Entering a BJCP/AHA Competition...

[BassBabiesBeer]

And I'm looking for advice!

The NJ State Fair is coming up and there's a homebrew competition. I don't technically have time to brew/bottle a new batch, unless I brew by 7/2, and potentially rush the end of fermentation.

I'm not set up to bottle at the moment, but it wouldn't take much. Is there a way to pull from a keg and bottle (without serious $$) that won't go bad in a few days? The drop off deadline is the 13th and preliminary judging is the 26th.

Thanks

 

[Wayne1]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun.24678/

 

[BassBabiesBeer]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun.24678/

Great recommendation, will try to set this up as I have extra tubing, an extra racking cane, and a picnic tap.

 

[BrewMan13]

For serious competitions, I'm going to start doing the following. Immediately after kegging, pour the required number of bottles for the comp plus a couple extra to test along the way, then sprinkle a little priming sugar in each bottle (plus more yeast if it's a long aged one). It's just too much of a pain to get it right the other way IMO.

 

[seatazzz]

I built myself a BMBF last year, and love it. And I can attest that if you have a good capper, you won't lose carbonation. I bottled a few of my lager on August 10, that didn't get judged for two weeks; dunno if they were refrigerated, probably were. Both judges gave my lager top marks for nice carbonation and head retention.

 

[Jag75]

OP- just insert a piece of tubing into the faucet . Make sure it's long enough to reach the bottom of your bottle. Put bottles in fridge for a bit , release pressure on your keg and fill er up. I saw that on youtube and cant believe how good it worked .

I did make the one that was linked by Wayne. It does work but you got to pay attention or else you'll be spending time cleaning your walls and ceiling lol

 

[BassBabiesBeer]

I built myself a BMBF last year, and love it. And I can attest that if you have a good capper, you won't lose carbonation. I bottled a few of my lager on August 10, that didn't get judged for two weeks; dunno if they were refrigerated, probably were. Both judges gave my lager top marks for nice carbonation and head retention.

BMBF?

 

[BassBabiesBeer]

For serious competitions, I'm going to start doing the following. Immediately after kegging, pour the required number of bottles for the comp plus a couple extra to test along the way, then sprinkle a little priming sugar in each bottle (plus more yeast if it's a long aged one). It's just too much of a pain to get it right the other way IMO.

I'm going to hold off on this competition. I'm more curious how they'd score vs looking to medal. Honestly would rather drink what's left of my saison than have it judged.

 

[jturman35]

I learned a valuable lesson when it comes to bottling from the keg. According too not one but two Master BJCP judges about 80% of beer bottled from the keg using a beer gun is under carbonated. Carbonation plays such a huge roll in lifting aroma and mouthfeel.

When you do decide to bottle and if you do decide to bottle from the keg turn up the psi considerably a day or two before hand. Maybe others can chime in on their process but I thought it was interesting how many beers are under carbonated. Makes me seriously consider going back to bottle conditioning comp beers!

 

[BassBabiesBeer]

I learned a valuable lesson when it comes to bottling from the keg. According too not one but two Master BJCP judges about 80% of beer bottled from the keg using a beer gun is under carbonated. Carbonation plays such a huge roll in lifting aroma and mouthfeel.

When you do decide to bottle and if you do decide to bottle from the keg turn up the psi considerably a day or two before hand. Maybe others can chime in on their process but I thought it was interesting how many beers are under carbonated. Makes me seriously consider going back to bottle conditioning comp beers!

I have no intention of using a gun but the first reply in this thread goes to another thread that is very specific and outlines the process and is tried and true. I may try it but it would be easy enough to get bigger carboys (or those 7.9 gal conicals) and brew enough for a keg plus bottles - I've had a lot of experience bottling from an ale pale and it would be cheap and effective.

 

[jturman35]

I don’t see anyway to flush with co2 using the method you mentioned above which in my opinion gives the beer gun the upper hand. To each their own.

I mainly wanted to point out the under carbonation issue when entering comps.

 

[whovous]

I learned a valuable lesson when it comes to bottling from the keg. According too not one but two Master BJCP judges about 80% of beer bottled from the keg using a beer gun is under carbonated. Carbonation plays such a huge roll in lifting aroma and mouthfeel.

I am definitely part of that 80%. My latest entry barely missed the Best of Show table even though the judges reported it was only a few bubbles higher than flat. I thought it was fantastic from the keg when it was properly carbed, but I've gotta suspect being so flat is what kept me off of the table. This was my first try with a Last Straw beer gun. I probably should have practiced with it before using it for a competition.

 

[Amadeo38]

Low carb has been the single most consistent comment I’ve gotten on comp beers bottled from the keg using the linked method. As another poster alluded to, I cranked up the regulator to 15 for two days prior to bottling for the competition I just entered this weekend. We shall see how it does. Regarding the beer gun - if you’ve ever used a beer gun, you’ll know that doing all that work to fill three bottles is definitely not worth it. I use an mfl connector on my extra co2 regulator+tank from which I simply unscrew the QD and use the shutoff valve to blast some co2 into the bottle prior to filling for a flush.

 

[Qhrumphf]

The ultimate trick to maintaining carb in bottles with a beer gun is COLD. Like sub 32F cold (30-32 range, not cold enough to freeze the beer). Reduces foaming, keeps CO2 in solution. Purge bottle, fill, then a second purge of headspace lowering down to the surface of the beer to clear the headspace and foam it up, then cap on the foam.

I once bottled hundreds of cases with a beer gun this way. A *year* of *warm* storage and they were perfectly carbed, with minimal oxidation (surprisingly little).

 

[Qhrumphf]

And yes, can attest, with the increase of keg-filled bottles at comps (seems the majority of what I judge these days, at least to the level of educated guess than can be ascertained from a bottle inspection), undercarbed/flat beer is rampant, far moreso than overcarbed/gushing beers (though those haven't entirely gone away).

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

I have been bottling straight from my keezer taps using a growler filler tube. My entries have not been marked down for being undercarbonated. Freezing the empty bottles makes a big difference.

 

[Jag75]

I've filled from my taps using a tube and popped em open 2 to 3 weeks later and carbonation was fine.

 

[jmcquesten]

Or, have one of these machined that just inserts into the tap like a growler filler. Then you can come up like something like this and bottle from the tap being able to purge with co2, and counterpressure fill to eliminate foam. It's really nice bottling right from the tap, especially if your system is properly balanced. Then you don't have to do all the "release pressure, lower pressure, freeze bottles" stuff that kills the carbonation level when people bottle from kegs.

Probably not the easy solution OP wanted, but it works great.

Purging kegs and lowering the pressure is the most commonly suggested way to use most bottle fillers, but then people wonder why (at least according to this thread) that 80% of beers judged are undercarbonated. Probably has something to do releasing all the pressure that's required to keep the co2 IN solution.

 

[seatazzz]

BMBF?

BMBF=Biermuncher's Bottle Filler. Very easy to put together, with minimal effort and not a lot of $$. There's a sticky for it (We Don't Need No Stinking Beer Gun). Mine doubles as a picnic tap for my kegs when they go on field trips.