The question remains whether this is easier than racking to another vessel…
Well, you have one less vessel to clean and sanitize.
The formula that I’m currently using is simple enough: 7 oz. of corn sugar in 14 oz. of simple syrup (final volume) gives you 4 squirts/12 oz. bottle and is more than enough for a 5 gal. batch.*
The method seems to be way faster than racking to a bottling bucket.
And there are several other advantages.
*Caveat: before you go using that formula, give my beer a week or so to carb up and I’ll report the results/recommendations.
I would say no.
The easiest way to bottle, in my experience so far is to rack to an empty keg with your priming sugar already in it and purged with co2. Seal it and purge again then shake to distribute the sugar and push to bottle with a couple psi of co2.
however, in terms of minimizing losses on a small batch, if you can avoid disturbing the trub it’s probably a great way to go.
I’m bottling 10 liter this weekend, am going to do it the regular way. I’ll await your report…
Again, you’ve got the extra vessel (the keg) to clean and sanitize. Plus hoses and such to deal with. So, to easier using a keg as a bottling bucket, I would say no.
If you’re using a keg to carbonate your beer, again not easier but you get no (or very little) yeast sediment in the bottle. A desirable outcome.
But, you have to BUY the keg (or several)
And a CO2 tank
And a regulator
And hoses and connecters
And a beer gun or such
And a fridge to cool the kegs.
What are we talking about here, if bought new?..$400?, $800?
I’ve got a brewing tool that I assembled for $4.75. Even if you already have all the kegging stuff, I think this may be a tool you will want to have in your brew cabinet.
Give me a couple weeks to get some results and I’ll post a “how to” new topic thread with pictures.
I said easier not cheaper. It is easier than a bottling bucket because there is no worry about how to distribute the sugar evenly and the oxidation concerns are more or less nil. Easier than bottling from primary because you don’t have to dose each bottle with priming sugar, you don’t have to carefully avoid picking up trub, and you don’t have to worry about losing your syphon.
cleaning a vessel, especially a bottling vessel is the work of ten minutes while watching TV.
bottling already carbonated beer from a keg is trickier and does require some additional considerations but that’s not what I was talking about.
now if you have some previously unknown system for bottling I can’t be held responsible for not considering it.
It seems that I do have a new bottling system. I’ve spent many dozens of hours scouring the internet for any hint of somebody trying this, to no avail.
I believe it may be not only easier than any other method, but faster and, yes, cheaper.
I’ve used Domino’s dots before with good success when I use to bottle.
One cube per 12oz bottle gave me good carbonation, if I had to guess maybe 2-2.5 vols.
Yes bucknut, I’ll have to admit that’s probably the simplest and cheapest bottle carb solution. But it’s one-size-fits-all. What do I do when I want to bottle some English Bitter at 1.7 volumes of CO2 or Dunkelwiezen at 3.2? Also how do I know those sugar cubes are reasonably bacteria free?
Yea, it’s limited but easy and just one of the many reasons why I went to kegging. I wouldn’t be to worried about infection from the cubes, the beer has enough alcohol I believe to negate any chance of infection.
This method would/should work well for a still mead as well right? Just leave the sugar out.
from a keg you mean? yeah should work fine for still mead. it’s not under enough pressure or for long enough to pick up any appreciable carbonation.
Yep from a keg. I don’t currently have a “Bottling Bucket” and instead of drilling a hole in one of my fermenters I was thinking about doing what you described. I also like the idea of using a CO2 purged keg as opposed to a bucket.
Well actually if 1 cube in 12oz gives 2.25 vol, then 1 cube in a 16oz bottle would be 1.7 vol. 2 cubes in a 16oz bottle would be 3.4vol. ;D