Bottling from a keg

[mbaker33]

Hey Guys,

I keg my beer, but occasionally, I wouldn't mind giving a few bottles to friends to take home with them, or taking a few bottles to poker night, or whatever. I was wondering, what others use for bottling from their kegs. I have an extra quick disconnect and hose, but I was wondering how long the bottle would hold its carbonation, and if the little bit of oxygen would cause a problem. I'm not interested in getting a Blichmann beer gun at this point, too much money for the amount I would use it.

Thanks in advance,

Mark

 

[android]

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

easy and reliable method to bottle kegged beer.

 

[WorryWort]

+1 on the above. works great, I even half-assed this project and left out the racking cane (just tubing) and I've entered competition with that beer. It will hold carbonation forever, as long as the bottle is sealed properly.

 

[duskb]

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

easy and reliable method to bottle kegged beer.

I've been meaning to ask about that thread. I recently picked up one of those corny picnic taps and have wondered why I can't just tilt the bottle and flow the beer into the bottle and cap it. I typically fill empty bottles all the time when I drink homebrew (bottles do better while working outside) and I've never noticed a huge problem with head. How well does this method work and what happens if you cap over a small to moderate head?

Also I've kicked around the idea of using repurposed 2 liter bottles over to friends houses on game nights. How well would that work?

 

[Poindexter]

You can use 2 liter bottles as growlers. Half gallon screw top growlers with lids run about $8 each up here, highway robbery. But if you got 2L bottles, those will be fine.

the trick to filling a growler is get it "clean enough" for however long you expect the beer to last, and keep it darn cold.

CO2 solubility varies proportionately with temperature. The warmer beer gets, the more it foams. When I fill growlers I use my racking cane in the opening of a regular picnic tap so I can fill from the bottom, take a clean growler out of the freezer, and submerge it in an icewater bath while filling. I have almost no foam to deal with. Cap and go dude.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

I use old 2 litre Soda bottles all the time to empty kegs for my next beer. As long as the beer is cold you can fill it up from the bottom, let the foam push out until your getting liquid and throw on the cap. The beer has lasted months in somewhat warm storage and still is great on cracking it open. I have also used them for ciders, meads, etc. Great for bringing to a party and the most effective recycling I can think of.

 

[KYB]

What about attaching a hose to the faucet and filling it up with as little foam as possible (cold bottles, etc)? Wouldn't this work if I plan to drink it within a few days? Or would the bottles explode? They probably will get warmed up. I plan to take growlers places most of the time (cheap ones are $3 at the liquor store), but am curious about capping bottles.

I don't want to go through the hassle of the no beer gun thread every time I want to bottle a few bottles. I don't want to bottle a lot at once because I don't know how many I will need in the future and would rather pour from the keg instead of drinking extra bottles.

 

[hal2814]

My method is to cut the carbonation to like 3-5 PSI when bottling and pour it straight from the tap. The low pressure keeps the carbonation from getting out of suspension. It takes a long time per bottle but if you're only doing 1 or 2, it's no big deal. If you're concerned about losing a bit of carbonation, you can jack up the pressure by 5PSI or so in your keg a few days before bottling. That way when you drop to 3-5PSI and pour, you're back to where you started after you lose some carbonation to the headspace.