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Packaging

2,428 bytes added, 16:21, 7 November 2016
updated kegging info with spunding valve info
* '''Crown caps (29 mm)''' - For capping bottles with 29 mm openings (such as Champagne-style bottles and 375 mL half-Champagne bottles), you will need to source a 29 mm bell and 29 mm caps, which are non-standard. Many 29 mm bottles are both capable and corkable. For cork and capping, see below.
* '''Swing tops''' - Many swing tops are thicker glass and are therefore well suited for higher carbonation beers. Swing tops also allow for easy venting of carbonation if the beer carbonates more than desired/anticipated. Due to the soft gasket (and possibly plastic top piece holding the gasket for some bottles), the same concerns regarding cleaning difficulty and cross-contamination apply to swing tops as to other plastic parts used after the hot side when brewing both normal and 'funky' beers. If you don't want your normal beers exposed to the micro-organisms in your funky beers, we recommend not using the same swing tops for bottling both types of beer, jusrt as we recommend keeping seperate sets of plastic equipment used for fermentation and transfer of fermented beer when brewing both clean and 'funky' beers. Some express concern about long term aging in swing tops and the possibility of swing tops not being as impermeable a barrier to O2. If you are concerned about this they it may be better to not use swing tops for long aged beer. At this time we are unaware of any comparisons of swing tops and other closure mechanisms regarding their susceptibility to O2 transfer during extended aging to give a firm answer as to whether swing tops allow more O2 ingress than other closures or not .
* '''Kegging''' - Kegging offers the benefit of being able to force carbonate or naturally carbonate with adding priming sugar and (optionally) re-yeasting. If force carbonating, follow the same procedures that you would for any other beer. Consider the [https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/hfzuh/how_to_properly_carbonate_your_homebrew_in_kegs/ "set and forget"] method of force carbonating, which requires 1-3 weeks. This will allow the beer to settle while also dialing in the carbonation level. Priming in the keg often produces great results with sour beers. Generally, use 1/2 of the priming sugar that you would normally use, or excessive foaming can occur <ref>[https://byo.com/hops/item/954-keg-your-beers Don Million. Keg Your Beers! Brew Your Own Magazine. 2003.]</ref>. If re-yeasting, which is generally recommended (see the [[Packaging#Re-yeasting|Re-yeasting]] section above), use 10% of the yeast you would normally use to for a primary fermentation. For example, use around 2 grams of dried champagne yeast re-hydrated to naturally carbonate 5 gallons of beer <ref name="priming_calc"></ref>. Priming in the keg will result in a little more sediment at the bottom of the keg, but this will be pulled out on the first pour from the keg. Allow at least three weeks of conditioning at room temperature, and then a week at refrigeration temperatures before serving. If the keg is not re-yeasted, it might take considerably longer than three weeks to carbonate the beer depending on the vitality of the yeast in the beer. The brewer should consider keeping plastic kegging equipment such as serving lines and taps separate from kegs that serve clean beers.  :A [http://seanterrill.com/2015/06/25/build-a-better-spunding-valve/ spunding valve] can also be used to help guard against over-carbonation when keg conditioning. The CO2 gauges on spunding valves can be inaccurate, however, so finding the correct PSI setting requires the following technique. The goal is to set it to be around 30 PSI for room temperature conditioning. First, pressurize the keg to 30 PSI using a reliable CO2 regulator, then remove the gas line while the keg is still pressurized. Fully tighten the spunding valve's pressure release valve ('''PRV''') so that no gas is released, and attach it to the keg's gas line. Slowly turn the PRV on the spunding valve so that the gas is released. Continue to release the gas until the faintest "hiss" of gas can be heard, and then slightly tighten the PRV. The PRV might be set to something like 40 or 50 PSI, but the reliable CO2 regulator can be used to verify that the spunding valve's PRV is set to the desired level. The actual PSI within the keg might oscillate around 27-32 PSI, so this technique might need some trial and error. Shoot for under-carbonation versus over-carbonation. If the beer is slightly under-carbonated, force carbonation can make up the difference. Slight over-carbonation should be avoided because it could make the beer very difficult to serve <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1373107886050755/?comment_id=1374126712615539&reply_comment_id=1374144919280385&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R3%22%7D Keg conditioning thread on MTF with Bryan from Sui Generis and Devin Henry. 08/12/2016.]</ref>. :Another method for setting the spunding valve's PRV to the correct PSI setting would be to use a keg of beer that is already perfectly carbonated. Allow the keg to warm to conditioning temperatures. Attach the spunding valve with the PRV completely closed. Slowly release the PRV until you hear a slight hiss. This should reach the PSI setting that the spunding valve needs to be set at to reach around the same carbonation for other kegs. Kegs should be filled up to the same headspace as the keg that was used to set the PRV setting <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1462140453814164/?comment_id=1462348370460039&reply_comment_id=1462389737122569&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R9%22%7D Keg conditioning thread on MTF with Taylor John Caron. 11/07/2016.]</ref>.* '''Green glass v Brown glass''' - Some bottle types, especially champagne style bottles, may be more available in green glass compared to brown glass. Green glass does a worse job shielding the beer from UV spectrum light, which can interact with hop compounds to produce 'skunky' or lightstruck flavors and aromas. Many classic Belgian mixed fermentation beers are found in green glass, and some producers in North America seek out green glass over brown glass for their beers<ref>[http://jesterkingbrewery.com/jester-king-in-green-bottles Jester King blog post about green bottles]</ref><ref>[http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/the-sour-hour-episode-15/ Jester King on the Sour Hour, pt 2]</ref> (~11 minutes in) (also, Bob Sylvester).
* '''Crown caps v corks''' - Deciding between corks and caps will depend on the specific beer and the brewer's goals with the beer. Caps are a cheaper closure and are also easier to apply. Aside from aesthetics, you may choose corks when intending to age or store beers lying down in order to keep the beer from interacting with the cap. Some producers have observed that crown caps contribute to an off-flavor in their beer, especially if the beer is acidic. Pierre Tilquin closes some bottles of every blend with crown caps in order to test carbonation levels. He has noticed that the crown capped bottles have an off flavor not present in the corked bottles <ref>Conversation between Pierre Tilquin and Dave Janssen, 24-Oct-2015</ref>. Other producers regularly package their acidic beer with crown caps (e.g. the Rare Barrel, Boon Geuze in 25 cl bottles) and have not mentioned a problem with doing so.

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