking of taking off the disconnect from the carb line and blasting each bottle with some co2 before filling them...will that help? Granted I'll only have less than a week from bottling to judging, but I want to make sure the bottles are fully carbed. I know I'm not going to win anything, it's the comments I'm after, and I surely don't want to read "undercarbed for the style, flat, etc.". I haven't kegged it yet, should I just bottle carb them and hope for the best?

If I need something for a contest I will typically up the pressure on the keg a couple lbs a day before I bottle. I then purge the keg, purge the bottle (with CO2 from an extra CO2 tank), set the pressure on the keg to about 2-3lbs. I fill the bottles with a racking cane on a drilled cork that is stuck into a picnic tap. I counter pressure fill it till it overflows with beer. I remove the racking cane, add a little beer if the fill is short, purge the headspace with CO2 and cap it. I always purge the headspace with CO2 when I am filling bottles, even if they are bottle primed and will be bottle conditioned.