Rate for Natural Degassing of Beer Question

[HopHeavy]

How long should it take for the volume of CO2 in 68° beer to reach atmospheric and temperature equilibrium when transferred FROM A PRESSURIZED KEG to a bottling bucket?

I recognize the beer will gradually degas until it reaches the volumes dictated by temperature, but what is the LONGEST time it should take? One hour? Six hours? Two days? Not looking for precision here, just a threshold that I might safely use to accurately prime to style (and avoid bottle bombs).

I actually have a glut of beer at the moment and want some to travel easier in the next few weeks. I intend to repeat the process occasionally. I have access to a bottling gun but have absolutely no desire to use it at the moment.

 

[day_trippr]

42

Cheers!

 

[EarthwormJim]

I don't know how you could be sure that co2 is at equalibrium without waiting a long time. It might be good enough to set a test glass out and wait 30 or 60 minutes after the bubbles stop coming up from the bottom. I don't know if that is even a good enough guage though.

I think the bigger problem is the prolonged exposure to the air while it sits in the bucket oxidizing the beer. I have seen a few threads where people have filled bottles like growlers are filled. Attach a tube to the tap that is long enough to reach the bottom of the bottle, turn the gas down so there is just enough pressure to push the beer out of the keg then fill and cap. Some put the tube through a stopper like the beer gun for a little back pressure to control the foam.

If you really want to carb in the bottles I would take the keg off the gas and vent it over the course of a day or two until no more comes out, measure and add the sugar directly to the bottles, hook the gas back up at low pressure then fill right from the keg. That way no air touches the beer. You would have to wait for the keg to carb back up though.

 

[MagicMatt]

I get what you're asking, but not sure why in the world you'd want to do that. The time the beer is sitting in the bucket "degassing" is time spent exposed to oxygen. You'll end up with stale beer before you end up with flat beer.

I know you said you don't want to use a bottling gun, but might I suggest just a simple length of beer line from your faucet/spigot? Just keep the pressure on the keg down to 1-2 psi, and you can fill bottles with carbed beer with ease (and no mess provided everything is kept cold). It's way easier IMO than dumping beer and waiting for it to degas before adding sugar to regas it. I bottle fill from my kegs all of the time for competitions and such. It's a piece of cake and takes only a minute.