harebearva
Well-Known Member
TO start, I do not keg and I am not able to store a large number of bottles in the fridge all due to space constraints. Kinda sucks but that's the boat I'm in. I really like to brew for competitions so I'm looking for ways to minimize O2 exposure and maximize my freshness and flavor 'window of opportunity' for my bottled beers.
Currently I transfer from primary to a bottling bucket and batch prime then bottle using a bottling wand. I use O2 caps and store @ room temp. With this setup, when My beer hits it's peak flavor, I have about a month before I start to notice staling and oxidation issues. For now, I've been gauging my timing for competitions to try to hit that peak. Sometimes my schedule doesn't permit this. It would be nice if my peak lasted longer!
As I can't keg or cold store large amounts, I try to Chill the 2-3 competition beers once they hit their peak if it's going to be several weeks before I ship.
The other option I've been looking into is a closed loop racking setup using 2 better bottles. I would purge the one bottle with CO2 and rack my beer to that for bottling. They show the setup on the better bottle web site. Maybe a combination of both would work best.
I'm wondering if this will be a significant benefit in extended my flavor peak or if I'm splitting hairs. Anyone's experience or suggestions in this arena are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Hare
Currently I transfer from primary to a bottling bucket and batch prime then bottle using a bottling wand. I use O2 caps and store @ room temp. With this setup, when My beer hits it's peak flavor, I have about a month before I start to notice staling and oxidation issues. For now, I've been gauging my timing for competitions to try to hit that peak. Sometimes my schedule doesn't permit this. It would be nice if my peak lasted longer!
As I can't keg or cold store large amounts, I try to Chill the 2-3 competition beers once they hit their peak if it's going to be several weeks before I ship.
The other option I've been looking into is a closed loop racking setup using 2 better bottles. I would purge the one bottle with CO2 and rack my beer to that for bottling. They show the setup on the better bottle web site. Maybe a combination of both would work best.
I'm wondering if this will be a significant benefit in extended my flavor peak or if I'm splitting hairs. Anyone's experience or suggestions in this arena are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Hare