Help bottling from a Keg!

[jwheelz]

So, I've got my beer all kegged and carbed up, but I'm not sure how to fill up bottles from my keg. In the past I've just filled a growler with very low pressure to prevent foaming, but I've always drank that in the next day or two.

How do I go about filling two bottles to turn into a competition that may not be opened for another month or so? I'm worried about losing all my carbonation. Any tips?

I did see the sticky in the Kegging section, I'm just wondering if anyone has had any success with out beer guns, or making a trip to thier Home brew store and making a DIY style contraption.

I'm thinking if I just fill it 100% full with little to no foam, and then cap right on the foam I should be okay. Anyone every try this? Thanks.

 

[ThatGuyRyan]

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

build this or buy a beer gun. I used the DIY one before and it works just not as good as a beer gun.

They also have some tips that go into the tap someone was making but I never tried them. I have also filled directly from the tap but it not the best for long term.

Found the link to the tap setup.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f41/bottling-wand-perlick-525-75-aka-bowie-bottler-228344/

 

[edmanster]

I've used a foot long piece of flexible tubing where the OD is close to the faucet ID enough to create a seal.. Open the faucet to evacuate a little foam when there is sum close it.. Tubing in bottle fill and cap.. I try to cap on the foam but if I'm doing like 10 bottles I have a co2 line with a little air gun to blanket the top before I cap..

 

[roxbob]

I guess I'm unconvinced that the wand/tubing setups are necessary - I've recently started bottling right from the tap, and it has worked pretty well.

Assuming that I'm going to lose a bit of carbonation during the process, I first overcarbonate the desired volume slightly. When I'm ready to bottle, I reduce the pressure to about 4 psi, fill the sanitized bottles until the foam comes all the way to the top, and then cap on the foam. At that low pressure, the beer doesn't really start to foam until it hits the neck, so I don't think I'm losing much more CO2 that I would with a wand. Once the bottle's capped, I don't think it makes any difference what method you used, no more CO2 is going to escape at that point.

My first batch or two were a little undercarbed using this method, which is why I've been compensating with a bit of extra carbonation before bottling. Since I've been doing that, I've had no problems.

 

[jetmac]

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

build this or buy a beer gun. I used the DIY one before and it works just not as good as a beer gun.

They also have some tips that go into the tap someone was making but I never tried them. I have also filled directly from the tap but it not the best for long term.

Found the link to the tap setup.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f41/bottling-wand-perlick-525-75-aka-bowie-bottler-228344/

+1

You just need to set up a picnic tap if you haven't already, and follow the directions for the "we don't need no stinkin beer gun". I used the picnic tap setup for quite awhile until I got the Bowie Bottler.

The Bowie Bottler is sweet. Very easy to use and not as messy as the picnic tap set up in my experience.

You won't lose all of your carbonation. You may want to over carb a bit if it will make you feel better. But it depends on how far away the cpmpetition is.

 

[bk0]

Counter pressure bottle filler. That's how the commercial breweries do it.

 

[jetmac]

Counter pressure bottle filler. That's how the commercial breweries do it.

That's complicated and unnecessary. The picnic tap thingy and the Bowie Bottler are simple, way less expensive and easy to use.

 

[Schumed]

Any worries going from cold kegged beered to room temp to back to cold...for competitions?

 

[edmanster]

Any worries going from cold kegged beered to room temp to back to cold...for competitions?

No!!