Bottling from a keg question (Newbie)

ilikeguns · 02-07-2012, 10:59 PM

So I've got my first batch of beer in the fermenting bucket and it's just about ready to keg/bottle. I want to fill 12-24 bottles of this batch and keg the rest.

To make things easier, I'm thinking of transferring everything directly from my 5 gallon bucket to my corny keg, putting a few pounds of CO2 on the keg and then just filling the pre-primed bottles from my tap (before carbing the beer in the keg).

Any drawbacks to doing it this way? I might put a small length of sanitized tubing on the tap so it can pour directly to the bottom of the bottle.

To me, this seems easier than filling the bottles with the racking cane.. thoughts?

wickman6 · 02-08-2012, 12:24 AM

Not too long ago, I bottled part of a batch and kegged the rest. I primed each 12oz bottle with 1/2 teaspoon table sugar, dumped in dry before the beer went in.

While I was racking the beer to the keg, I simply filled those bottles and capped as usual.

The bottled beer was left at room temp for a couple weeks and the keg went to the garage to cool off and force carb.

The bottles turned out just fine. Very, very, very slightly different than the kegged version, but they were fine.

Give it a go!

**copyright1997** · 02-08-2012, 01:52 AM

Two other options, both of which I've done:
1. Rack from primary to sanitized keg which already has your sterilized sugar solution. Once done, add co2, vent, add co2 at low psi (eg 6). Bottle from keg to your bottles via picnic tap hooked up to bottling wand. Carbonate bottles as usual. Let keg carbonate naturally, vent if co2 builds up too much.
Advantages: easy, saves co2.
Disadvantages: yeast in bottle.

2. Rack to keg. Condition in keg. Cold crash in keg. Carbonate in keg w/co2. Draw a couple pints to remove cold crash gunk. When you want to bottle, see "we don't need no stinking beer gun thread". Save or drink or give bottled to friends.
Advantages: clearer beer, more consistent conditioning, can adjust carbonation level in keg as needed over time.
Disadvantages: more of a pita to do bottles, but you will get the hang of it (eg how much pressure to use at bottling time) over time. As an example, I just had a couple days ago a beer I bottled this way back in sept or October 2011, and it was great and carbonation level was fine.

ilikeguns · 02-09-2012, 02:26 PM

thanks! I think out of sheer laziness, I'm going to just do copyright's method #2. It's my first batch so I'm not sure I'll be bringing it anywhere. If I decide to, I can always fill a growler.

I'm attempting to order a "Bowie Bottler" which looks pretty cool and is at a great price.
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f41/bottling-wand-perlick-525-75-aka-bowie-bottler-228344/

**copyright1997** · 02-09-2012, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilikeguns

thanks! I think out of sheer laziness, I'm going to just do copyright's method #2. It's my first batch so I'm not sure I'll be bringing it anywhere. If I decide to, I can always fill a growler.

I'm attempting to order a "Bowie Bottler" which looks pretty cool and is at a great price.
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f41/bottling-wand-perlick-525-75-aka-bowie-bottler-228344/

Yes, I forgot to mention this thread. I have some perlick 425's and a 575 I'm using and ordered the Bowie Bottler within the last week. (While it is for the 525 he offered to also sell me one that works without playing with the orings for the 425.) This will be better than hooking up the picnic tap (which I keep breaking).

Edit: I've been trying to keep my brewing pipeline full. As a result, even with a converted fridge which can (very tight) squeeze 3 kegs and a freezer (keezer) that can (very tight) squeeze 4 kegs, I typically will go from keg to bottle when the keg is getting close to empty. That way, I have at least a few bottles saved (nothing like going to get a glass of something great and finding the keg kicks on you) and I can immediately clean the keg and free up space for the next keg to carbonate or whatever. If you notice in my signature there are a bunch of beer's I list in bottles...these range from 1 bottle to maybe a dozen and are all kegs that were nearing empty that I did this for.