We no need no stinking beer gun...

[cat007]

Ok I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Perhaps I've over-carbonated the beer - however I have previously bottled this batch of beer without too much hassle.
Now whenever I try and bottle I get a decent amount of foaming in the beer line, which in turn relates to massive foaming in the bottles - the the point there the beer doesn't even get up to the curve of the neck before the foam is trying to squirt out between the stopped and the top of the bottle.
I have tried at 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20psi. Nothing really seems to help. Bubbles still appear in the tubing between the tap and the keg.
Perhaps I'm using too bigger I/D beer line? I'm using 6mm I/D clear tubing....

Really wanting to bottle a couple of kegs worth of beer before the weekend and the RWC (go the All Blacks!).

Any ideas?

Cheers
Hunt

 

[day_trippr]

You've bottled the very same batch without issue before? Unless you've changed something in your setup, I'd have to guess the beer is significantly higher carbed now than before.

Foaming in the line is typically caused by either line temperature or insufficient length for its inside diameter to provide enough resistance to maintain the carbonation level - or both. And 6mm line is a fairly wide bore - almost 1/4" ID, which takes a lot more line per unit of resistance than 3/16" ID (~ 4.5mm).

Given what you've provided I'd guess that you were on the edge of problems with this batch before and with the passage of time under pressure it's gone over the edge...

Cheers!

 

[jhenderson27]

I force car at 21psi for most beers with beer at 34* then let settle for a day, bleed pressure out of keg, turn regulator to 2-4psi, reattach air to keg then fill. Never had a foam issue.

 

[BierMuncher]

...Bubbles still appear in the tubing between the tap and the keg.

Bubbles appearing quickly in the line is a sign of over carbonation. Kill the gas. Remove the lid. Use a sanitized paddle to gently stir the beer and knock some CO2 out (be very careful not to cause gushing). Replace the lid and repressurize to 4PSI, burp the relief valve to purge O2 and try again.

 

[cat007]

Thanks BierMuncher. Unfortunately the beer is in a Sanke keg - so kinda tricky to stir the beer to get rid of some C02. Perhaps giving the keg a bit of a shake would do?

 

[cat007]

So I shook the keg a bit to de-gas it (which is a bit of a shame as all the hops and yeast that had settled to the bottom is now floating around inside the beer lol) and used some 4mm I/D clear plastic tubing (3.5meters of it) and it seemed to be almost perfect. Still getting a bit of foam - but not an annoying amount - sometimes it foams a bit much and I end up with a beer that's 'for me and no-one else'. But other than that it's fine.

Thanks for your help

 

[brettwasbtd]

Possible stupid question... I just got into kegging and use picnic taps, so can I just shove the racking cane part of this into the tap? Or should I get a separate tap/line setup just for this?

 

[djt17]

Possible stupid question... I just got into kegging and use picnic taps, so can I just shove the racking cane part of this into the tap? Or should I get a separate tap/line setup just for this?

I just shove the racking cane into the picnic tap, works great

 

[JasontheBeaver]

Agreed, no dedicated setup. Though I use a bottling wand with the valve on the tip shoved into the picnic tap.

 

[dinnerstick]

does anyone use this contraption for non-beer drinks, i force carbed and bottled this years elderflower wine, (can't find my notes at the moment but...) i setted-and-fergetted at something like 1.2 bar / 17 psi, turned the gas way down to bottle, and it really bubbled out in the line. the wine is carbed ok in the bottles but how can i preserve a higher level of carbonation in a relatively thin bodied drink? my total experience bottling from kegs is this batch of wine and a sixer of perfectly carbed stout which went really well. cheers
also for those out there who are 1. a nerdy scientist with access to disposable lab equipment and 2. not in possession of a broken racking cane, a standard 10 ml serological pipet with the narrow top bit hacksawed off and the bottom sawed at a slant fits exactly into a picnic tap.
great technique, great thread! get drunk

 

[Wobbegong]

Agreed, no dedicated setup. Though I use a bottling wand with the valve on the tip shoved into the picnic tap.

Same here. I use a bottling wand inserted into the picnic tap. I reduce the psi in the keg to almost nothing (1-2 psi I guess) and lock the tap open. The auto stop action of the bottle wand valve makes it real easy. I dont even use a stopper on the wand, but I do cap each bottle as I fill it.

I cracked open a bottle I filled using this technique that was around 5 months old. Perfectly carbonated and no oxidation flavors. It works.

 

[cat007]

Agreed, no dedicated setup. Though I use a bottling wand with the valve on the tip shoved into the picnic tap.

Hey

I thought about this - but haven't tried. Does the valve on the bottom not disturb the flow of beer and cause it to foam?

I'm keen to try, as I've found I get the most foam when I'm starting the frist 1-2 bottles. Once I've started, and I move from bottle to bottle, it's fine. But when I stop, to cap or just get more bottles, the next 1-2 ended up foaming a lot.

Cheers
Hunt

 

[kosmokramer]

Im sure this has been answered in here somewhere but without sifting through 70 pages of responses what is the longest period of time someone has used this for without loss of co2?

 

[jhenderson27]

Im at a year on some.

 

[brew2enjoy]

Just tried this out for the first time. Works like a charm!

 

[voicelex]

Question: How do I clean my new DIY Beer Gun?.... Seems like it makes more work than the "ad" describes.

 

[jksweet]

you talk about keg to bottle,,, how about bottle to keg? is this poss ? i have a pumpkin ale that is under carbed and was thinking of throwing it in a keg and force carbing it. Do-able?

 

[hopthepot]

i just dumped a batch of barleywine that was over-carbonated from bottles into a keg and let it condition for a few weeks and it is tasting great.

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

you talk about keg to bottle,,, how about bottle to keg? is this poss ? i have a pumpkin ale that is under carbed and was thinking of throwing it in a keg and force carbing it. Do-able?

Yes.

If you worry about oxidation add 1/4 teaspoon of ascorbic or citric acid to the keg before dumping bottles into it and pour your beer along the side if possible.

Ascorbic is less likely to influence flavour. To much citric and it will taste like you dropped a lemon in your drink.

Also, I would purge the keg then shake on co2 for 30 seconds then purge again to make sure any O2 is out of the beer.

 

[SouthPhillyBrewer]

I've got a quick question; I kegged my pale ale which was at room temp, ~68F, and put 18psi on to force carbonate. I made a small guess by a chart i was looking at and realize now that I should have put about 27psi on the beer but too late now. The reason that my beer is so warm is that I don't have space in my fridge right now to cool the keg and I will be traveling with the beer where i wouldn't be able to keep them cold.

My primary concern is after I bottle my beer and I cool them in a week or so, will them be bottle bombs?

 

[TrainSafe]

As long as you are bottling using the method in this thread and not adding priming sugar you will be just fine.

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

I've got a quick question; I kegged my pale ale which was at room temp, ~68F, and put 18psi on to force carbonate. I made a small guess by a chart i was looking at and realize now that I should have put about 27psi on the beer but too late now. The reason that my beer is so warm is that I don't have space in my fridge right now to cool the keg and I will be traveling with the beer where i wouldn't be able to keep them cold.

My primary concern is after I bottle my beer and I cool them in a week or so, will them be bottle bombs?

No. as the temp rises you need more pressure to dissolve the same amount of co2 into the beer. So if you need X psi at your room temp to get the desired carbonation and and take it off the gas and you lower the temp to say 4 degrees you will still have the same amount of co2 in the beer. Pressure needed to maintain that carbonation (not needed unless you are pouring beer, storage purposes requires no maintenance once beer is carbed) will be lower.

BTW you could still raise the pressure to 27psi now. I don't understand why you think it is to late.

 

[jdd12364]

Just Bottled 3 gallons of Pumkin' Ale to share with family , 1st time I have sucessfuly bottled up kegged beer to take with me , Thanks for sharing this idea !!!!
Happy Thanksgiving !!!

 

[Tom_FL]

Any problem with bottling a beer that needs aging with this method. I have a Russian Imperial Stout (brewed 45 days ago) that I need get out of the pipeline. It is currently in a corny at room temp aging but I have decided I would rather have the keg back in service. I want age this beer a few more months. Any problem bottling it up with the BMBF and letting it sit on the shelf to age. I can't see any issues but did want to double check.

I have BMBF other beers with no problems.

Tom

 

[dale1038]

Any problem with bottling a beer that needs aging with this method. I have a Russian Imperial Stout (brewed 45 days ago) that I need get out of the pipeline. It is currently in a corny at room temp aging but I have decided I would rather have the keg back in service. I want age this beer a few more months. Any problem bottling it up with the BMBF and letting it sit on the shelf to age. I can't see any issues but did want to double check.

I have BMBF other beers with no problems.

Tom

Nope. As long as your sanitation is good. I have year old beers bottled with the bmbf!

 

[neb_brewer]

The two beers that I've done with this method have had almost NO head, even when poured out of the bottle vigorously. Both beers had a nice head dispensing off the keg, especially the RIS.

Anyone else experiencing this? The carbonation is fine, its just the head is nonexistent. I'm wondering if its because I'm not letting the sanitizer completely dry before bottling. I'm considering letting the sanitizer dry overnight then giving the bottles a quick blast of cold water right at bottling like the OP is doing now.

 

[TheCrowsNest]

The two beers that I've done with this method have had almost NO head, even when poured out of the bottle vigorously. Both beers had a nice head dispensing off the keg, especially the RIS.

Anyone else experiencing this? The carbonation is fine, its just the head is nonexistent. I'm wondering if its because I'm not letting the sanitizer completely dry before bottling. I'm considering letting the sanitizer dry overnight then giving the bottles a quick blast of cold water right at bottling like the OP is doing now.

How long did you have them bottled? My bottles are still wet with sanitizer when I fill them and I fill them with the glass at room temp - many bottles later, still no issues.

 

[neb_brewer]

I tried them at different lengths in the bottles (I've been bottling the whole batch at once). Some the night I bottled. Some a week or two later. All with the same result. I've also wondered if time in the fridge has any impact so I put 2 of the RIS in the fridge 3 days ago and will try them tonight. I also fill with the glass at room temp and don't have any issues w/ foaming while filling the bottles.

 

[TheCrowsNest]

what type of cleaner and sanitizer do you use? maybe you're getting a residue in the bottle that breaks down those head forming proteins.

if they're not carbonated at all then you're getting a bad seal when you bottle or with the crown caps most likely.

 

[neb_brewer]

I use StarSan. Mixed up a fresh batch before this last bottling.

The carbonation seems fine. Its just the head when poured is nonexistent.

 

[AdamWiz]

I have a couple general question about bottles filled from a keg, and this seems like a good place to ask.

1.) Since the beer is already carbonated and cold when filled, does that mean I have to keep the bottles cold from there on out? Or can I bottle cold and then let the bottles sit at room/cellar temp? I recall that increasing the temperature also increases pressure - therefore if a beer is bottled with say 2.5 volumes of CO2 at 40 degrees, wouldn't that equal a lot more pressure once they warmed up? I am worried about bottle bombs. But I suppose if you guys are submitting beers bottled this way to competitions, that means that they have to be shipped and thus warm up.

2.) Are you able to bottle higher carbonated beers this way than when you are bottle conditioning? I have been told that the limit for standard amber bottles is something like 3-3.5 volumes. But it seems to me that may be taking into consideration the additional pressure generated while the beer is carbonating, and maybe they could hold a higher carb level if they are filled with already-carbonated beer. Am I right?

 

[HokieBrewer]

I have a couple general question about bottles filled from a keg, and this seems like a good place to ask.

1.) Since the beer is already carbonated and cold when filled, does that mean I have to keep the bottles cold from there on out? Or can I bottle cold and then let the bottles sit at room/cellar temp? I recall that increasing the temperature also increases pressure - therefore if a beer is bottled with say 2.5 volumes of CO2 at 40 degrees, wouldn't that equal a lot more pressure once they warmed up? I am worried about bottle bombs. But I suppose if you guys are submitting beers bottled this way to competitions, that means that they have to be shipped and thus warm up.

Can't say I've ever used the BM beer gun, but going along with that logic, any time you chill a beer after it's naturally carbonated in the bottle, it should be severely undercarbed when you pour it. But that's not the case, so I don't think the pressures are any different...

 

[mistercameron]

I'm not entirely sure what my problem is, but I wonder how great this contraption is. I've spilled quite a lot of beer and have that stopper pop out and squirt beer in my eyes more times than I can count. It seems that as long as you don't stop filling for too long and the pressure is low enough you don't really need the stopper.

 

[djt17]

I'm not entirely sure what my problem is, but I wonder how great this contraption is. I've spilled quite a lot of beer and have that stopper pop out and squirt beer in my eyes more times than I can count. It seems that as long as you don't stop filling for too long and the pressure is low enough you don't really need the stopper.

I have never used the stopper; I chill the bottles, turn the psi down to about 1-2, & cap on foam. I have tried bottles 2 months later; they were still fully carbonated. I mostly bottle 2l soda bottles, for parties.

 

[JasontheBeaver]

I have never used the stopper; I chill the bottles, turn the psi down to about 1-2, & cap on foam. I have tried bottles 2 months later; they were still fully carbonated. I mostly bottle 2l soda bottles, for parties.

I follow the exact same procedure and I wholeheartedly concur. I never saw the point of the stopper.

 

[mistercameron]

Well I'm glad I'm not alone then. There's nothing like the burn of beer in your eyes. on the brighter side, SWMBO must be wondering why the garage floor is so clean in front of the kegerator. It's my secret.

I did notice that turning the pressure down a bit more helped when I was bottling last night. The only foam I had was from the wand between bottles.

 

[Yambor44]

I've asked about the stopper and don't remember if I ever got a definitive answer. I think the claim is that it helps hold the CO2 in the beer. Personally I have done it both ways and don't see the difference in CO2 retention in beers at least 6 months old in the bottle.

I keg straight out of the tap now at 12 psi, no stopper most of the time and just run the beer over a little on the first one. Then I cap on foam on that one and of course each one after. I let a bucket sitting on the floor underneath catch the extra that falls out of the tube and overflow.

 

[dawgmatic]

I think the stopper was meant to keep foam from developing by ensuring that there's pressure in the bottle as it was being filled. This way the CO2 wouldn't diffuse right away

 

[nostalgia]

The stopper is there to regulate the flow of beer, as well as to keep backpressure on the beer to keep foaming to a minimum.

It's especially useful for those of us who don't disconnect our kegs from the system and bottle at serving pressure, rather than trying to use the tap to regulate the flow.

-Joe

 

[JasontheBeaver]

I could see the stopper helping slow the flow if you bottle at serving pressure.
My question is why would you bottle at that pressure? Am I missing something? Using a cane pressed into a picnic tap is so easy.