[beersk]

The racking cane tube in the bottling wand works fine, until your Pilsner gets dinged in the second round of the NHC, 2010.  This year a Beergun fixed that. 
 

You're sure it was because of the beergun? 

Hamiltont it sounds like a lot of work just to cut a racking cane!  I don't have the torch...I'm pretty sure I have a hack saw laying around somewhere...

[hamiltont]

The racking cane tube in the bottling wand works fine, until your Pilsner gets dinged in the second round of the NHC, 2010.  This year a Beergun fixed that. 
 

You're sure it was because of the beergun? 

Hamiltont it sounds like a lot of work just to cut a racking cane!  I don't have the torch...I'm pretty sure I have a hack saw laying around somewhere...

Hey, just use what you have available. That's what I did.   

As far as the NHC goes. I'd have to say the beergun will not fix that. I used the method I mentioned above with good success... 

Cheers, and happy bresing!!!

[bo]

The racking cane tube in the bottling wand works fine, until your Pilsner gets dinged in the second round of the NHC, 2010.  This year a Beergun fixed that. 
 

You're sure it was because of the beergun? 

Hamiltont it sounds like a lot of work just to cut a racking cane!  I don't have the torch...I'm pretty sure I have a hack saw laying around somewhere...

Hey, just use what you have available. That's what I did.   

As far as the NHC goes. I'd have to say the beergun will not fix that. I used the method I mentioned above with good success... 

Cheers, and happy bresing!!!

I have to agree. The beergun won't make any difference.

[bluesman]

The beergun is one of my favorite gadgets to use...and it can make a difference in your beer quality.

[beersk]

I just had a thought...

What if you had an empty sanitized keg filled with CO2 and a picnic tap with a wand hooked up to that.  You could use that to flush the bottle with CO2 before you fill with with beer.  So essentially, you'd have 2 picnic taps with wands in them: one for flushing with CO2, the other for filling with a stopper under pressure.  

[bluesman]

I just had a thought...

What if you had an empty sanitized keg filled with CO2 and a picnic tap with a wand hooked up to that.  You could use that to flush the bottle with CO2 before you fill with with beer.  So essentially, you'd have 2 picnic taps with wands in them: one for flushing with CO2, the other for filling with a stopper under pressure.  

Sound idea there.

[bo]

I just had a thought...

What if you had an empty sanitized keg filled with CO2 and a picnic tap with a wand hooked up to that.  You could use that to flush the bottle with CO2 before you fill with with beer.  So essentially, you'd have 2 picnic taps with wands in them: one for flushing with CO2, the other for filling with a stopper under pressure.  

Sound idea there.

Or just put a T in your CO2 line along with a resealable QD. Or add an extra tap on your gas manifold.

[Pinski]

Can someone school me?

Since I have started kegging, I miss the ability to travel with or gift my beer.
Is there an easy way? Do I have to buy a gun?

What about filling growlers for travel?

Thanks in advance.

Clearly, you have options.

[hopfenundmalz]

The racking cane tube in the bottling wand works fine, until your Pilsner gets dinged in the second round of the NHC, 2010.  This year a Beergun fixed that. 
 

You're sure it was because of the beergun? 

Hamiltont it sounds like a lot of work just to cut a racking cane!  I don't have the torch...I'm pretty sure I have a hack saw laying around somewhere...

The flaw that the judges dinged was Diacetyl.  We had picked up none from the keg.  If there is any precursor and it gets exposed to O2, then you get Diacetyl ("Yeast" had a passege on this that jumped out when reading it).  The control bottle I drank when reading the score sheets had diacetyl. 

Now this years Pils may have had less precursor, and maybe the beer gun did not help it.  Last years Pils was a better Pils as the wife and I remember.  For competitions, you need to get the beer there in the best condition you can.  If you have the $ to spend, why not do it the best you can. If you have a good beer, why lose that goodness in bottling, or for that matter shipping.

[morticaixavier]

I always wonder when flushing with co2 is mentioned how much o2 you really get out of the bottle.

When I flush a keg it is full of sanitizer when I start out but with a bottle, unless you want to do the same thing, it is full of o2

If you could visualize the gases in that bottle color coded, Red for o2 and blue for co2, when you 'flushed' what you would see is the colors mixing to a nice purple. I imagine at some point, if you kept pumping in the co2 it would turn blueish but never blue as the gases would continue to swirl about and mix. I am sure you get alot of o2 out but you will never get it all. so youreduce the contact with o2 but you do not eliminate it. This would be true with a beer gun as well as a picnic tap, number 2 stopper setup so I guess it's not very helpful. I feel like without o2 absorbing caps or bottle refermentation you will never get rid of all the o2 in there.

[cheba420]

I dont bottle much. When I do, it is only a few at a time and usually 22's. I have a liquid qd that is hooked up to a length of beer line. When I bottle, I just slip the bottling wand into the line, drop pressure to 1-2, vent the keg and go. Cap on foam. Easy. No excessive foaming and the carb holds for up to several weeks if the bottles last that long. Some times I fill the bottles before I keg and prime them but when I need a couple of quick ones to go, I use the former process and it serves me well.

[beersk]

 

Now this years Pils may have had less precursor, and maybe the beer gun did not help it.  Last years Pils was a better Pils as the wife and I remember.  For competitions, you need to get the beer there in the best condition you can.  If you have the $ to spend, why not do it the best you can. If you have a good beer, why lose that goodness in bottling, or for that matter shipping.

Because there are cheaper and sufficient options.  It's like buying expensive beer instead of making your own

Last night I messed with it.  Had a keg filled with CO2, shot a couple bottles full of CO2 and set a sanitized cap on top of them, waiting to be bottled.  Then switched my picnic tap over to the keg to be bottled from.  Every couple seconds I'd hear the cap jump a little as the bottle burped CO2, it was kinda neat.
I think that's a plenty worthy and cheap alternative to spending a hundo on a beergun.  But hey, to each his own.  If you wanna spend the money, go for it.

[bo]

 

Now this years Pils may have had less precursor, and maybe the beer gun did not help it.  Last years Pils was a better Pils as the wife and I remember.  For competitions, you need to get the beer there in the best condition you can.  If you have the $ to spend, why not do it the best you can. If you have a good beer, why lose that goodness in bottling, or for that matter shipping.

Because there are cheaper and sufficient options.  It's like buying expensive beer instead of making your own

Last night I messed with it.  Had a keg filled with CO2, shot a couple bottles full of CO2 and set a sanitized cap on top of them, waiting to be bottled.  Then switched my picnic tap over to the keg to be bottled from.  Every couple seconds I'd hear the cap jump a little as the bottle burped CO2, it was kinda neat.
I think that's a plenty worthy and cheap alternative to spending a hundo on a beergun.  But hey, to each his own.  If you wanna spend the money, go for it.

You know you're a homebrewer when a burping bottle excites you.

[beersk]

Haha, good one.  

Anyway, so clearly we're divided here on the bottling from a keg method.  Oh well, I guess we'll all just have to go with what we're comfortable with.  I'm just saying that a beergun isn't the cheapest option.  I also feel like some of you guys are a little too paranoid (maybe for the better, who knows).

[bo]

Haha, good one.  

Anyway, so clearly we're divided here on the bottling from a keg method.  Oh well, I guess we'll all just have to go with what we're comfortable with.  I'm just saying that a beergun isn't the cheapest option.  I also feel like some of you guys are a little too paranoid (maybe for the better, who knows).

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^This, for sure.