Yes, the topic sounds completely backwards, but it’s accurate. Here’s my situation. A while back I was fortunate enough to win bottle of Van Steenberge Piraat at a local bar (the distributor was there doing an event). The bottle is one of those giant 9L ones. Now even if I brought all my friends over and we drank nothing else, it would be one heck of an undertaking to finish 9L of Piraat. So I’d like to move the beer to a keg so I can just have it on tap.
Here’s the tentative plan. Fill a corny with sanitizer and push it out with CO2. From the look of the cork that’s in the giant bottle, I believe a 6 1/2 size rubber stopper will fit it. I’m planning to put a racking cane down through the hole in the stopper, and then drill out another hole to run a CO2 line in. Then just do a pressurized transfer from the bottle to the keg.
My biggest concern is foaming. This is going to be a pretty heavily carbonated Belgian beer. Even though the volume is going to take up less than half the keg, I’m worried that it’s going to foam a lot and a bunch will come out where the CO2 is being released from the keg. I’m planning to chill the beer and also keep the pressure low for the transfer.
Does this sound like it will work? Any thoughts on issues that I’m not seeing? Any input is appreciated.
Well, foaming is normally controlled by doing a counterpressure transfer: having both the source and receiving vessels initially pressurized to a little ABOVE the equilibrium pressure of the beer, where gas cannot break out of solution, and then slowly venting the receiver to initiate and maintain flow, with the whole system never dropping below pressure of equilibrium. I don’t know if you can do that with a rubber stopper in the bottle, it’s going to blow out at only a fraction of a pound of pressure at most. Maybe come up with something like a champagne bale to hold it in? I get queasy advising anybody to put pressure on glass, but hopefully that bottle is rated well above actual requirements. Your basic idea of a closed transfer is admirable and the only hope you have of drinking all that Piraat fresh and not dying in the process! [emoji23] Just to be clear I wouldn’t like to attempt this. But I’ll probably never win a tanker load of Belgian goodness anyway. Good luck, and be safe (I mean drinking the stuff!)
EDIT On a side note I have a tip on drilling a rubber stopper. A normal drill bit just pushes a lot of material aside and then it fills back in, just doesn’t work. I’ve had great success making a tiny hole saw. Take a length of brass tubing of the diameter of the desired hole, and use a triangular file to cut teeth on one end. Chuck it in the drill and off you go. Helps to have a drill press and a jig to secure the stopper, but that’s just details. If I were you I’d start with a solid stopper and drill equally spaced holes rather than an offset extra hole on a predrilled stopper. I mean, you’re drilling anyway.
Thanks Rob. Definitely some good points. I think I’m going to call in a friend as an extra set of hands. Then I can have him hold the stopper and racking cane while I manage the pressure and vent the keg.
I’m not too worried about the glass bottle. I figure it has to be pretty sturdy just to be holding all that beer. But I’ll probably wrap it up with something just to be safe. Great tip on drilling the stopper! I’ve had the same issue you described with the hole basically closing up after using a regular drill bit.
This whole crazy process is probably still a couple weeks down the road. But I’ll post an update of how it goes.
If you have a couple weeks, rather than goofing around trying to drill stoppers [even though Rob’s idea is pretty ingenious], just buy one with 2 holes instead of 1, you might have to do some serious searching to find a #6 1/2 with 2 holes but would think someone sells them.
Just did some checking, I have a #6 stopper with 2 holes I use to transfer from my whiskey barrels to an FV for bottling, I think I got it from More Beer.
Right on. I do see those on More Beer. I might try drilling one out first. I have a bunch of #6 1/2 stoppers because I once used 3 gallon carboys quite often. If the drilling doesn’t work, it’s good to know there’s a resource to get them. Thanks!
Ha! Speak of the devil. Just found this in the mess around my workbench. Haven’t used it in years, don’t forsee doing so again since I haven’t had any carboys for a couple of years, but if the need arises, I’m ready!
You can also check out a science supply store, like NASCO or Fisher Scientific for a cork borer set. This is a bit more labor intensive using one of these to bore a hole in a rubber stopper but it is another alternative. A rubber mallet will help push the cork borer through the stopper.
I drilled my own because LHBS had every size solid stopper for dirt cheap, right there, and the tubing for the saw was at the corner hardware. If you don’t mind paying a bit more, and getting it shipped, yeah do that!
