Keg to bottle?

[CantWinThisGame]

So I've been home-brewing for quite a while (15 years), with about an 8 year hiatus in there. Started with the extract brewing and bottling. When I got back into home-brewing due to a friend re-introducing me to it, I started doing the all-grain thing. In my opinion the all-grain route yields a MUCH better beer and is more easily customizable than extract brewing.

I got a bunch of bottles, and went back to my old ways of bottling everything. My friend always kegged his, so I decided I'd try this, and started kegging myself. What an unbelievable difference! The beer quality went up and the headache of bottling is gone now.

However, I really miss the portability of bottles. I certainly don't miss what a PITA bottling is though. Isn't there a way to use my existing kegging system to carbonate the beer and then bottle it without priming etc? I guess I have to experiment and tap from my keggerator into a bottle and cap it quick to see if it holds the carbonation. Anyone see problems doing it this way? Does anyone else bottle this way?

 

[ScotBrew]

I've heard of people doing this for taking 6 packs etc and I've always seen people use a Beergun. Tons of videos on youtube about them.

 

[IslandLizard]

Look up counter pressure bottling. Your kegged beer needs to be cold.

In a nutshell:

1. The #2 rubber stopper around your bottling wand seals the bottle opening providing the needed counter-pressure to reduce or eliminate foaming.
2. The bottle filler tube should be against or near the bottom of the bottle; you fill from the bottom.
3. You squeeze/tilt the stopper to let air out slowly which allows the bottle to fill under counter-pressure.
4. When full, stop the flow and pull the filler tube and stopper out.
5. Crimp the cap on.

Here's the most famous thread that started it all, there are quite a few others:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun.24678/

 

[camonick]

^^^This
I was typing this but lizard beat me to it. I fill many bottles this way.

 

[IslandLizard]

^^^This
I was typing this but lizard beat me to it. I fill many bottles this way.

Sorry...

 

[IslandLizard]

You can tweak your bottle carbonation level somewhat too by carbonating to a higher (or lower) level one or more days before bottling.

I get best results raising somewhat (2-4) psi for 24 hours, then filling at 4-6 psi lower than normal tap psi.

 

[bracconiere]

this is how simple it can be...1/4" tubing fits in my picnic tap perfectly.....

and i just use 1 liter soda bottles, i like the reusable caps!

 

[Jag75]

If I'm just filling a few to a 6 pack I fill like bracconiere does . I just slide the tube up the tap . The tube reaches the bottom of the bottle. I've filled bottles this way many times and even left for 3 weeks and when opened still had normal carb. If I'm bottling a whole batch for someone I use a Blichman v2 beer gun.

 

[camonick]

As I remove the wand, I give one last small burst from the tap to get some foam proud of the top of the bottle then crimp my cap on.

 

[CantWinThisGame]

Thanks for all the info guys!

 

[OleBrewing]

i normally dont bottle beer from keg for long term storage just for samples etc. I did however bottle a mead that has been around for 6-7 years. I carbed it to the high end and with mead there is no foaming issues, I took a bottle wand and used a 5-6 foot hose from keg and bottled 2 cases still good.

 

[bracconiere]

Thanks for all the info guys!

unlike your handle, other people here besides me will have you kickin' ass at this game!

 

[Mer-man]

Buy the brown PET bottles and a carbonator cap.

 

[CantWinThisGame]

unlike your handle, other people here besides me will have you kickin' ass at this game!

Ha, I use that handle a lot of places, and usually I don't lose too much most of the time.

 

[bracconiere]

Ha, I use that handle a lot of places, and usually I don't lose too much most of the time.

good for you! lol, i get my ass kicked all the time around here...

 

[Ridenour64]

I bought a blichman beer gun (V2) and I absolutely love this thing. Easy to purge bottles and fill with minimal foam. I would not go that route if your only looking to fill a couple at a time though. The cleaning and sanitizing of the beer gun is only worth it if your bottling a larger amount for storage, in my opinion.

 

[TenaCJed]

For travelling with me, I went with a 1 gallon mini-keg option with micro regulator! Love it!

If I were to do it again, I would have went with a 1.75 or 2.5 gallon keg though.

 

[fun4stuff]

Nothing beats kegging. I’ve done what is posted above: the poor man’s counter pressure filler. It’s not need though, especially if your tap has a flow regulator.

I chill my bottles first for 20-30 mins in freezer. Then use a growler filler to fill the bottles from bottom to top slowly. I fill to the brim. Put cap on. Quickly invert bottle (to cause it to foam) and then quickly secure the cap on. Filling it to the brim and causing some foam pushes all oxygen out. I’ve had beer stay good for 2 years like this.

If I’m just going to a party, I’ll fill growlers.

 

[CantWinThisGame]

I ended up buying a Blichmann beer gun 2.0 from Amazon yesterday. I watched some YouTube videos on it and it's super easy to take apart for cleaning.

I figure I'll use it quite a bit. My keggerator only holds 2 kegs, so I'd like to option of bottling half my brew so that I can cycle kegs faster. And then I will have more varieties of my homebrews readily available. I also fill growlers occasionally, and this will work for that too. Next step: figure out how to CAN my beer.

 

[IslandLizard]

I ended up buying a Blichmann beer gun 2.0 from Amazon yesterday. I watched some YouTube videos on it and it's super easy to take apart for cleaning.

I figure I'll use it quite a bit. My keggerator only holds 2 kegs, so I'd like to option of bottling half my brew so that I can cycle kegs faster. And then I will have more varieties of my homebrews readily available. I also fill growlers occasionally, and this will work for that too. Next step: figure out how to CAN my beer.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[RocketBrewer]

I've used almost every type of filling method, from simple off the tap, beer gun, Last Straw, counter-pressure, etc. Almost all have had foaming issues, can be wasteful, hard to clean and sanitize, or other issues. The Tapcooler is by far the easiest, quickest, most efficient, and best performing counter-pressure filler out there for filling bottles from a keg. You can easily switch between different taps if you want to do a variety to take with you. I can bottle 1 ea of 6 different beers in just minutes with virtually no waste. I love mine, it has made bottling a reasonable option for me again. Plus it only takes up slightly more space than the average cell phone when not in use. There is a minor change I'd make to it if it were up to me, and that would be a fixed 1/4" MFL fitting for the gas connection instead of the push-lock options that it has. I do see it's out of stock again at the moment though, they seem to have a hard time keeping it in stock.

 

[RCope]

X2 on the Tapcooler. I have used it enough times that it's efficient and so far my fear of oxidation hasn't proven to be a problem. There is a short learning curve for the device and the workflow.

Unable to share with friends at get-togethers so have been giving out six packs. It's also a good way to clear out space for a new keg without the drive to kick one . I'm going to bottle an Imperial stout for long term aging (6 months or so). That should be a pretty good test.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

this is how simple it can be...1/4" tubing fits in my picnic tap perfectly.....

View attachment 674969


and i just use 1 liter soda bottles, i like the reusable caps!

homer simpson OOOOO.
I've just been dropping pressure to 2 and purging keg then using a hose that goes to the bottom to fill a bottle that was in the freezer.
same with growlers.

does the stopper make that huge a difference if it'll be drunk quickly?

 

[IslandLizard]

homer simpson OOOOO.
I've just been dropping pressure to 2 and purging keg then using a hose that goes to the bottom to fill a bottle that was in the freezer.
same with growlers.

does the stopper make that huge a difference if it'll be drunk quickly?

The stopper provides for the counter pressure reducing foaming, CO2 from leaving the beer.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

The stopper provides for the counter pressure reducing foaming, CO2 from leaving the beer.

I'll need to give it a go then.

 

[fun4stuff]

Yeah foam isn’t an issue if you use a growler filler and fill from bottom up, use cold bottles/growlers and fill slowly. You can get slow flow by either turning down psi or turning flow rate down if you have flow control taps.

 

[CantWinThisGame]

... The Tapcooler is by far the easiest, quickest, most efficient, and best performing counter-pressure filler out there for filling bottles from a keg...

That looks awesome! Too bad I already ordered the beer gun. Oh well, we'll see how the beer gun works. It's Amazon, I can return it and get a tapcooler if I don't like it.

 

[bracconiere]

does the stopper make that huge a difference if it'll be drunk quickly?

@IslandLizard beat me to it....i'll add, it lets me fill slowly, so it stays carb'd.....if it's going to be drank that quickly, you'd just fill up a pitcher!!

 

[NitrogenWidget]

@IslandLizard beat me to it....i'll add, it lets me fill slowly, so it stays carb'd.....if it's going to be drank that quickly, you'd just fill up a pitcher!!

well, sometimes my growlers do foam a little which is annoying.
so i'll give this a try.

 

[Dog House Brew]

I have the 3 way CPBF. One way CO2, other way fill with exhaust pressure regulator. I got it from MoreB. I made an adjustable stand for it that works great. Now and then I do bottle batches for friends. Never an issue after months in the bottle with carbonation. I never worry about the overflow. The losses go into a clean bucket and hit my pint glass. My euro attachment on my Colonna capper bit the dust yesterday. Gonna have to figure that repair out. I think you will like the Bgun.

 

[CantWinThisGame]

So I got my Beer Gun delivered yesterday. I bottled a 12-pack from my keg in about 30 minutes (learning curve included). First few bottles didn't have a consistent fill line, but once I got the hang of it, they were mostly good.

I did NOT chill my bottles, but I think I will next time.

Cleanup was about 5-10 minutes, I didn't look at the clock. But it was relatively easy.

This beats the heck out of traditional priming, bottling, waiting three weeks.

I definitely give it - I will certainly be churning out more bottles. Like I said earlier, mostly so I can stock a better selection instead of only having two on tap at any given time. But also so I can experiment with bottle aging of my varieties.