So, This year I decided not to bottle my holiday beer. But I would love to share some, as I have in
years past. I know it is easy to bottle from kegs and what not, but how many out there find that oxidation
it is really a perception and myth versus a real problem?
Does it really oxidize or have a great potential to oxidize? Do you have occasions where it did?
Do you have a high frequency of non-events when bottling from a keg?
I ask because I think that I would like to enter it into a comp, and I would have to bottle from
the keg.
I had a judge note a sherry aroma in a beer that I entered in the NHC. From what I’m told, this can occur from oxidation. I bottled that beer from a keg. I guess it’s really hard to quantify it. I think oxidation is occurring, but to what extent I don’t know. I try to minimize oxidation as much as I can during racking and such.
even if you don’t purge with co2, as long as you cap on foam you will keep oxidation to a bare minimum. oxidation is not an instantaneous process so as long as you limit the amount of o2 in the capped bottle by proper filling techniques you should not have a problem whether you’re just filling from the tap or not.
some breweries in the area have a special piece of tubing that fits over the tap and goes right to the bottom of a growler so you’re filling from the bottom rather than spashing it all down the sides from the top. i would assume this would help with keeping your beer carbonated as well as limiting splashing that can catch o2. should be a really cheap way to get what you want, since i think we all probably have tubing lying around.
I have a beer gun that I use for long term bottling. However, if I’m bottling for a club comp or a comp that is going to happen in the next month or so, I’ll use a piece of rigid tubing that fits into the end of the cobra head. I’ll then dial down the pressure to about 2psi. The key for me, is to overflow the bottle when filling then remove the rigid tubing from the bottle and cap as quickly as possible. This give a pefect fill and reduces oxidation. The best part is that there is beer in the overflow catch container below that needs consuming.
I bottled all my competition beers this year from the keg. Out of the 10 or so that I’ve entered, only once did a judge note that he detected a bit of acetaldehyde which may have been the result of oxidation; however, neither of the other two judges mentioned it (including the only one of the three who was BJCP certified).
I turn the gas off to the keg, burp out most but not quite all of the pressure, purge the bottle with CO2, fill from the tap, and cap on foam.
I did my first “keg bottling” recently. But rather than bottle a few bottles from a force carbonated keg, I simply added my priming sugar to the keg, followed by the beer, then I set the pressure down to 4, and poured the beer through my kegerator faucet into 5 gallons worth of bottles. I found this was a lot easier than using a bottling bucket, and I imagine it was more sanitary as well.
I will certainly try the “tube connected to cobra head” technique if I want to bottle a few from a force-carbonated keg.
Does capping on foam have any effect on the cap seal? Or do you wipe down the lip with a starsan soaked towel first?
I was thinking maybe some kind of spoilage on the stuff outside the bottle, yet inside the cap.
It’s pretty easy if you use the flare (screw on) QDs. I just unscrew one form the CO2 line and stick the end of the line in the bottle. Give it a couple second shot of CO2 and you’re set.
It’s pretty easy if you use the flare (screw on) QDs. I just unscrew one form the CO2 line and stick the end of the line in the bottle. Give it a couple second shot of CO2 and you’re set.
Hi New to forums
What is Flare (screw on) QD
QD is Quick Disconnect
flare is what ?
Thanks John