What are my options for lightweight, temporary bottling?

[Surfrider]

I want to take some homebrew with me on a two-night hike into alpine wilderness, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to do so.

We are all ultralight hikers, meaning that, including the clothes on our backs and the water in our bottles, each person generally carries less than 15 pounds with them. In fact, that I'm even *considering* carrying something as heavy as beer with me is heresy, but the hike is commemorating a friend's birthday, and if I could produce cold beer (chilled in the lake) for us to enjoy on the first night whilst sitting around the fire, it would be *totally* unexpected and greatly appreciated birthday gift. Not to mention, it'd make me a pretty popular guy.

Anyway, what are my options? The only requirement is that the container be light weight; while the beer itself will be left in the woods (liquid plant fertilizer!), I have to carry any packaging back out with me. For that reason, glass bottles aren't an option. Would PET (i.e., plastic) soda bottles work? They're light enough, and I could crush them when empty, but will they keep the beer carbonated? Or perhaps there's some kind of bladder system out there I use...?

I suppose as a last resort I could just settle for beer in cans (an empty can only weighs about 25 grams), but homebrew would be a much more impressive, much more meaningful, and much tastier gift!

 

[dantose]

plastic soda bottles are exactly what you want here. There should be no issue with carbonation though I'd let them rest a while after being jostled around on the hike.

You could carb in the plastic bottles or force carb in a keg before transfering. I'd lean toward bottle conditioning if you've got the time.

 

[carnevoodoo]

They sell PET bottles online. For a trip like this, they would be totally acceptable.

IF you could find these, they would be ideal:
BEVERAGEPOUCHGROUP.COM

 

[dantose]

you could also wash out and sterilize soda/seltzer bottles.

 

[carnevoodoo]

you could also wash out and sterilize soda/seltzer bottles.

Yeah. I would much rather use a soda water bottle. Less syrup gunk than a cola or something.

 

[AirRageous]

I just started an experiment this weekend. I bottled a batch of American Red Ale into glass bottles but also filled 2 one-liter Sam's Choice Mixer Club Soda bottles. Cleaned and sanitized of course. I drink a lot of this stuff during the summer with just a little lime juice added. Very refreshing on a hot day working outside. They only cost 50 cents at Wal-Mart. You can't buy glass bottles that cheap.

If this works, it will save me a lot of time, storage space, money, etc. I just have to be ready to finish off a liter at a time when I open one. I think I can manage that.

Something like this should work for you.

 

[kyleobie]

Anybody use the PET plastic bottles regularly? They're just the solution for me to take my beer home via train or bus!

 

[Surfrider]

I really should have searched more thoroughly before asking this question. I'll admit I was at the time of posting, but still. Sorry.

That said, am I to understand that one can *naturally* carbonate inside reused PET soda bottles? Like, 21 days at 70°+? Really?! I assumed that, if I did indeed get the thumbs-up, I would have to dispense pre-carbonated beer into the bottles (via counterpressure filler or Beergun) for temporary storage only. But if I can actually put non-carbonated, primed, green beer into a soda bottle in preparation for an occasion like this, wow, I'll bottle a few liters like this every time! To have lightweight, trail-ready homebrew on hand for whenever the urge takes me would be fanfreakintastic!

 

[carnevoodoo]

I really should have searched more thoroughly before asking this question. I'll admit I was at the time of posting, but still. Sorry.

That said, am I to understand that one can *naturally* carbonate inside reused PET soda bottles? Like, 21 days at 70°+? Really?! I assumed that, if I did indeed get the thumbs-up, I would have to dispense pre-carbonated beer into the bottles (via counterpressure filler or Beergun) for temporary storage only. But if I can actually put non-carbonated, primed, green beer into a soda bottle in preparation for an occasion like this, wow, I'll bottle a few liters like this every time! To have lightweight, trail-ready homebrew on hand for whenever the urge takes me would be fanfreakintastic!

The issue I see with bottle conditioning and then hiking is that all of your sediment will shake up into solution and you'll have yeast-filled beer. You don't want that. I think filling bottles when you want to use them is smarter.

 

[EdWort]

you could also wash out and sterilize soda/seltzer bottles.

I don't even bother to wash those out. I buy 1.25 liter sparkling water bottles, drink the water, then fill with draft beer. They do get a cleaning after the first beer run though. Works like a champ.

 

[Surfrider]

The issue I see with bottle conditioning and then hiking is that all of your sediment will shake up into solution and you'll have yeast-filled beer. You don't want that. I think filling bottles when you want to use them is smarter.

Good point. Duly noted.

PS: What's up, 619?! PB in the house! *ahem*

I buy 1.25 liter sparkling water bottles, drink the water, then fill with draft beer...Works like a champ.

Do you use a particular apparatus to fill them? Or do you just chill the brew down to 33°-ish, overcarbonate, and dispense into bottles with a cobra tap? Or...? Sorry; perhaps I'm putting too fine a point on the matter, but as the final product is going to be both a gift AND a point of pride, I want to make sure I get it right.




Thanks, everybody, for the pointers.

 

[SumnerH]

Good point. Duly noted.[/SIZE]

Of course, if you do something like a hefeweizen then getting the yeast stirred up is a feature rather than a bug.

Do you use a particular apparatus to fill them? Or do you just chill the brew down to 33°-ish, overcarbonate, and dispense into bottles with a cobra tap?

You want this thread:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun-24678/

 

[Surfrider]

You want this thread:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun-24678/

I stumbled across that thread a couple days ago, as it were. Very interesting. I think if I didn't already own a Beergun, and if I didn't have such a hard...er, an affection for gadgetry, I'd give that a shot. But it only took one time helping a buddy divvy up 15 gallons into 12-ounce bottles using the Beergun and I was sold. And as I said; the money's already gone, so it's a moot point. I'll definitely be referring friends to the BMBF thread in the future, however.

I simply posed the question to Ed because, in my mind, "fill with draft beer" conjured up images of regular ol' tap handles.



Man I love these fora. I wish I could just hug you all! (But I'm not gonna...)