what is the best way to fill growlers directly from the tap?

[General_Jah]

I have a blichman beer gun and it works great for competitions but is a hassle because I have to get into my keg freezer and remove the ball locks, which causes a mess, and is in general just a PITA. I don't mind doing this for competitions but when I want to fill a quick growler or three I am looking for a better solution.

I purchased this tube that connects directly to my pearlick taps - one like this https://www.northernbrewer.com/grow...MIl5KPhN2P2wIVVrbACh3THwstEAQYASABEgLQBPD_BwE

The problem is there is a TON of air that gets mixed into the growler tube as soon as the beer comes out of the tap. I am not sure why, I am thinking its because the growler tube is too wide compared to my tap lines width.

Either way it causes a ton of foam and oxidation as well as carbonation loss. I pretty much hate it.

Was hoping there might be a solution similar to the growler tube that you guys have come across I could try to implement.

 

[Totally]

I tried the tube method with my Intertap taps (which I love) but the tube method sucked. I built myself one of these from an old SS racking cane that I cut down and its fantastic!

http://brulosophy.com/2016/07/14/the-bru-bottler-update-how-to-build-your-own/

 

[Oldskewl]

Subscribed. I have the same growler filler fitting and tube and have not yet mastered filling bottles and/or growlers with it. I’ve tried a lot of tricks, making it longer to reach the bottom, reduce pressure, purge keg, etc.

 

[FunkedOut]

I have a tube just like that and it works great.
Like any other first pour, a bit more foam than after things cool down. Pour a half or quarter glass first.

My tube is long enough to reach the bottom of a bottle/growler. As the level nears the top, I stand the bottle/growler upright and flex the tube over, up and back down in, keeping the end submerged.
The tube always stays filled even though it’s a larger diameter than my lines.

 

[MX1]

One thing to do is to turn off the gas and bleed the pressure from the keg as well, it helps with he foam and if your beer is correctly carb'd has no effect on the final product.

Also, Always start with a pint for yourself....chills the tap and warms the heart

MX1

 

[General_Jah]

I tried the tube method with my Intertap taps (which I love) but the tube method sucked. I built myself one of these from an old SS racking cane that I cut down and its fantastic!

http://brulosophy.com/2016/07/14/the-bru-bottler-update-how-to-build-your-own/

awesome I will check this out, thanks!

 

[mongoose33]

I've used that very growler filler tube with my perlicks, and it works very well. Here are the keys, some of which have been noted above:

1. Chill the growler. Fill with ice and water, put in the refrigerator for a couple hours prior to filling, whatever.

2. Turn off the regulator, release the pressure in the keg, then dial down the pressure to just a few PSI.

3. Pull a pint before you fill the growler; fill the glass through the tube. This chills the faucet and filler, so that as beer comes out, it's not being warmed which causes CO2 to come out of solution, i.e., foam.

4. Fill from the bottom. You want that growler tube submerged in beer rather than splashing in and creating foam.

I even fill beer bottles using the growler filler. Same deal: chill the bottles, chill the filler and faucet by drawing a pint, fill slowly and from the bottom up.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Wow..This seems like a lot of thought for a simple process. I have flow control faucets. Dial it down..stick the growler under the faucet and pour. Growlers get poured and drank within 4 hours and never had any negative effect (oxygen)

 

[day_trippr]

I'm not sure 4 hours is much of a challenge wrt observing oxidative effects of an "airy transfer".
If you'd said a week that would be more convincing...

Cheers!

 

[fragged]

I have a blichman beer gun and it works great for competitions but is a hassle because I have to get into my keg freezer and remove the ball locks, which causes a mess, and is in general just a PITA. I don't mind doing this for competitions but when I want to fill a quick growler or three I am looking for a better solution.

I purchased this tube that connects directly to my pearlick taps - one like this https://www.northernbrewer.com/grow...MIl5KPhN2P2wIVVrbACh3THwstEAQYASABEgLQBPD_BwE

The problem is there is a TON of air that gets mixed into the growler tube as soon as the beer comes out of the tap. I am not sure why, I am thinking its because the growler tube is too wide compared to my tap lines width.

Either way it causes a ton of foam and oxidation as well as carbonation loss. I pretty much hate it.

Was hoping there might be a solution similar to the growler tube that you guys have come across I could try to implement.

I use the same one it looks like (mine is from AIH) and pour almost entirely beer, even if I don't chill the growler. Though I would recommend chilling them. I use 3/16 beer lines to a 4" shank(about 4' of line), to a perlick 630SS faucet. I put the tube in the shank with keg lube on the orings. I don't adjust the pressure (10 psi at 38 degrees).

I suspect you are rolling one of the orings out of its groove, or an oring is cut, allowing air in.

 

[SEndorf]

What mongoose33 said...
Though I've never chilled the growler, the key (for me) is turning off the regulator, pour a pint, then fill. As the flow trickles down, turn on the regulator at 2 psi.
You do need patience.

 

[Oldskewl]

I've used that very growler filler tube with my perlicks, and it works very well. Here are the keys, some of which have been noted above:

1. Chill the growler. Fill with ice and water, put in the refrigerator for a couple hours prior to filling, whatever.

2. Turn off the regulator, release the pressure in the keg, then dial down the pressure to just a few PSI.

3. Pull a pint before you fill the growler; fill the glass through the tube. This chills the faucet and filler, so that as beer comes out, it's not being warmed which causes CO2 to come out of solution, i.e., foam.

4. Fill from the bottom. You want that growler tube submerged in beer rather than splashing in and creating foam.

I even fill beer bottles using the growler filler. Same deal: chill the bottles, chill the filler and faucet by drawing a pint, fill slowly and from the bottom up.

I have done everything listed above but turn off the regulator and pour myself a glass(not always an option). Will give it a go next time. I’ve got an infection in my bottling bucket or wand currently. Getting ready to chuck it all and start over. Had a bomber of my 1.024 FG stout explode this week. Yikes!

 

[mongoose33]

I have done everything listed above but turn off the regulator and pour myself a glass(not always an option). Will give it a go next time. I’ve got an infection in my bottling bucket or wand currently. Getting ready to chuck it all and start over. Had a bomber of my 1.024 FG stout explode this week. Yikes!

If it's infected....there may be nothing you can do. It foams and foams. At least, in the couple of instances where I had what I believe to be infected beer, that's what it did.

 

[Oldskewl]

I'm pretty sure the infection is in my bottling bucket or bottling wand. My kegged beer seems fine(unless the cold temps keep things at bay). The bottles I fill with my bucket seem to have a second fermentation after bottled. I had a crazy amount of moths in my garage last year and a few got into my bottling bucket. I have PBW'd it and star san'd it but it may need pitched. They are not that expensive.

If I could get the process down on bottling from the keg I would just go that route.

 

[bleme]

I have PBW'd it and star san'd it but it may need pitched. They are not that expensive.

I'd try bleach (1 cup in 2 gallons) or Iodopher before I tossed equipment, but I'm a cheap-skate

 

[mongoose33]

I'm pretty sure the infection is in my bottling bucket or bottling wand. My kegged beer seems fine(unless the cold temps keep things at bay). The bottles I fill with my bucket seem to have a second fermentation after bottled. I had a crazy amount of moths in my garage last year and a few got into my bottling bucket. I have PBW'd it and star san'd it but it may need pitched. They are not that expensive.

If I could get the process down on bottling from the keg I would just go that route.

One way you might evaluate for an infection is to compare the final gravity when you bottled to that after it appeared the infection took hold.

I had a porter a couple years ago that just foamed and foamed. Finally dawned on me to check the gravity. This from memory, but IIRC, the final gravity at kegging was 1.020; it was something like 1.014 later. It had a lot of nonfermentables in it by recipe design, so 1.020 was where it should have ended up.