Bottling Kegged Beer - Help Needed

[Nwalesmith]

Any tips or tricks out there? I have a blichmann beer gun that I have not used yet. I have a Bourbon Barrel Porter aging in kegs right now and I want to bottle. Thoughts?

 

[Kaz]

I have the beer gun and it works great. Tips...don't overcarb the beer, let your bottles chill before filling, make sure you turn down the CO2 pressure on the keg before bottling (I think I usually go to about 5 or 6 PSI), have a bucket nearby to sit the beer gun down in while you're bottling. Don't forget to purge the bottle with CO2 before filling, and then shoot some CO2 in the headspace before capping.

 

[Nwalesmith]

Thanks Kaz. What do you mean when you say purge the bottle with CO2?

 

[Kaz]

The Blichmann gun has 2 triggers on it, one for CO2 and one for the beer. To purge, you put the gun all the way into the bottle and give it a good 5 sec. blast of just CO2. That pushes out the O2 and helps prevent the beer from picking up any oxygen that can lead to off flavors from oxidation. Immediately after you purge, then you press the trigger for the beer and also fill from the bottom up. Another tip, don't squeeze the beer trigger halfway or slowly, give it a good quick pull so that the valve opens all the way quickly. If you only squeeze half way or slowly, it will throttle the beer through the valve and cause it to foam up on you. It can be a little frustrating the first time you use it and it may take you a few times to find the set up that works best for you. But I've stored bottles for a few months and they've all turned out fine. Good luck!