[Pawtucket Patriot]

Don't make me start entering comps, Ron! 

I've been thinking about getting into competition brewing for awhile now, but I just haven't been able to find a good way to bottle from the keg.  I've done a lot of research on the subject and here's my hangup: I don't want to mess with slightly overcarbonating a keg just to ensure that it has the proper carbonation level in the bottle.  I've got four kegs hooked up to the same CO2 tank via a 4-way manifold, so what I do to one keg affects them all.  If there's a better way to bottle from a keg, I'm all ears.  Honestly, I'd like the competition feedback.

[jeffy]

Don't make me start entering comps, Ron! 

I've been thinking about getting into competition brewing for awhile now, but I just haven't been able to find a good way to bottle from the keg.  I've done a lot of research on the subject and here's my hangup: I don't want to mess with slightly overcarbonating a keg just to ensure that it has the proper carbonation level in the bottle.  I've got four kegs hooked up to the same CO2 tank via a 4-way manifold, so what I do to one keg affects them all.  If there's a better way to bottle from a keg, I'm all ears.  Honestly, I'd like the competition feedback.

If done properly you won't lose much CO2 filling bottles.  I use a beer gun and bottle right from kegs without changing the carb levels and generally don't have negative comments on the score sheets regarding that aspect.  Make sure you have the bottles cold and cap of foam.

[ccarlson]

Don't make me start entering comps, Ron! 

I've been thinking about getting into competition brewing for awhile now, but I just haven't been able to find a good way to bottle from the keg.  I've done a lot of research on the subject and here's my hangup: I don't want to mess with slightly overcarbonating a keg just to ensure that it has the proper carbonation level in the bottle.  I've got four kegs hooked up to the same CO2 tank via a 4-way manifold, so what I do to one keg affects them all.  If there's a better way to bottle from a keg, I'm all ears.  Honestly, I'd like the competition feedback.

If done properly you won't lose much CO2 filling bottles.  I use a beer gun and bottle right from kegs without changing the carb levels and generally don't have negative comments on the score sheets regarding that aspect.  Make sure you have the bottles cold and cap of foam.

In my opinion, a CPBF (albeit a pain the a_s) is the best way to fill bottles without losing much carbonation. Just don't take a bath before you fill bottle, because you'll likely get a beer shampoo in the process.

[tschmidlin]

Tom, what was your recipe/mash schedule?

61% wheat, 39% pils malt

Dough in at 112, hold for 15 minutes
Infuse to 131, hold for 10 minutes
Pull thick
Infuse main mash to 148, hold until decoction done
Heat decoction to 158, hold for 20 minutes, boil 10 minutes
Recombine to 158, hold for 10 minutes
Infuse to hit 170

90 minute boil
15 grams of Hallertauer Tradition at 60 minutes

Pitch 3068 at 62F

[bluesman]

Don't make me start entering comps, Ron! 

I've been thinking about getting into competition brewing for awhile now, but I just haven't been able to find a good way to bottle from the keg.  I've done a lot of research on the subject and here's my hangup: I don't want to mess with slightly overcarbonating a keg just to ensure that it has the proper carbonation level in the bottle.  I've got four kegs hooked up to the same CO2 tank via a 4-way manifold, so what I do to one keg affects them all.  If there's a better way to bottle from a keg, I'm all ears.  Honestly, I'd like the competition feedback.

If done properly you won't lose much CO2 filling bottles.  I use a beer gun and bottle right from kegs without changing the carb levels and generally don't have negative comments on the score sheets regarding that aspect.  Make sure you have the bottles cold and cap of foam.

+1

I also use the Beer Gun and fill at normal carb levels while capping on foam. I think the beer gun is one of the greatest brewing inventions. It's easy and fast. Never had a problem. The first time that I used it I was a little apprehesive but after using it a few times I became a pro.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

Tom, what was your recipe/mash schedule?

61% wheat, 39% pils malt

Dough in at 112, hold for 15 minutes
Infuse to 131, hold for 10 minutes
Pull thick
Infuse main mash to 148, hold until decoction done
Heat decoction to 158, hold for 20 minutes, boil 10 minutes
Recombine to 158, hold for 10 minutes
Infuse to hit 170

90 minute boil
15 grams of Hallertauer Tradition at 60 minutes

Pitch 3068 at 62F

How do you feel about the ferulic acid rest.  Do you consider it pretty important to the profile?  Or is it just something you do for the sake of it?  I know Kai has a blog entry comparing two hefe recipes -- one for which he did a ferulic acid step and one without it.  He concluded that there was very little, if any, difference between the beers.  I wanted to try one last time, since it was my first decoction, I wanted to keep things relatively simple.  Maybe I'll give it a shot next time to compare.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

Don't make me start entering comps, Ron! 

I've been thinking about getting into competition brewing for awhile now, but I just haven't been able to find a good way to bottle from the keg.  I've done a lot of research on the subject and here's my hangup: I don't want to mess with slightly overcarbonating a keg just to ensure that it has the proper carbonation level in the bottle.  I've got four kegs hooked up to the same CO2 tank via a 4-way manifold, so what I do to one keg affects them all.  If there's a better way to bottle from a keg, I'm all ears.  Honestly, I'd like the competition feedback.

If done properly you won't lose much CO2 filling bottles.  I use a beer gun and bottle right from kegs without changing the carb levels and generally don't have negative comments on the score sheets regarding that aspect.  Make sure you have the bottles cold and cap of foam.

+1

I also use the Beer Gun and fill at normal carb levels while capping on foam. I think the beer gun is one of the greatest brewing inventions. It's easy and fast. Never had a problem. The first time that I used it I was a little apprehesive but after using it a few times I became a pro.

Beer gun, eh?  And you don't have to dial the pressure down to like 2-3 psi for filling?  I really don't like messing with carb levels, if you can't tell.

[bluesman]

Actually Matt...I force carb the beer to the desired level and then dial it down to about 5psi for operation of the Beer Gun.

[ccarlson]

People swear by the beer gun, but I personally think it's a rip off. The cobra tap and short tube will do as well, but the CPBF will perform even better.

[narcout]

I've been thinking about getting into competition brewing for awhile now, but I just haven't been able to find a good way to bottle from the keg.

It's pretty fun, you should give it a shot.

I just turn the gas off to the keg, bleed most of the pressure out via the release valve, and fill the bottles straight off of the tap (after purging the bottle with CO2 from the extra port on the manifold).  Then turn the gas back on to the keg - no long term messing around with the carb levels, no overcarbing kegs.  I often get positive comments on score sheets regarding carb levels, and have won several ribbons with bottles filled in this manner. 

[tschmidlin]

How do you feel about the ferulic acid rest.  Do you consider it pretty important to the profile?  Or is it just something you do for the sake of it?  I know Kai has a blog entry comparing two hefe recipes -- one for which he did a ferulic acid step and one without it.  He concluded that there was very little, if any, difference between the beers.  I wanted to try one last time, since it was my first decoction, I wanted to keep things relatively simple.  Maybe I'll give it a shot next time to compare.

I've never done that test, so I don't know for sure.  Sometime I'll have to experiment and see if my experience matches Kai's.  I'd love to be able to simplify the mash schedule.

[SpanishCastleAle]

Did a quickie version of a Hochkurz decoction this weekend for a Bohemian Pils.

Doughed-in to hit 143* F and mixed well.
Immediately pulled a 6 qt thick decoction using a kitchen/hand strainer and started heating.
Infused decoction with 1.5 qt simmering water and added heat to hit 161* F for 5 minutes.
Boiled decoction for 12 minutes.
Added decoction back to mash to hit 161* F for 30 minutes.
Infused to mash-out at 167* F.

The mash rested at 142*-143* F for a total of 25 minutes.  I chose the lowish temp to try and keep the beta conversion slow, I'm going for a low fermentability wort.

This didn't really take much more time than a Hochkurz infusion mash.  The FFT will be done tonight and hopefully I didn't make it too fermentable.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

I've been thinking about getting into competition brewing for awhile now, but I just haven't been able to find a good way to bottle from the keg.

It's pretty fun, you should give it a shot.

I just turn the gas off to the keg, bleed most of the pressure out via the release valve, and fill the bottles straight off of the tap (after purging the bottle with CO2 from the extra port on the manifold).  Then turn the gas back on to the keg - no long term messing around with the carb levels, no overcarbing kegs.  I often get positive comments on score sheets regarding carb levels, and have won several ribbons with bottles filled in this manner. 

That sounds like a good process. There's got to be at least enough residual keg pressure to fill a few 12 oz bottles, right? What sort of fitting/device do you have on the end of the gas line you use to purge bottles?  I've got an extra gas line in my kegerator too, so this could work out well.

[bluesman]

People swear by the beer gun, but I personally think it's a rip off. The cobra tap and short tube will do as well, but the CPBF will perform even better.

Do you own the Blichmann Beer Gun or have you used it?

[ccarlson]

People swear by the beer gun, but I personally think it's a rip off. The cobra tap and short tube will do as well, but the CPBF will perform even better.

Do you own the Blichmann Beer Gun or have you used it?

No, but I can look at the design and tell that it's not worth the money and I've had several people that do own one tell me the same thing. The only feature it has going for it is the bottom valve that reduces splashing. If you turn down the CO2 very low and tilt a "cold" bottle, you can do the same thing with a cobra tap. Some people also put a tube in that and get very close to the beer gun.