We no need no stinking beer gun...

[LabRatBrewer]

So, this method rocks. Here's my question, though. Once you're done and you disconnect it from keg, how in the heck to you get liquid in this hose to clean it?? The little nub that pushes down the poppet must be depressed in order to allow air and liquid to flow, but how can you do that when its not on the keg?

This one confusion aside, though, this is an awesome solution, BM!

Geniz has a simple solution: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/diy-beer-line-cleaner-226497/index11.html

 

[k_mcarthur]

I'm a newbie to all of this but I've only kegged up until now, figured it would be the easiest route. Now I do three different kinds and cornies are hard to find now. So I decided to bottle what I have in the keg to make room for the next batch. This method worked great for me first time. Best idea ever.

 

[reuliss]

Geniz has a simple solution: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/diy-beer-line-cleaner-226497/index11.html

This is perfect!

 

[newbies13]

Hey everyone,

I've been following this thread for awhile now, and I see some people with fantastic success in bottling from the keg with this method.

Unfortunately, I'm not having that same success. It's really frustrating and I ask for your help before I purchase a beer gun. You guys are my last hope!

I've followed all these instructions and recommendations exactly. I have 10 feet of tubing that connects my beer out to the racking cane, made per the instructions. I have my beer carbed to the correct psi, then bled off and bottled at around 3 psi. I sanitize and freeze all bottles tubing, and other bottling parts.

I'm still getting up to half the bottle full of foam!

My beer lines are super foamy when they out of the bottling line...and yet the kegerator itself works fantastically with no issues.

How much foam do you get when you pour normal glasses of beer? With so much foam in the line I would suspect that:

• You fast forced carbed with agitation, which makes your beer very foamy until it settles.
• You have a small air hole somewhere in the line that is allowing it to foam.

Both of those should be present regardless of wether you are filling bottles or just pouring a glass though. I am no expert, having only kegged 2 batches myself, but those were some issues I ran into, especially the fast carbing.

 

[reuliss]

Hey everyone,

I've been following this thread for awhile now, and I see some people with fantastic success in bottling from the keg with this method.

Unfortunately, I'm not having that same success. It's really frustrating and I ask for your help before I purchase a beer gun. You guys are my last hope!

I've followed all these instructions and recommendations exactly. I have 10 feet of tubing that connects my beer out to the racking cane, made per the instructions. I have my beer carbed to the correct psi, then bled off and bottled at around 3 psi. I sanitize and freeze all bottles tubing, and other bottling parts.

I'm still getting up to half the bottle full of foam!

My beer lines are super foamy when they out of the bottling line...and yet the kegerator itself works fantastically with no issues.

I even made a video of my troubles

Video Link: http://youtu.be/SIkVwElE0PE

Please everyone, you're my last hope! Unless I can solve this problem, I'll be purchasing a beer gun. I need to have good consistent bottles for competition, and this method seems to be anything but consistent.

Thanks in advance!

Something is wrong with your ball lock that is disturbing the flow and causing it to foam. Could be the poppet, but if you don't have issues when it's hooked up to the tap, I would try a different ball lock.

 

[brewpood]

I did this last night to bottle about 4 gallons from a keg. It worked well, except that I kept letting the bottles overflow. Should be better next time. Thanks!

 

[brewpood]

Oops! My beer had been overcarbed in the keg, and I must have let out too much CO2 before I bottled, or my technique with the gun was bad. Fail! My bottles now have 0 carbonation.

What are my options here? Let it sit for 3 weeks and see if it carbs in the bottle? Re-prime and re-bottle? Or give up on this batch, which has taught me a lot as a newbie but isn't the brew I was hoping for?
Thanks!

 

[newbies13]

I don't know how you could go from over carbed to zero carb in a couple of days unless your caps were really leaky. Either way if there is no carbonation left, I would just try and prime them with sugar and recap, oxidization may be an issue, but can't hurt to try.

 

[njrockpd]

I know this is a very old thread and I can't read all 103 pages, but on page one someone said that you might lose carbonation after about a week using this method. In the video below it would seem that the bottle is pretty well carbonated as it actually stopped the flow of the brew for a bit. This seems like a similar method so I wonder is this method any different from the one on the original page and if not will bottling the "poor man's" way lose carbonation after a week or so?

 

[bob3000]

I have been getting some oxidation in my last batch after using this method. It was fine for a few weeks but then all of a sudden it turned.

Anybody else have this issue?

 

[reuliss]

I have been getting some oxidation in my last batch after using this method. It was fine for a few weeks but then all of a sudden it turned.

Anybody else have this issue?

Nope. Important to cap on foam.

 

[BeervanaPDX]

I know this is a very old thread and I can't read all 103 pages, but on page one someone said that you might lose carbonation after about a week using this method. In the video below it would seem that the bottle is pretty well carbonated as it actually stopped the flow of the brew for a bit. This seems like a similar method so I wonder is this method any different from the one on the original page and if not will bottling the "poor man's" way lose carbonation after a week or so?

the method on page one and in the video should not loose carb. I just opened a bottle yesterday that was 60days in fridge and the carb was great.
The video is basically showing you the method described on page one. although it is a good video he does not show you to completion since he is using a clear wine bottle. the video is missing the neck fill and cap.

 

[jwible204]

I've been using this method since 2010 and have bottles that are over a year old. No oxidation, ever, it works flawlessly if you cap on foam. It works so well I am reluctant to buy the Blichmann beer gun, if it aint broke don't fix it.

 

[MuddyCreek]

um... subbed

 

[keezerj]

I don't know if this was covered in the thread but wouldn't you need to sanitize the bottles first? It said to either put the bottles in the freezer or just rinse them off to get them cold. Is that ok or should they be sanitized right before bottling because the sanitizer would warm them back up?

 

[reuliss]

I don't know if this was covered in the thread but wouldn't you need to sanitize the bottles first? It said to either put the bottles in the freezer or just rinse them off to get them cold. Is that ok or should they be sanitized right before bottling because the sanitizer would warm them back up?

Make a star Stan solution and fill the bottles with them and stash them in the back of your fridge.

 

[mike_in_winchester]

I don't know if this was covered in the thread but wouldn't you need to sanitize the bottles first? It said to either put the bottles in the freezer or just rinse them off to get them cold. Is that ok or should they be sanitized right before bottling because the sanitizer would warm them back up?

I use ice as part of the water in my Star San, it gets/keeps the bottles quite cold.

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

or use platic wrap and an elastic over the bottle top before fridging them.

I usually use plastic bottles; so not a problem.

 

[fc36]

This is a repost from another thread, but I've been meaning to post my method here in this thread for a while now.

Anyway, I have the benefit of working in the CEMS industry and have access to some awesome 3/8" PFA tubing. It's way better than plastic racking canes or standard 3/8" beer hose because it's incredibly stiff and can hold a shape, but is still bendable and creates an asstight seal in a cobra tap. I cut mine into about 12-16" sections and cut an angle at one end. I jam the straight cut end into my cobra tap and slip a #2 bung over the tube and then the angle notched side goes down into any 12 or 22oz bottle and I fill 'er up, taking care to "burp" off excess CO2 with the bung. My bottles last FOREVER and it also works great with growlers if you have the right size bung.

When I first started kegging, I built a Blichmann Beergun clone out of spare SS swagelok fittings lying around our shop. It's a serious looking beergun and has two thumb valves going to a T which feeds across a needle valve (CO2 bleedoff) and down into a 1' section of SS tubing. I used it a couple times and it produces the same results as my buddy's beergun, but the PFA tubing method works just as well and I can bottle up a six-pack in under 3 minutes on my way out the door to a friend's house. Needless to say, the $150 or so of swagelok fittings are now just a fancy shiny paperweight in my brewbox.

We just cleaned up our shop (Company President is coming for a visit) and now I have a whole mess of 3/8" PFA scrap pieces that are just begging to be made into ghetto beerguns. People can PM me if they want some. Just provide your own #2 bung and cobra tap hooked up to a keg and you're all set.

 

[oasisbliss]

I bottled 24, and am now storing at room temp 72F
How long will these stay good and (fresh) ?

 

[homebrewed505]

I bottled 24, and am now storing at room temp 72F How long will these stay good and (fresh) ?

I have strong beers like a barley wine that I bottled last long over a year and taste great. And regular ales 6 months to a year if they don't get consumed by then!

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

They will store longer if below 60F (cellar temp) barring any microbes that may have entered the beer.

 

[eluterio]

I bottled 24, and am now storing at room temp 72F
How long will these stay good and (fresh) ?

I would recommend after 2 weeks put it in cold storage the colder the better but not in a freezer. Cold storage will help preserve the freshness.

 

[pattim]

Here's something I found on the net a while ago. Thanks to Ken Schwartz! It rocks!

very good

 

[scutiger]

Just used the original method for the first time today to bottle an 11% Belgian Dark Strong I made several months ago. Went rather smoothly, however being the first time, I made a mess. Should go much smoother next time.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

not having much success with this method, I think my problem may lie with a short fluid tube and not setting my psi to 5,

 

[yewtah-brewha]

any good videos out there?

 

[DigB]

Subscribed......Good Stuff!!

 

[nthammer]

Just used the original method for the first time today to bottle an 11% Belgian Dark Strong I made several months ago. Went rather smoothly, however being the first time, I made a mess. Should go much smoother next time.

Same here, I think next time I will do it in a bucket like OP says, and also thinking about cutting the stopper in half so that it doesn't go so far into the bottle, should get less headspace that way. I have 7' beer lines and had no issues with foam.

 

[jaydog2314]

I can't seem to get anything but half a bottle of foam with this method. I just swapped out my 6 ft lines for 10ft but I've been keeping my PSI down low, around 2-3. Would that be the issue? I have made sure bottles, line and cane are all cold too. Seems like if I were to continue filling until the beer gets to the normal level I will be wasting a lot beer just foaming over.