Is this kit a good deal? I want to carbonating beer in 2L bottles since I don't have room currently for a keg setup.
http://stores.kegconnection.com/Detail.bok?no=247
http://stores.kegconnection.com/Detail.bok?no=247
Co2 Kit for Carbonating in 2L Bottles
- Thread starter BlakeL
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Seems reasonably priced. If I couldn't keg I might have gone that route. You could always just naturally carb as well. But this kit will get you all you need to keg minus the keg and serving tap. Which could be easily acquired in the future.
I just built 4 Carbonator Caps for less than $15.
So if you are a fruggle kind of person you can build your own
It was easy and there is this video from YouTube:
DPB
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Don't forget you can only carb one bottle at a time with one carbonator cap!
If you're bottling in soda bottles, you might as well prime each bottle instead of force carbing them, since you can only carb one at a time.
You could buy more carbonator caps, I guess (or make some). But I probably would skip the c02 kit and just prime the bottles.
If you're bottling in soda bottles, you might as well prime each bottle instead of force carbing them, since you can only carb one at a time.
You could buy more carbonator caps, I guess (or make some). But I probably would skip the c02 kit and just prime the bottles.
BlakeL
Well-Known Member
I was looking at a few websites with similar diy caps. I'm hoping my wife or family will get me this kit for Christmas but if I want some extra caps, I might go this route.
I thought once the co2 dissolves into solution you could quickly replace the carbonator cap with a regular one. Is this not the case?
Well, just like when you open a bottle of soda, the gas escapes a bit.
Those carbonator caps are great if you have a kegging system, and can pull off one bottle of beer to take "to go". You put on the carbonator cap and give it a shot of co2 so the beer stays carbed up. You don't take the cap off, though, just leave it on.
They also work great if you want to force carb a 2L bottle of soda. I do that, and take a bottle of soda out to my cottage (leaving the carbonator cap on).
To force carb a whole batch like that would be a huge PITA, while simply priming would work great.
You COULD overcarb just a bit, get the bottle really cold like 32F, then carefully remove the carbonator and replace with a regular cap without shaking the thing at all. You'll retain most of the carbonation that way. It would be a huge pain to do that for a whole batch though.
BlakeL
Well-Known Member
I guess my plan isn't as good as I thought. Right now I'm doing 2.5 gallon batches and didn't want to wait 3 weeks for bottle conditioning but don't have room for kegs. What I could do is bottle half the batch as usual but then rack into a few 2L bottles and put them in my closet until I’m ready to carbonate. The 2L’s should last me until the rest of the batch is bottle conditioned. It might not be worth it but what do you guys think? At least this why I would closer to a kegging setup with the co2 and regulator once I get around to building a back patio where I could put a kegorator.
Yes you can but at about 3 bucks a piece I don't bother.
Also I tried using 1/2 Gallon and GallonJUICE BOTTLES as a test.
They are not designed to hold pressure like a soda bottle but they work.
I did three of them two were carbonated and they were to be used as Growlers and and sent two of them off to the mountains with a buddy he said they held the pressure fine.
The other one:::: I got it cold, had about 2-3 inches head space, I added a bit of CO2 (20 pounds), vented it, added it again and shook it up a bit to get it into solution, added some more and let it sit, amybe added it one more time (IT WORKED)
The bottoms of the Bottles popped out on a couple of them so I stored them sideways.
BlakeL
Well-Known Member
Are these similar to what you used?
http://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Automotive-VS401C-Outer-Mount/dp/B000CMF5ME/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1347384210&sr=8-4&keywords=valve+stem
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That looks like them but they were cheaper I think between 5 and 6 bucks.
A buddy picket them up for me at the Auto Paerts Store.
ALSO there is the cost of a CHUCK and maybe an adapter but they are cheap...
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BlakeL
Well-Known Member
Yeah, this method with the chuck is still less than one carbonator cap and I get 4.
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