Brewing conpetition

[GFHomebrew]

So finally entering in to my first brew competetion later this month start or april in Harvey Bay East Coast Australia.

The local homebrew store is holding a beer tasting competition so why not enter and see how i stand amongst my aussie brewing comrades.​

Going to enter my current german bohimian pilsner and my last Berrie saison. The Berrie saison aint got the colour but has some faint berries and plenty of head retention and plenty of Saison attributes I think. Which is amazing how clean it tastes accounting for the fermentation temperature.


Cheers wish me good brewing luck even though what is done is done.

For competition im thinking just two tallies each from keg using home made counter pressure filler using carb cap and rubber bottle filler over ridged bottle filler.

My guess is chill beer to coldest before transfering beer to bottles and bottles at same temperarure.

 

[Mase]

Best of luck Trailben! Please keep us posted!

 

[chub1]

Go for it

 

[CRUNK]

Best brew luck to you, let know how you make out, and please take notes if you can, even if they are just mental notes, information is knowledge.

 

[J A]

Best of luck!!
It's great to get some feedback from other brewers and see your beers from another perspecitve. I bet your beers will be well recieved.

Regarding the filling... use a tube to that goes to or near the bottom of the bottle (find a size that will jam into the faucet), chill the bottle in the freezer so that it's extremely cold, hold keg pressure higher overnight if you can to get a little extra carb into the beer and then turn it down to 1 or 2 psi to fill the bottles - just enough to push the beer into the bottles. You can totally fill regular bottles like that. There will be a little foam/CO2 pushing out as you slap the cap on it but that guarantees no oxygen in the bottle

 

[GFHomebrew]

Cheers all yep it will be an interesting venture I just hope my current Pilsner turns out good as it's still in primary fermentor lol.

Thanks for bottle filling advice JA will keep that in mind.
The comp ain't till the end of April so have a few weeks to submit me beers.

 

[Mark D Pirate]

Sounds like a cheap and easy way to get bottles filled JA , i've been looking at ways to modify the pluto gun that came with my kegs as a bottle filler ,your method here sounds like a good starting point .

Good luck Ben ! Don't do what i did and enter the wrong beer though ... i still laugh when i think about it !

 

[GFHomebrew]

Sounds like a cheap and easy way to get bottles filled JA , i've been looking at ways to modify the pluto gun that came with my kegs as a bottle filler ,your method here sounds like a good starting point .

Good luck Ben ! Don't do what i did and enter the wrong beer though ... i still laugh when i think about it !

Howd you send your beer Mark. Im thinking bubble wrap them individually then pop em in a box.

 

[Mark D Pirate]

Dropped off in person

 

[Mark D Pirate]

Post office sells wine bottle mailers , easy solution

 

[GFHomebrew]

Post office sells wine bottle mailers , easy solution

Sorted ill go and have a look at the local Post office.

 

[J A]

i've been looking at ways to modify the pluto gun that came with my kegs as a bottle filler ,your method here sounds like a good starting point .

My pluto gun mod was quick and easy and totally works aces. I've posted somewhere else but here's a pic:

Image insert function doesn't seem to be working very well.
Thanks for fixing!

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I fixed it

 

[nzbrew]

Howd you send your beer Mark. Im thinking bubble wrap them individually then pop em in a box.

I buy pet (plastic) bottles if I'm sending in for comps. Gets rid of the breakage issue - and just fill them the same as glass.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Yea thought about that and will probably work good with carb cap too. Will probably go with standard brown bottle as have plenty laying round and will have to buy them pet bottles plus im a tight arse.

 

[Mark D Pirate]

My pluto gun mod was quick and easy and totally works aces. I've posted somewhere else but here's a pic:
View attachment 1354



Image insert function doesn't seem to be working very well.
Thanks for fixing!

So tapped the end of the gun and used threaded tube or is it just an interference fit ? Looks the goods and will save me $$ on buying one , thanks for the idea !

 

[GFHomebrew]

My pluto gun mod was quick and easy and totally works aces. I've posted somewhere else but here's a pic:
View attachment 1354


Image insert function doesn't seem to be working very well.
Thanks for fixing!

Any reason I couldn't use my picnic tap attachment with plastic bottle filler attached with rubber stopper?

I don't have me a Pluto gun.

 

[J A]

So tapped the end of the gun and used threaded tube or is it just an interference fit ?

Interference fit. It's a 12" piece of 1/4 ID stainless tubing (5/16 OD) and I carefully reamed the plastic Pluto with a properly sized drill bit. The opening is a nominal 5/16, but it to be trued up and opened up slightly. Alternatively, I think you could heat the tube hot enough to sightly melt the plastic and slide it right in. The tube only goes about an inch. I don't remember if I had to enlarge the opening in the rubber stopper. I might have had to drill one out from scratch, but the hard rubber drills ok as long as you start small and step up.
The whole thing cost me less than $20.
I will say it's a little unwieldy to use because you have to get the tube out out of the bottle, set it aside and get a cap on before it foams up too much. And it makes a bit of a mess between the unavoidable slight overflow and beer draining from the tube when you set it aside. It works much, much better as a 2-person operation.

Any reason I couldn't use my picnic tap attachment with plastic bottle filler attached with rubber stopper?

No problemo!

 

[GFHomebrew]

Sorted go go Gadget Man.

 

[GFHomebrew]

So I just rung up to finalise my registration and this home brew comp sounds like a more laidback style gathering which I'm stoked with. We're meeting out at the nation home brew club organisers house, bring ya swag and camp in the back yard style gig. Lunch 2$, dinner crawdad style seafood cook up 20$ and best thing he's been brewing like crazy and there will be 12 beers on tap! Can't wait