Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:04 am
Yes, called a "filling device". It consists of a tee with a pressure gauge on one leg, a connection to the keg's gas port (be it pin, ball, Sankey...) and a needle valve on the third. Pre pressurize the target keg with CO2, attach the device with the needle valve closed and read the pressure. Now open the needle valve to bleed CO2 from the target until the target pressure is a psi or 2 below the pressure on the source. Open the valve on the beer line (or push on the ball/pin connector or lower the probe on the coupler) and beer will start to flow (clear lines help being sure that everything is OK). Adjust the needle valve to keep the target pressure just low enough to permit flow. This minimizes gas loss and foaming. When the target is a full as you want (put it on a scale or put your hand on the side until you feel cool at the level you want) close the needle valve and let the pressure build up as much as it will. If you are inattentive beer (or more likely foam at least at first) will come out the needle valve. If this happens you need to force water through the device to flush out the beer as it will get all nasty in there. As long as you flush, there should be no problem with this. I've been using the same device for years and have been inattentive more than once.
This process is called "counter pressure" filling (for obvious reasons) and will allow your beer to keep for a very long time (a year or more) if you purge with CO2 a couple of times before filling. Obviously this is not so important if you are taking a keg to a party but is when you fill kegs for your own use.
