Carbonate in Growler and then Transfer to Bottle?

[MtnGoatJoe]

I really don't know anything about bottling, but I wanted to make some sparkling apple juice for my family (like Martinelli's).

Can I carbonate in something like a GrowlerWerks uKeg 64 oz growler, transfer to a bottle (I've been saving my Martinelli's sparkling cider bottles), and then cap?

Am I correct in thinking that it takes a few days to carbonate the juice before transferring it to bottles?

Thanks!

 

[jseyfert3]

Juice, not cider?

I’m assuming you don’t have experience kegging either? You should be able to carb in a uKeg, though I don’t have one, though I have experience with full size kegs. From what I’ve gathered it may take one or more of the mini CO2 tanks those use to get full carbonation. Carbonation levels depend on temp and pressure, and for “set and forget” it’s more like a couple weeks not a couple days to reach carbonation.

I looked it up and your keg can go to 15 psi, so you can’t do “burst carving”. You’ll therefore need to chill the juice to carb, set and leave it a couple weeks (cold), or you can also shake it to speed up the process, again with the juice already chilled before shaking. I recommend setting it to the max pressure (15 psi) for this. For full sized kegs we can hear the regulator hissing, which is an indication of carb level when shaking. If you can with the uKeg shake till the hissing stops, then I recommend putting it back in the fridge and leaving it another day. You can then dispense into bottles, chilled bottles should help retain carb levels.

 

[MtnGoatJoe]

Juice, not cider?

Carbonation levels depend on temp and pressure, and for “set and forget” it’s more like a couple weeks not a couple days to reach carbonation.

Yes, juice, and eventually cider.

I did some additional research on the GrowlerWerks website (maybe I should have started there), and they say that the 64oz uKeg should only take 2-3 days to force carbonate, but that users should use a 16g CO2 cartridge. Maybe it takes less time because it's only half a gallon?

Or maybe they are overly optimistic?

 

[jseyfert3]

Yes, juice, and eventually cider.

I did some additional research on the GrowlerWerks website (maybe I should have started there), and they say that the 64oz uKeg should only take 2-3 days to force carbonate, but that users should use a 16g CO2 cartridge. Maybe it takes less time because it's only half a gallon?

Or maybe they are overly optimistic?

Ah, that makes sense actually. The surface area to volume ratio is a lot higher, so it would carbonate faster than a 5 gallon keg.

Can you purge the headspace of the uKeg?

 

[Epond83]

I have this growler and use it to carbonate hard cider. Pruging instructions are to put the cap on and add a little pressure. Turn it off and release the pressure by unscrewing the cap. After a few times you won't have any oxygen left.

All the same rules for kegging apply here, except for maz pressure.
I would turn up the pressure to 15 and leave their for a few days. Keep it as cold as possible but don't let your juice freeze in the sight glass. I have a ferment fridge I can get down to 28* without freezing. The lower the temperature the more CO2 will go into solution. If you can let it sit a week you will have better results. Also try not to fill the growler to the the neck. Lower down you will have more surface area for adsorption.

If you chill your bottle before filling it will help keep CO2 in solution. Also put 6"-8” tube on your spout to minimize foaming.

I doubt you will get the carbonation level as
Martinelli's with this growler.
Overall what is your goal with carbonating apple juice instead of buying it?

 

[MtnGoatJoe]

Overall what is your goal with carbonating apple juice instead of buying it?

Don't get me wrong, I like Martinelli's. But the juice I got from my mother's Jonagold tree this year was AMAZING. I am making some cider with it, and we'll see how it turns out, but most of my pressing went to juice. Anyway, I just want to see what I can do myself. Making my own sparkling juice sounds fun. I'll use the growler with my hard cider as well.

Thanks for the advice. Those are great tips!