Bottling from kegs

[Arby]

HEy all,

So I've recently made the switch to kegs from bottling every batch. I have a situation coming up where bringing kegs just isn't practical and wanted to fill some bottles from my keg.

Now I've read the "we don't need no stinkin beer gun" thread, and done research on the counter pressure and beer gun fillers. I essentially have two questions right now.

1) I've never bothered purging air from bottles when just straight up bottling, why does this seem to be a concern when filling from a keg?

2) If I intend on drinking said beer relatively soon after bottling, is this even something to be concerned about?

 

[b-boy]

I think minimizing O2 exposure whenever possible is the main concern. Especially if you're planning on bottling and storing your beer for an extended period. I don't bother purging the air from the bottles. The filler pretty much forces it out when the bottle fills. As long as the tip of the filler is kept beneath the level of the beer you're probably OK.

If I'm looking to transport beer to drink quickly I fill a few growlers instead of using bottles.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

If you're going to drink it relativey quickly (within a week or two) you can bottle strait from the faucet, or fill growlers like b-boy suggested. Just vent some pressure from you keg, rinse out the bottles, leave a tiny bit of water in the bottles, and chilling the bottles is also a good idea, but not always neccessary. This is what I do and can fill bottles all the way to the top with little to no foam. I don't even sanitize my bottles anymore. I use clean bottles soaked in oxy and rinse with tap water before filling. I bottle up a case or so like this once in a while to take on vacation or something, but I always drink them within a couple weeks. If you're going to store long term, then you might want to consider the counter pressure filler.

 

[BPal75]

I don't know if this is right, but it could be because when you bottle, you're adding sugar and going through a mini fermentation to convert the sugars to alcohol which gives off CO2 and carbs the beer. The yeast likely consume any oxygen in the bottle during this process.

When filling carbed beer from a keg, youre not undergoing a second fermentation and thus the oxygen doesn't get consumed, possibly oxidizing your beer. Hence the step to purge your bottle with CO2 prior to filling from a keg.