My guess would be that bottle conditioning would help with eliminating O2 impact, and I would think you could dial in a finer, more precise level of carbonation and mouthfeel perhaps as well.
Anyone enter the National homebrew competition yet?
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My guess would be that bottle conditioning would help with eliminating O2 impact, and I would think you could dial in a finer, more precise level of carbonation and mouthfeel perhaps as well.
I would say if you don't get an e-mail today, send an e-mail to the AHA to make sure your information/entry did not get lost in the shuffle. They said "by the 17th" so that is today. They are good about responding and getting back to you. Unless you got an e-mail that said - "sorry......" I would think they are still attempting to fill out comp. sites that had less participants.
richbrew99
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I never got an email but I logged in on the 10th from link in previous post and it said I was in the St Paul region. Got my brews entered and paid. Checked just after and website said I was unpaid. As of today still said unpaid. I emailed them but haven't gotten a reply yet. I'm sending in an orange blossom honey wheat and a berliner weisse.
Unless he's driving entries somewhere, it's going to be extremely tight to get them carbed, bottled, and shipped....
My IPA and IPA variants that have advanced to final round (and medalled in final round) were brewed 2+ months before the deadline. Then again, I bottle condition all my comp beers and at least like to have a taste before I ship.
But what do I know.
My location is drivable (I plan to judge there), but I'm shipping. FedEx Ground is basically the same as second day. So, effectively, I've got until March 7th. I've brewed all three in under two weeks before, honestly. I do force carb, though, so I can have it carbed in 15-20 minutes if needed (won't be in this case, though). I also keg hop, so I'll be getting the dry hop time in while carbing.
So, I'm not really that worried about getting them done in time. What's going to be strange for me is sending off entries to NHC where my Scotch ale isn't one of them.
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I get much better control on carbonation and way better head retention than when I try to bottle from the keg; not to mention getting rid of O2 which I believe is key since competition beers can sit around for a long time at storage conditions which are unknown to me.
Nope; rebrewed...
This.
FYI, for anyone else who hadn't heard back... I did finally hear back last night, 4 entries accepted to Philly.
Thanks for your guidance, everyone.
Thanks for your guidance, everyone.
Thanks for the info AZ IPA. Too late for this year, but might consider bottling next year as that would also help prevent contest beers from messing up my keg pipeline.
That's what the purge valve on the BeerGun is for.
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After the talk I saw at NHC a couple years ago about noticeably oxidized beers just a few weeks after bottling with the beergun, I'll stick with traditional bottle conditioning.
Plus, you can bottle 1/2 gallon at a time using different priming sugar amounts and see which one turns out best.
Growlers and mini-siphons are great equipment for this...
I seriously would wonder about their methods. Was that a presentation in Grand Rapids? I would have to look it up. With a beergun, I get much less contact with oxygen than traditional bottle conditioning.
Yeah, but I hate bottling with a passion. I bottled 5 gallons once a couple years ago, and after about a 6 pack, I was already regretting it.
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Yeah, it was an HSA presentation. But, even they're controls (which were bottled off kegs with a beer gun) showed similar signs of oxidation relatively quickly (quicker than I would've thought...)
Oh, no doubt. But with bottle conditioning you're also getting a bit of renewed fermentation to gobble up that little O2 (well, that's the theory at least).
That's why I do 1/2g at a time. That's only 5 beers.
The HSA presentation that I'm looking at was experimenting with intentionally injecting O2 into the same recipe at different points. No mention of oxidation from the bottling process.
Sure but with O2 absorbing caps, purging the bottles, and capping on foam, I'm not sure if I'm going to spend much time worrying about it.
That's why I do 1/2g at a time. That's only 5 beers.
Sure, but unless you're bottling over the space of days (which seems unlikely), that's just adding to the aggravation for me.
I use the beer gun method too..... and, I think to good effect - certainly not going to start bottle conditioning all my comp beers.
Once I win Ninkasi at NHC this summer I am going to come back and tell AZ IPA that the beer gun works just as well
......although, I think I will wait till then to make my case
Once I win Ninkasi at NHC this summer I am going to come back and tell AZ IPA that the beer gun works just as well
......although, I think I will wait till then to make my case
I use the beer gun method too..... and, I think to good effect - certainly not going to start bottle conditioning all my comp beers.
Once I win Ninkasi this summer I am going to come back and tell AZ IPA that the beer gun works just as well
......although, I think I will wait till then to make my case
Pretty sure you need to be on the Soper Tour to win Ninkasi these days.
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It came up in the discussions after the talk.....
IIRC, Palmer suggested it as a likely variable....
I use the beer gun method too..... and, I think to good effect - certainly not going to start bottle conditioning all my comp beers.
Once I win Ninkasi this summer I am going to come back and tell AZ IPA that the beer gun works just as well
......although, I think I will wait till then to make my case
Ha!
And, I sold my beer gun that I won since I didn't want, nor need it.
Troo!
Gonna miss that this year.
forestGeek
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I'm entering my Oatmeal Stout, Saison and American Wheat. The wheat is being bottle carbed and just went into the bottles Monday so I'm cutting it close too. Should be fine though. Good luck all!
It came up in the discussions after the talk.....
IIRC, Palmer suggested it as a likely variable....
Ha!
And, I sold my beer gun that I won since I didn't want, nor need it.
Troo!
Gonna miss that this year.
I have had no issues with my beer gun and bottling process. I have won and placed in a few local brewing completions here in SE Michigan with beers that have sat a couple of months after bottling with the beer gun. I think the key in the process is to make sure your sanitized bottles are at the same temperature as the beer you are bottling to ensure the CO2 stays in the beer. I also fill with the lowest pressure possible - usually around 1 to 2 psi to avoid any type of foaming.
BGBC
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Haven't seen any so far, but anyone else shipping to NYC?
bedwards1226
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Hail Mary here. Has anyone registered for more entries than they'll use? I totally spaced and missed the registration window. I need two entries and will pay for them. We can figure out logistics.
Thanks!
Thanks!
I don't think it works like that. Pretty sure you cannot enter beer under someone else name/entry.
You cannot. Verboten.
What I think he is asking is if someone is willing to part with 2 of their 5 entries to enter his two homebrews. He would send you the 4 bottles directly to said person to enter them under their name and list him as the assistant brewer
Yep - that is precisely what I understood, and I am 99% certain that this is precisely what you cannot do.
He has posted a couple times on the AHA forum asking the same thing and the threads get locked/deleted because it is against the rules.
Why not just enter 5 beers under my name and 5 more under my wife's name?
It doesn't work that way. The question has been asked on the AHA forum before and the thread was locked and the poster told it was against the rules. Which is what will happen to this OP's thread there also.
ah good point. Basically he may or may not have registered for 5 beers under his current AHA account and is trying to have someone pick up two additional beers of his and have that person send them in and list him as the "assistant" brewer?
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About the only way I could see it happening, would be how they transfer NHC ticket(s)....
But, I'd prefer they don't do things like that for the competition. They've made huge strides in making entry a much more flawless process; and it's still a ton of work on their part to coordinate all of the entries thru the ~12 judging centers.
But, I'd prefer they don't do things like that for the competition. They've made huge strides in making entry a much more flawless process; and it's still a ton of work on their part to coordinate all of the entries thru the ~12 judging centers.
Beyond the possibility of people entering additional beers under various other names, it would just be a logistical nightmare for the NHC to start transferring entries from one person to another. It is already a huge undertaking.
Bottom line is that the entry procedures are clear, easy to follow and allow for plenty of time. Whatever you sign up for is what you are obligated to enter/pay for. This discourages people from entering a bunch and then not sending them in - leaving unfilled spots. If you want in - sign up when you are suppose to. If you don't want 5 entries - don't ask for 5.
Bottom line is that the entry procedures are clear, easy to follow and allow for plenty of time. Whatever you sign up for is what you are obligated to enter/pay for. This discourages people from entering a bunch and then not sending them in - leaving unfilled spots. If you want in - sign up when you are suppose to. If you don't want 5 entries - don't ask for 5.
See Dennis Mitchell's post in the thread you linked (where he quotes the FAQ). That's exactly the reason they don't allow it.
Got a email back from AHA and they fit my entries in!. Somehow I was not activated, good thing I sent that email out when I did. Imperial Stout, Altbier and Czech premium ready to go, what a relief.
Glad they got you resolved the right way.
bedwards1226
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Yikes. Didn't realize I'd get the wrath of the homebrew community. I made an honest mistake in not registering on time. I have a couple beers I worked really hard on and wanted to enter. I'm absolutely not trying to game the system and enter more beers.
What did you expect? They told you on the AHA forum you couldn't do it, so you asked on here again to try and get away with it. Hopefully you can get in next year.
bedwards1226
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Honestly I wrote on here before I even checked to see if I had gotten any responses on the AHA forum.
Gotcha, lessons learned. Better luck to you next year, I am sure its frustrating after working so hard on your beers and not getting in.
Just enter your beers in an MCAB event; there is probably one going on soon.
There is also the Charlie Orr Memorial Cup that is coming up as well.
http://www.bossbeer.org/ChicagoCup/
Cytorunner
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Awesome, so glad you were able to get in. I can only speak for myself but I was a little frustrated with the registration process this year. I think a lot of aggravation and forum posts could have been avoided if there had been a way to check the status of our applications. For example once you registered you had an account on the competition site with the message: Application recieved status Pending. This would have answered my concern that I had screwed up my application or it had been lost. I tried emailing the AHA with my concerns but I recieved a canned message that didn't answer my question. I have no doubt that Janis, John and their staff are working extremely hard and will put on a great competition but I wish the communication had been a little better.
BGBC
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Anybody send beers to Indianapolis? First judging center to report back.
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