It worked!!! Definitely an easy way to carb up a sample, but there's no way to dial in carb volume and potential for a mess is there if not careful. I do think it helps to cool the beer first before carbonating and to pour it immediately. I have to say, I was surprised by how easy it was and how well it worked.
Couple of things.
1) I picked up .5L Soda Stream bottles instead of the 1L bottles we normally use. I did this so it would be easier to fill the bottle with the thief, and thinking less chance of a mess since a 1L bottle would require more CO2.
2) There is no way to dial in carbonation volumes, but foam in top of Soda Stream bottle is a good indicator.
My process was as follows:
1) Transfer beer from Carboy to .5L Soda Stream bottle using thief (standard sanitation methods apply)
Note: My beer was lagering at 36-38*. If at fermentation temps or warmer, I would add a few pumps of C02 into empty .5L bottle first, cap immediately, then transfer beer. Then place Soda Stream bottle with beer into refrigerator until cool before carbonating.
2) Insert bottle with beer in Soda Stream as you would normally do, but place the entire unit in the sink or 5 Gal bucket. I covered the whole thing with a dish cloth in case there was any over spray or explosive bottle upon extraction.
3) Over a 3-5 minute period add 1 pump of CO2 at a time. No more than 2 second pumps. Do this 3-4 times until sizable head forms in the bottle.
4) Carefully release bottle with towel over the unit.
5) Pour into glass. (Next time I will try capping and refrigerate to see how well it keeps carbonation.)
6) Rinse Soda Stream bottle with warm water, fill with warm water and insert back into Soda Stream unit and give it max pressure to clean out the Soda Stream needle and gasket mechanism.
The initial pour resulted in a good head. There were noticeable bubbles in the beer, though the carbonation volume was a little less than I prefer, but for tasting a sample it worked great and way better than the flat hyrdo samples I've pulled in the past. I guess through trial and error you can get it right. I did use a brand new canister. For those of you who already have a Soda Stream you know that as they run low you have to depress the Soda Stream mechanism for longer periods to achieve higher carb levels.
I'll post a few pics.
And oh, I forgot, on this batch I was rushed on brew day and accidentally milled a pound of honey malt instead of 1/4 lbs. So while I was intending to make a Kolsch, I guess I wound up with a honey ale. Still tastes pretty damn good and I can't wait to get it in the keg and on CO2 in another month.
