Can you bottle keg beer?

[lyonmountainbrew]

I have legged a couple different beers and I have a friend that would like a six pack to take back.  Can I bottle my keg beer? I am thinking it is similar to a growler, however, if you bottle and cap it would it keep longer before going flat or developing off flavors like a growler fill does sometimes

[alestateyall (tommymorris)]

I have a blichmanm beer gun which I love but here is a link for an inexpensive way to bottle from the keg. If you do it right the bottled beer will last years.

We no need no stinking beer gun...

[morticaixavier]

Okay let’s try this again. my last reply got disappeared.

The link that above is more or less what I do with the addition of a short piece of tube that goes over both the end of the picnic tap and the bottling cane to prevent them from separating while the cane is inside a pressurized bottle.

[klickitat_jim]

+1

I was about to order. Beergun a while back. But bottled a couple six packs with the cobra with bottling cane attached (like Jonathan’s picture) They are still just fine after a month. I loose a little bit due to foam but I don’t care. I chill the beer as low as I can go, lower over pressure to about 3 psi, fill till beer is overflowing not just foam, then cap right away. After a month in the fridge they are fully carbed with no oxidation. Caveat, a beergun would be nice and one day I’ll get one.

[stevo155 (theDarkSide)]

Also, cap on foam.  The release of a little CO2 will drive off an oxygen in the bottle and help keep the beer fresh.  If you have perlick taps on your kegerator, there are bottle fillers you can get for about $10 which is basically an insert with a short tube attached.  Or with cobra taps, you can just use a plastic racking cane inserted into the tap.  I did a small angle cut on the bottom of one of mine so it wouldn’t sit flat on the bottom of the bottle.

Whatever method you use, make sure both the beer and bottle are cold and push the beer at a low psi (i.e. 2-3 psi), and fill from the bottom up.

I have a beer gun but still use these methods above if I’m just filling a couple bottles.

edit:  This post just made me a Brewmaster General!! WooHoo!!

[morticaixavier]

Also, cap on foam.  The release of a little CO2 will drive off an oxygen in the bottle and help keep the beer fresh.  If you have perlick taps on your kegerator, there are bottle fillers you can get for about $10 which is basically an insert with a short tube attached.  Or with cobra taps, you can just use a plastic racking cane inserted into the tap.  I did a small angle cut on the bottom of one of mine so it wouldn’t sit flat on the bottom of the bottle.

Whatever method you use, make sure both the beer and bottle are cold and push the beer at a low psi (i.e. 2-3 psi), and fill from the bottom up.

I have a beer gun but still use these methods above if I’m just filling a couple bottles.

edit:  This post just made me a Brewmaster General!! WooHoo!!

congratulations General!

[mtnrockhopper (Jimmy K)]

@lyonmountainbrew

I have legged a couple different beers and I have a friend that would like a six pack to take back.  Can I bottle my keg beer? I am thinking it is similar to a growler, however, if you bottle and cap it would it keep longer before going flat or developing off flavors like a growler fill does sometimes

Keeping carbonation is one thing, but what really reduces growler beer life is that growlers and the taps that fill them are rarely sanitized. So there’s no reason you can’t transfer to a bottle and have it keep for a long time. Just figure out a way (posts above are good) to keep CO2 in solution, minimize oxygen exposure, and keep everything sanitized.

[lyonmountainbrew]

Thanks for the replies. It seems the consensus is low temp, low psi, and a little overflow should serve me fine.  I think it is a good point on the sanitation for the growlers. I never really thought that much about it but it makes sense for the off flavors. Bad sanitation and oxygen usually ends up in bad beer.  Thanks

[mtnrockhopper (Jimmy K)]

@morticaixavier

Okay let’s try this again. my last reply got disappeared.

The link that above is more or less what I do with the addition of a short piece of tube that goes over both the end of the picnic tap and the bottling cane to prevent them from separating while the cane is inside a pressurized bottle.

Does the other end of that cane have a valve on it - like a bottling wand? or is it just a straight tube. I always assumed a valve would cause foaming, but I haven’t tried this yet.

[morticaixavier]

@mtnrockhopper

@morticaixavier

Okay let’s try this again. my last reply got disappeared.

The link that above is more or less what I do with the addition of a short piece of tube that goes over both the end of the picnic tap and the bottling cane to prevent them from separating while the cane is inside a pressurized bottle.

Does the other end of that cane have a valve on it - like a bottling wand? or is it just a straight tube. I always assumed a valve would cause foaming, but I haven’t tried this yet.

I go back and forth with the valve, it keeps things less messy when moving from one bottle to the holder to another bottle but it also causes a bit of foam. However I do not have the angle cut on cane so if I take the valve off I have to prevent it from sitting flush on the bottom of the bottle so I get some foam anyway. Still, If I handle the stopper correctly only maybe .25 inches of foam is created right at the begining. of course that amounts to ~1-1.5 inch of foam in the neck but that will push past the stopper till the neck is mostly full of beer. the advantage to using the valve is that when you remove the cane it leaves 1.5 inches of headspace so judges don’t automatically see that it was CPF

[mtnrockhopper (Jimmy K)]

I have a spring loaded bottling wand and one with a valve that works on gravity. I wonder if the gravity valve would cause a little less foaming since it has fewer internal parts.

[morticaixavier]

@mtnrockhopper

I have a spring loaded bottling wand and one with a valve that works on gravity. I wonder if the gravity valve would cause a little less foaming since it has fewer internal parts.

possibly, mine is the kind with a spring but I lost the spring so now it’s the gravity kind  ;D

[skatz (Stevie)]

@mtnrockhopper

I have a spring loaded bottling wand and one with a valve that works on gravity. I wonder if the gravity valve would cause a little less foaming since it has fewer internal parts.

I tried removed the spring from my wand one time. Head pressure from the bucket was not high enough to reliably seat the valve. Maybe it will work better with a constant 3 or so PSI behind it.

[gmac]

I found I got much less foam when using a straight cut bottling wand instead of using the valve. I would remove the spring loaded drip prevention valve.

[morticaixavier]

@gmac

I found I got much less foam when using a straight cut bottling wand instead of using the valve. I would remove the spring loaded drip prevention valve.

I’ll try it again this weekend.

[el_capitan]

@gmac

I found I got much less foam when using a straight cut bottling wand instead of using the valve. I would remove the spring loaded drip prevention valve.

+1  And like previously mentioned, I think it helps to cut the end of the wand at an angle.