Has anyone had any experience filling bottles from a fully carbonated keg, but just using the tap? I was thinking about just sticking the sanitized bottle up to the tap, filling it up and capping it. I wanted to see if anybody had done this and could tell me if it was going to be a complete disaster. If anyone has done this before (or after) they started using to a counter-pressure filler or a beer gun and could compare the results that'd be great too.
I've had pretty good luck with this so far. A few things I do to keep the foaming down is, before filling the bottles, drop the keg pressure to like 3-5 psi. Chill the bottles down to keg temperature before filling. Then, when filling, hold the bottle at a 45 degree angle so the beer doesn't have to fall much. The only problem I've had with this method is that it does introduce oxygen into the beer. To reduce this, you can kind of give the full bottles a shake or a tap to get some foam going, and when the foam reaches the top and cap on the foam. It helps purge the co2. A couterpressure or beer gun will purge with co2 and prevent oxidation better than this method doesn't. But, if you're looking to fill up a few bottles and are intending to drink them pretty quickly, this method has worked well for me.
-- Steve
Kegged: "Old Nimrod" American Barleywine Kegged: Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Amber
I used to do this quite often before getting a beer gun, still do if I just want a growler for a party or club meeting.
There are actually two slightly different ways I use to fill a bottle from a keg. The first way is to slip a piece of tubing over your faucet spout so you can fill the bottle from the bottom to reduce foaming.
The second is to do the same thing but with a picnic tap on a long beer line to reduce the pressure even more to reduce foaming. You want just enough pressure to get the beer to move but no more than that.
Chilling your bottle or growler ahead of time also helps quite a bit.
One last item: DON'T FORGET TO TURN THE PRESSURE BACK UP WHEN YOU ARE DONE! I have done extensive research on the results of failing to do that.
One of these bottle fillers will fit into a picnic faucet nice and tight.
Gets the beer to the bottom and stops the big dripping on the way out.
(Nothin' worse than a drippy pullout)
You could probably use the same basic setup to inject the bottle with C02
using a picnic faucet on a gas line. I just don't know if the seal at the bottom
of the bottle fillers will prevent to much gas from escaping between bottles.
"All right, brain, I don't like you and you don't like me -
so let's just do this and I'll get back to killing you with beer." ~ Homer Simpson ~
One last item: DON'T FORGET TO TURN THE PRESSURE BACK UP WHEN YOU ARE DONE! I have done extensive research on the results of failing to do that.
I have done a lot of research in this area myself in fact I think I got a government grant for my work but it is possible I was the one who left the twenty in my pocket.
A man has ony 2 things in life his word and his balls or is that 3 things??
