Kegging and bottling sour with beer gun

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ruger988

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I started having inconsistencies bottling with priming sugar so I invested in a beer gun and haven't looked back. I've got a Russian River Consecration clone going that I obviously have a lot of time invested in and really don't want to ruin by overcarbing with priming sugar.

How much of a headache a I getting myself into by putting it in a keg, carbing it, and bottling with my beer gun? I'd love for it to continue to age and improve in the bottle but would it be in my best interest to campden bomb before moving to a keg or is that overkill?
 
Having not ever brewed my own sour beer I can't speak from experience. Having brewed for a while and just read Tonsmeire's "American Sours" the book's consensus was that if it was non porous like metal or glass, and you properly adhered to sanitizing instructions giving the equipment longer exposure times led to great success keeping things sanitary. Softer fittings, plastic and rubber were best kept separate. Luckily vinyl beer line isn't too expensive.
 
I started having inconsistencies bottling with priming sugar so I invested in a beer gun and haven't looked back. I've got a Russian River Consecration clone going that I obviously have a lot of time invested in and really don't want to ruin by overcarbing with priming sugar.

How much of a headache a I getting myself into by putting it in a keg, carbing it, and bottling with my beer gun? I'd love for it to continue to age and improve in the bottle but would it be in my best interest to campden bomb before moving to a keg or is that overkill?

I switched to CO2 ages ago. Didn't like priming sugar, and the inconsistencies that come with it. I reluctantly bought a Blichman beer gun last year due to the need to get kegs emptied and ready for the next batches, plus I wanted to start bottling my faves for tasting later. Love it! I try to solely bottle in flip top bottles as I find them way easier than capping. The only piece of advice I can give you when using the beer gun is freeze everything before bottling, the gun, the lines, the bottles and lids. Make sure the kegged beer is cold, and turn the keg pressure down, and bottle slowly, all this makes bottling less foamy. Also put all the bottles you plan to fill in a sink or tub/basin (I swiped a bussing bin from a local restaraunt through a friend) which works great. Keeps the overflow contained.

Good luck
 
What are you worried about/anticipating a headache with? I don't see a difference carbing with sugar or CO2, unless you're thinking the bottle conditioning is dependent on the priming/bottling sugar?
 
Thanks guys. Used the beer gun so I'm good with that process but good info for sure.

What are you worried about/anticipating a headache with? I don't see a difference carbing with sugar or CO2, unless you're thinking the bottle conditioning is dependent on the priming/bottling sugar?

I'm worried about putting the sour in one of my kegs, and hooking my fittings to it, and running it through my beer gun. I'm paranoid of infections coming from this beer, I've been too lucky so far.

I've had terrible inconsistency with priming sugar lately so trying to avoid that route, I really don't want to screw this batch up ad have a bunch of geysers.
 
Thanks guys. Used the beer gun so I'm good with that process but good info for sure.



I'm worried about putting the sour in one of my kegs, and hooking my fittings to it, and running it through my beer gun. I'm paranoid of infections coming from this beer, I've been too lucky so far.

I've had terrible inconsistency with priming sugar lately so trying to avoid that route, I really don't want to screw this batch up ad have a bunch of geysers.

I forgot to ask you what vol of carb are you shooting for? I'm not sure on the numbers, but I recall reading somewhere that after a certain vol, bottling with the gun gets way more tricky. As for the Russian River, if you get it bottled, I'll take one ;-)
 
Thanks guys. Used the beer gun so I'm good with that process but good info for sure.



I'm worried about putting the sour in one of my kegs, and hooking my fittings to it, and running it through my beer gun. I'm paranoid of infections coming from this beer, I've been too lucky so far.

I've had terrible inconsistency with priming sugar lately so trying to avoid that route, I really don't want to screw this batch up ad have a bunch of geysers.

Anything metal can be sanitized, anything rubber/plastic (o rings and beer line) should be dedicated sour-only.
 
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