How do you fill a soda bottle or growler from a keg tap?

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h22lude

h22lude

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I have one of those carbonater caps for soda bottles. What is the best way to fill this from a tap? I do have a bottling wand that fits inside the tap to fill beer bottles. I tried to use this to fill a soda bottle and I just got a lot of foam.

I know when filling bottles you need the rubber plug to form back pressure and set the reg to 3psi and keep releasing pressure slowly. I guess it would be the same for a soda bottle, I just don't have a rubber plug big enough to fit a soda bottle
 
If you don't have a stopper to fit the soda bottle, the easiest thing to do is to decrease the pressure and fill at about 1-2 psi, just enough to push the beer, through a long piece of tubing. I have a piece of tubing I can jam inside my perlicks. Just like in a brewpub, when they fill your growler. It foams a bit, but not too much. Then cover it with the carbonator cap and give it a blast of co2 to maintain the carbonation.
 
I may try to find a stopper but for now I think ill try that. At first I forgot to turn it down which is why I had so much foam.
 
Also make sure you bottle is cold. At least as cold as the beer. The difference in temperature pouring into a warmer bottle will cause CO2 to be released form the beer.
 
stevo155 said:
Also make sure you bottle is cold. At least as cold as the beer. The difference in temperature pouring into a warmer bottle will cause CO2 to be released form the beer.
Click to expand...

Another good suggestion. I can put the soda bottle in the keezer over night to get it cold.
 
stevo155 said:
Also make sure you bottle is cold. At least as cold as the beer. The difference in temperature pouring into a warmer bottle will cause CO2 to be released form the beer.
Click to expand...

My kegerator is a converted fridge, so the growlers and plastic bottles go in the freezer and stay frozen until I need them.

M_C
 
I just slightly overcarb the beer in the keg for a couple of days, then just pour it in the bottle at a trickle, 5psi or less.

The extra CO2 helps with the gas that will escape. If you are using your Carbonator Cap, hit the bottle with a zap of 20psi CO2 when it's full. If the beer is too flat, hit it with CO2, remove the gas connector, and shake the crap out of the bottle. Repeat as needed (you will have to let the beer settle afterwards).

I'm working on some filling caps, using some racking tube, PET bottle caps and some silicone adhesive. I'll post some pics if I get it to work.
 
Here's what I do (and just did last night to get some ready for a flight later):

Carbonator cap on empty bottle (plastic only, don't do this with glass, obviously) - fill with CO2. Release. Fill with CO2 again. Release.

Release excess pressure in the keg(s) and drop serving down to < 5 psi.

Fill bottles. No stopper or cold bottle. Just fill it. Carbonator cap back on, purge headspace in the bottle by squeezing the bottle and pushing in the pin on cap. Increase pressure back to serving and give the bottle one last shot of CO2.
 
PseudoChef said:
Here's what I do (and just did last night to get some ready for a flight later):

Carbonator cap on empty bottle (plastic only, don't do this with glass, obviously) - fill with CO2. Release. Fill with CO2 again. Release.

Release excess pressure in the keg(s) and drop serving down to < 5 psi.

Fill bottles. No stopper or cold bottle. Just fill it. Carbonator cap back on, purge headspace in the bottle by squeezing the bottle and pushing in the pin on cap. Increase pressure back to serving and give the bottle one last shot of CO2.
Click to expand...

Why put co2 in empty bottle? Wont it all escape when you take off the cap to fill it?
 
PseudoChef said:
To purge the O2 out of the bottle, preventing oxidation of the beer.
Click to expand...

I don't see O2 contamination being an issue. You are putting fully carbed beer into a bottle with minimal headspace.

Frankly, I think O2 is a boogie man in the homebrew community.

;)
 
Cpt_Kirks said:
I don't see O2 contamination being an issue. You are putting fully carbed beer into a bottle with minimal headspace.

Frankly, I think O2 is a boogie man in the homebrew community.

;)
Click to expand...

I don't. I've listened to a lot of interviews with the pro brewers (Vinnie) and homebrewers (Strong, McDole, Ben Miller, Mraz, etc.) and they all talk about how they flush most every vessel repeatedly with CO2 before finished beer hits it. I like their track record, and I'm able to do it, so why take a chance?
 
Cpt_Kirks said:
I don't see O2 contamination being an issue. You are putting fully carbed beer into a bottle with minimal headspace.

Frankly, I think O2 is a boogie man in the homebrew community.

;)
Click to expand...

I think a lot of people worry about it too much but I do think we should not dismiss it. O2 will hurt your brew during fermentation but I think it is hard to do then some people think. You can move a primary from A to B and as long as you aren't shaking the crap out of it, everything will be fine.

In regards to this thread, I use my carb cap more for transport so O2 isn't anything to worry about. But just like when I keg, if I were using my carb cap to store beer I would want all the O2 out. Having O2 headspace would possibily be bad for the beer when stored for a while
 
If I'm filling a growler, it's heading to an event where it will be totally consumed, hence I don't waste CO2 doing a purge...

Cheers!
 
day_trippr said:
If I'm filling a growler, it's heading to an event where it will be totally consumed, hence I don't waste CO2 doing a purge...

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, same here. I was just filling bottles the other night but not serving them until this weekend, so I thought it wouldn't hurt.
 
Ok sorry one last question. I just lowered the PSI to around 2 or 3, filled the bottle and it worked great. Just a little foam that I was able to squeeze out and then fill a little more. I put the cap on and squeezed until a little beer came out the cap (that is what the directions said to do so I do it lol). I put my PSI back to 12 and put the CO2 disconnect on the bottle and filled it. I let it sit on there for about 10 seconds. Is that good enough?

I guess I have two more questions...how long will the beer last without opening the cap? And how long will the beer last once the cap is opened?

Thanks guys
 
h22lude said:
Ok sorry one last question. I just lowered the PSI to around 2 or 3, filled the bottle and it worked great. Just a little foam that I was able to squeeze out and then fill a little more. I put the cap on and squeezed until a little beer came out the cap (that is what the directions said to do so I do it lol). I put my PSI back to 12 and put the CO2 disconnect on the bottle and filled it. I let it sit on there for about 10 seconds. Is that good enough?

I guess I have two more questions...how long will the beer last without opening the cap? And how long will the beer last once the cap is opened?

Thanks guys
Click to expand...

Yes, 10 seconds is long enough to fill the headspace.

The beer will last a long, long time, assuming you didn't oxidize it. Once you open it, it's like soda and will go flat in a day or two.
 
Yooper said:
Yes, 10 seconds is long enough to fill the headspace.

The beer will last a long, long time, assuming you didn't oxidize it. Once you open it, it's like soda and will go flat in a day or two.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks. No I don't think I did. I made sure to fill the bottle from the bottom to avoid splashing.
 
Cpt_Kirks said:
I don't see O2 contamination being an issue. You are putting fully carbed beer into a bottle with minimal headspace.

Frankly, I think O2 is a boogie man in the homebrew community.

;)
Click to expand...

I agree completely, if you drink the beer within a few hours I see very little risk for oxidation. Now if you keep it a week or two in the 2 liter bottle that's a different story.
 
I know it's not exactly from a tap, but I would have thought BierMuncher's bottle filler would have come up by now. I just keep a picnic tap handy, connect it and fill 'er up as it says in that thread. Disconnecting/reconnecting may be bit of a pain, but if the beer is going to be in that container for more than half a day, that' the way I do it.
 
solavirtus said:
I know it's not exactly from a tap, but I would have thought BierMuncher's bottle filler would have come up by now. I just keep a picnic tap handy, connect it and fill 'er up as it says in that thread. Disconnecting/reconnecting may be bit of a pain, but if the beer is going to be in that container for more than half a day, that' the way I do it.
Click to expand...

+1! Use this method and get a #4 stopper for use with PET soda bottles up to 2L. Works beautifully. It's what I do when we go to parties or camping. When using the BMBF and the #4 stopper, beer will stay at proper pressure for nearly a week if capped tightly and kept cold.
 

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