Serving up bottle conditioned beer at a party

[onesoma]

I will have about 350 bottles of bottle conditioned homebrew at a party/barbecue for around 80 people. What's the best way to have these ready to be served cold, without stirring up the sediment?

I have an undercounter fridge I could use, but that'll hold maybe 70 bottles at most. Current idea is to get a couple of aluminium rubbish bins, get a ton of ice, and have one of them cooling down bottles while the other is being taken from. Problem with this is the bottles are going to be sloshing around like in a washing machine as people take them out.

Can you rent commercial fridges short term? May not be worth the effort even if you can.

[auralabuse]

My god, I admire your patience

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

I would tend to use very good flocking yeasts for this kind of event, but you have already bottled. Failing that, lots of time to let the yeast cake bind well to the bottle

[Jonnycheech]

Holy beejaysus that's a lot of bottling!

What about getting something similar to a bath in shape, stand up the bottles one bottle deep and pack them as tight as possible together. Then put a load of ice on top, not too deep so it's hard to access the bottles but enough to keep them cool. Be careful when adding the ice so as to not knock over any bottles. Ice baths cool bottles very quickly once there is enough ice to do the job. Make sure bottles are taken from one end of the bath (or whatever works) and as they are replenish what has been taken. Otherwise you'll need to get a big ass fridge in.

For future reference I advise moving to kegs, it would make this sort of thing much, much, much easier on your soul!

[Damien M]

I wouldn't over think it too much. I had a BBQ the weekend and used JohnnyCheechs method. one layer of standing bottles with water and ice around then. When people take one they add one from the crates to the side. Its also about showing them how to pour a bottle conditioned beer  to minimize the trub.

A few beers in they will have learned how to or won't care. You might they probabally won't. I had one guy try every beer but  I found 3/4 full glasses around the place after his sampling....... They just don't love it like we do......

[Simon_]

I had one guy try every beer but  I found 3/4 full glasses around the place after his sampling

Buried at sea or in the mountains?

[Damien M]

I had one guy try every beer but  I found 3/4 full glasses around the place after his sampling

Buried at sea or in the mountains?

A Deep Bog hole in the Midlands!!!!

[DEMPSEY]

Do you recall that sometime back a bog body was discovered that was considered to be very old and was thought to have being killed for ritual purposes. You might have come up with another explaination 

[Damien M]

Do you recall that sometime back a bog body was discovered that was considered to be very old and was thought to have being killed for ritual purposes. You might have come up with another explaination 

Fair cop Guv! E didn't loike me MPA!!!

[onesoma]

Cheers. Agree with the patience - I didn't find the bottling too bad, but washing the bottles... I'll never do this amount again. Or if I do, I'll invest in some kegs... Fair point about people not caring. After a few I don't think I'll care either.

So I need something wide and long with a flat bottom and sides... There's an old water tank in the attic - assumed it was left there cause it's too big to get out, must measure it.

[nigel_c]

Small paddling pool. Been there. Done that. Just make sure its not a Barney one, you'll never hear the end of it.