Newb question about Tap-A-Draft

[benthegrate]

Hey, folks! My name is Ben and I'm in Dallas. This is my VERY FIRST post here! I've been researching homebrew for almost a year, and have finally taken the plunge. I've just racked my very first brew, a pumpkin spice ale, into 3 Tap-A-Draft bottles for their conditioning/priming.

I used a partial-mash recipe pieced together from different recipes I found on the net, heavily scrutinized and adjusted according to Jack Keller's recipe rules. Things have proceeded like clockwork...vigorous fermentation within 12 hours, completing within 48 hours, OG of 1.075, FG of 1.020. The wort fermented for 10 days in the primary and I've just racked it into Tap-A-Draft bottles.

(It tastes DIVINE already, I can't wait to taste it after another few weeks of conditioning!)

Forgive me for asking a stupid question, but I've read every thread here on Tap-A-Draft, and maybe I don't understand carbonation/priming correctly. I've only got one tap for 3 bottles. Right now, 2 bottles have the regular black caps on them (sealed with teflon tape, because I've heard of problems with leakage...however, I've got Generation II TaD so I'm hoping this will be at a minimum) and one bottle has the tap on it. They're sitting upright in the closet now.

But it seems to me that after weeks of priming when the regular capped bottles are tight with pressure, when I open the cap to replace it with the tap, won't all that wonderful CO2 just disappear and the beer will go flat? Or does it stay in solution long enough to not have a noticeable loss when I change out from lid to tap?

Thanks for any insight!

 

[TheH2]

When you open the cap a ton of C02 will escape quickly. However, the CO2 that is in the beer will stay in the beer. Just think about how you poor a beer, that is a decent amount of agitation, some C02 is released, but even after a pour and agitation to the beer, there is still plenty of carbonation.

I would say that after opening the cap just tap it as soon as possible. Also, make sure you CLOSE THE TAP ALL THE WAY AFTER POURING A GLASS. Sorry for yelling but I ended up with 5 liters (less one glass of my wit) on the floor in my fridge, under my stove, after pouring just one glass. It took me hours to clean up. I must have mopped the floor 10 times.

 

[jkarp]

Chill the bottle before you tap it. That will allow most of the CO2 to stay in solution. The CO2 cartridge will instantly replace the lost CO2 in the head space, of course.

I keep a sturdy rubber band wrapped around the tap as I've had it work open under high pressure too. I need my beer a hell a lot more than the vegetable crisper does!

 

[benthegrate]

Ha, ha! I knew I was missing something. Thanks for explaining, guys.

The new Tap-A-Draft bottles are brown, not blue, and have been redesigned, apparently, because of all the complaints about leaks. My supply store said they had just gotten in the new bottles. So I'll post if I have any leakage issues.

I've done SO many plumbing projects that I've got loads of Teflon tape around the house, so I used that, because the basic caps are all that came with the kit. I'll get the pressure caps eventually, but I didn't want any leakage in this first batch.

I drank a whole pint of the pumpkin ale last night, uncarbonated, and it was DELICIOUS! Can't wait for a few more weeks of conditioning and carbonating.