Kegging and bottling at room temperature or another solution?

[MMBB]

I've brewed a batch of ginger beer to give as holiday gifts and I aim to stabilize with Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate and back sweeten before kegging and force carbonating then transferring to bottles to be given out as gifts. I have tried to back sweeten then pasteurize multiple ciders and one ginger beer over the years with only maybe a 30% success rate. Lots of bottle bombs so I don't trust giving them to anyone. I have had a 100% success rate with stabilizing and back sweetening mead so I know that works.

I have kegs but what I don't have is a freezer or fridge to force carbonate in anymore due to moving to a smaller place. Will carbonating and bottling (either with a bottling wand or the no-wand method in this forum) be fine at room temperature? I do have a cooler that I was using with a spray foam lid to carry kegs and keep them cold dispense back when I had a freezer and kegged beers. I could put ice in there and get the keg temperature relatively low but obviously I wouldn't be able to really control the temperature well.

Would a better plan be to skip stabilizing/sweetening/kegging to bottle carbonating and give simple syrup with the finished brew for sweetening by the end user? I am making Moscow Mule kits so I already have small jars to give Vodka along with the ginger beer and I could get more for simple syrup.

 

[Jtvann]

I force carbonate some kegs at room temp. I think I put the psi up to between 20-25. It has turned out fine.

 

[day_trippr]

Yes, one can carbonate a keg "warm", and using the appropriate pressure will go as quickly (or slowly) as doing it "cold".

This "Keg Forced Carbonation Calculator" should prove handy for "room temperature" carbonation. Or any temperature carbonation

The challenge will be bottling warm. I don't think that will work out well...

Cheers!

 

[MMBB]

I suppose I could keg warm and then use ice to chill the keg down at bottling time being at that point, setting pressure to keg temperature won't be as important.

 

[Yooper]

I suppose I could keg warm and then use ice to chill the keg down at bottling time being at that point, setting pressure to keg temperature won't be as important.

You could; remember bottling a carbonated room temperature beverage will be a HUGE foamy mess and you’ll lose the carbonation so you’d want to keep it cold at least several days before attempting this to ensure the best results and the correct amount of carbonation. Chilling a day or so probably won’t help much at all, as it will still be a big foamy mess until it’s stabilized at the colder temperature. You will also want to ensure that you use a counter pressure bottle filler (a homemade one is fine) or a beer gun.

 

[MMBB]

Kinda what I figured Yooper. Looks like force carbonating and then chilling for several days prior to putting it in bottles is the best plan. Thanks!

 

[RolandD]

I went ahead and spent the money for a Blichmann Beer Gun. It's made bottling from the keg a no hassle affair. I would recommend chilling the keg, as well.