Bottling After Pressure Fermentation

[Knkbrand]

Have you tried this Knkbrand? or just putting this procedure out as a good one to try?

I don't use carbonation drops, but I purge a keg using Starsan and CO2. I add my sugar to a purged Brown PET bottle. Pressurize my PET bottle higher than my keg. I use a quick disconnects and a short tube to attach the brown PET bottle to the purged keg. The higher pressure in the PET bottle forces the sugarwater into the purged keg. I then transfer the beer from my pressure fermentation vessle into the purged jkeg with sugar water, then I bottle from the keg. I suggested the carbonation drops becuase It would be a lot less work. I mostly keg, but bottle sours and stouts as I don't drink them as often. You will need CO2 to push the beer from the fermzilla out into the bottles. You may be be able to gravity feed if the fermentation vessle is high enough and you release the pressure valve, but you run the risk of higher oxydation. Pushing with CO2 would be better. I believe you mentioned you have CO2 but I may be mistaken. Using carbonation drops you can just transfer straight from the fermentation vessle into bottles, this would require less equipment/work. Most pressure fermentation vessles use a floating dip tube, so you would stop filling bottles once the beer starts getting cloudy. Not really a big deal since you will be bottle conditioning, beer will clear in the bottles.

Definitely many ways to skin this cat.

 

[pawleysplayr]

I don't use carbonation drops, but I purge a keg using Starsan and CO2. I add my sugar to a purged Brown PET bottle. Pressurize my PET bottle higher than my keg. I use a quick disconnects and a short tube to attach the brown PET bottle to the purged keg. The higher pressure in the PET bottle forces the sugarwater into the purged keg. I then transfer the beer from my pressure fermentation vessle into the purged jkeg with sugar water, then I bottle. I suggested the carbonation drops becuase It would be a lot less work. I mostly keg, but bottle sours and stouts as I don't drink them as often. You will need CO2 to push the beer from the fermzilla out into the bottles. You may be be able to gravity feed if the fermentation vessle is high enough and you release the pressure valve, but you run the risk of higher oxydation. Pushing with CO2 would be better. I believe you mentioned you have CO2 but I may be mistaken. Using carbonation drops you can just transfer straight from the fermentation vessle into bottles, this would require less equipment/work. Most pressure fermentation vessles use a floating dip tube, so you would stop filling bottles once the beer starts getting cloudy. Not really a big deal since you will be bottle conditioning, beer will clear in the bottles.

Thanks for that description. Very interesting process.
I think if I pursue this pressure fermentation a modified version of this will be what I try....without the keg....and understanding the potential for oxygen exposure.



Maybe something like:
1. Try both to see which works best for me:
a. Starting without degassing to reduce carbonation and calculate priming sugar based on that pressure.
b. Degassing to near atmosphere by reducing spunding valce for a period of time and calculate priming sugar.
2. Add dissolved priming sugar to bottling bucket.
3. Transfer beer from fermenter to bottling bucket using CO2 tank and regulator (gently)
4. Bottle as normal.

 

[Knkbrand]

that would work for sure. Lots of different ways to tackle this for sure. I would aim to skip the bottling bucket all together, but the bottling bucket would work. I love my pressure fermentation vessle. Makes good lagers at room temp.

 

[pawleysplayr]

that would work for sure. Lots of different ways to tackle this for sure. I would aim to skip the bottling bucket all together, but the bottling bucket would work.

I started brewing in '92 on a 1/2 barrel system and went right to kegs. I quit around 2005 or so.
I had never bottled or bottle conditioned before this year when I decided to start back...well 2022

The bottling bucket is only in there to solve a problem I had early on....

I would add the dissolved sugar to the bottling bucket....and if I did not stir a bit, the sugar would stratify.....or this is the only explanation I can come up with.
Some bottles would carbonate....others flat as heck. No other defects.

Only once I started stirring gently before bottling did this go away.....was frustrating as heck.

That is why I kept the bottling bucket in the proposed process above....I have no other way to easily get the priming sugar into the beer and reliable mixed otherwise.

 

[Knkbrand]

I started brewing in '92 on a 1/2 barrel system and went right to kegs. I quit around 2005 or so.
I had never bottled or bottle conditioned before this year when I decided to start back...well 2022

The bottling bucket is only in there to solve a problem I had early on....

I would add the dissolved sugar to the bottling bucket....and if I did not stir a bit, the sugar would stratify.....or this is the only explanation I can come up with.
Some bottles would carbonate....others flat as heck. No other defects.

Only once I started stirring gently before bottling did this go away.....was frustrating as heck.

That is why I kept the bottling bucket in the proposed process above....I have no other way to easily get the priming sugar into the beer and reliable mixed otherwise.

yep, i had that issue as well, the sugar settling. That is why I use the purged keg, so I can roll it around and keep it mixed. I have used brewers best conditioning tabs, they are easy and work well, just expensive compared to corn sugar. you put anywhere from 3-5 in each bottle (depending on desired carbonation) before adding beer to bottle. You could then go straight from the fermentation vessle to each bottle bypassing the bucket.

 

[Ronald C Gregory]

One possibility (what I do) is to put sugar solution into your keg and purge it of oxygen, then close transfer from the fermzilla to the keg. Keep it room temperature for a day or two so that the priming sugar ferments and you'll get a decent pressure. You then want to cool the Keg as much as you can to dissolve maximum CO2 in the beer and then bottle with a beer wand directly from the keg. One way to cool your keg might be to submerge it in cold water in the tub. You can even add ice to help keep it cold. I've used this method in a garbage can to cool an entire fermzilla down running water out of a garden hose. There's no reason not to use jacketed cooling even if you have to make your own jacket

I'm getting ready to pressure ferment in a Keg starting later this week. Can i make an inexpensive adapter to my Keg that connects to a spring loaded bottling wand? something like just the connecter to the keg enough 3/8th line coming off of it and connect my wand to that then bottle that way? or does the pressure kill the wand? I can make the bottling wand adapter with spare parts at my LHBS easily. and I have a small garbage can that i fill with ice around my keg to quickly cool from about 60-64F where its stored in my basement.

 

[jerrylotto]

I'd advise getting a bottling gun. They are designed to bottle directly from a keg. I have the Blichmann gun and it works very well as long as the beer is carbonated and cold and the bottles are chilled. Of course if you are going to prime the keg with sugar, you don't need to chill anything and I've used that method as well bottling immediately after transferring to the keg.

 

[Ronald C Gregory]

I'd advise getting a bottling gun. They are designed to bottle directly from a keg. I have the Blichmann gun and it works very well as long as the beer is carbonated and cold and the bottles are chilled. Of course if you are going to prime the keg with sugar, you don't need to chill anything and I've used that method as well bottling immediately after transferring to the keg.

OK as a stop gap I'll make an adapter and hose for the output side of my keg and just crash the temp. I dont plan on bottling all the time but i would like the option since I'm not making a kegerator anytime soon

 

[wdavis2003]

As to proper lagers....I am making many ales and enjoying them....but this time of the year really I really makes me want to get some nice clean lagers in the bottle getting reading for the spring/summer. If the pressure fermenting makes this (or a close rendition) I'd like to give it a shot.

Pressure fermenting lagers with the Fermzilla has drastically increased the quality of my lagers. My best one to date, a pilsner using S-23 got up to 75 degrees in the fermzilla. Turned out crisp, clean, malty and my buddy said it's one of the best he's had.

When you figure out your conundrum you will be enjoying fantastic lagers.

 

[Civilian]

I plan to switch to kegging but a friend doesn't but we both want to pressure ferment and transfer to a bottle bucket (temporally for me). Couldn't i just dump the trub a couple times if necessary and then attach something to one of the bottom transfer caps and gravity transfer?