Filling bottles directly from the kegerator

[sidecrusher]

Thanks so much !

that has totally reassured and answered exactly what I need to know

I can now order my next keg with confidence that it wont spoil if it happens to go flat ,

sharing your time is appreciated greatly , thanks Ian

[sidecrusher]

Thanks very much for sharing your expertise with me, I feel a bit more at ease now , I will keep it at 12 psi and turn it off at the end of the session..

just 1 more thing , If it does lose carbonation can it be re-carbonated ?

or is it dead? ... and if I keep it at 12 psi all the time will it stay carbonated for 1 month+ or does it need to be upped in psi as the keg empties?

I've asked so many people with so many different answers , there must be a tried and tested way

Thanks Ian

[nostalgia75]

@sidecrusher There are as many ways as there are brewers :) But if the beer is cold and has 12psi on it, it will stay carbonated.  Or if the beer is sealed, it will stay carbonated. If it goes flat, it can be recarbonated by just putting it in the fridge and leaving it on gas.

[sidecrusher]

Thanks for your reply ,

I dont want to lose the carbonation in the keg

should I leave the tap on the keg open all the time with co2 going into it ?

or do you advise I shut off the tap on the keg? and how often ? is it best to turn it off every night or after every pull of beer ?

is it necessary to turn up psi just before turning off the tap for the night to enhance the pressure in the keg?

I just have no idea what to do , what is the ideal psi to keep it at to make it last a month? thanks agai

[nostalgia75]

@sidecrusher If you leave the keg sealed you will not lose carbonation. If you have the keg connected to the serving tap and are drinking from it, I would recommend leaving the gas attached and turned on the whole time. There is no need to turn the gas on and off - as long as the gas can't escape, the pressure in the keg should remain fairly constant as long as the beer is already carbonated. I keep most of my beers at 12psi.

[sidecrusher]

Great unit you got there ..

Any advice on if I should leave the tap open all the time with a set co2 psi or should I turn off the tap after every pull of beer or turn off at the end of the night

I use a 50 liter keg and a Perlick Kegerator about 12 years old

its my 1st keg it was carbonated at the brewers , I need it to stay carbonated around 4 weeks , whats the drill?

thanks for any help , Ian

[nostalgia75]

@sidecrusher Hi Ian - not sure exactly what you're asking - do you mean leaving the CO2 tap open all the time? Yes, I (and most others) leave the CO2 turned on all the time. I have my serving pressure set to the same pressure I want to carbonate at, so when I need to carb a beer I just put the keg on gas and stick it in the fridge.

If you need to take it off gas after it's carbonated you can, as long as it stays sealed.

[beerman1957]

Very neat idea!  I like the back-pressure method because it produces little foam. I think you didn't waste even an ounce of beer!

[gkdstudios]

ideally you dont want any head space. I might give it a few drops more as you remove the filler, to compensate for the volume displacement left when you remove the filler. Beers will last a little longer as well. looks good.

[gauzzastrip]

How long will the beer last using this method? I just recently bought a 3 keg system and converted a fridge to a kegerator and have just been looking at ways to bottle beer to give out to friends and family.

[nostalgia75]

@gauzzastrip I've had beer stored up to a year with this method.

[N2thedrink]

Have you tried freezing the bottles first? Any difference??

I've done this with just a toob but had to drop pressure down to 2 psi and still.....the foam. LOTS. I'll try the stopper/burp. thanks.

[nostalgia75]

@N2thedrink I've never seen a need to with this method. I bottle at 12PSI without excessive foaming. I only lose a few ounces over the course of a 6-pack.

[iparks81]

love it, tried this method a few times with good results...great Vid thx

[montycone]

Looks great. How many pounds are you bottling with? Serving pressure? I just made a similar setup with a racking cane piece, a stopper and a picnic tap. I bottle at 3 psi or so with a direct line to the "beer out" side of my kegs and a ball lock. Works well.  Love seeing other homebrewer's solutions.

Cheers!

[kdoggmoney52]

i am new to homebrewing. so is the beer already carbonated? did you force carb? 

[nostalgia75]

@kdoggmoney52 Yes, it was force carbonated before doing this.

[bjcpc0337]

Couldn't you get the same effect by using a long piece if plastic tubing slipped in the end of your faucet or is the stopper helping to control the infamous foam overflow? Am I seeing it right that while the bottle is filling, you kind of push on the stopper to let the air out that is being displaced by the beer in the bottle? Again, does this help control foaming? I have used a 1/2" inside diameter tube slid on the end of a picnic tap to fill a large bottle. Have a beer gun but bad overflow

[nostalgia75]

@bjcpc0337 You can use a long piece of tubing that goes to the bottom of the bottle, but to minimize foaming you would need to turn the CO2 pressure way down. This this method I can bottle at serving pressure (~12PSI).

Yes, I'm using my thumb to regulate the air being allowed out of the bottle. You want to keep backpressure on it, which helps keep the foaming to a minimum. I have had excellent results bottling with this method and still use it frequently.

[severneaton]

Hey, thanks! I'm curious about your bottlewash pump. Did you make that? If so, what does it entail? If not, where can I find one? Thanks again!

Severn

[nostalgia75]

@severneaton No, it's called a "Vinator" and is available at pretty much any homebrew shop. Well worth the price!

[BareTreeBrewingCo]

alright, i need your parts list and instructions for your bottle filler.. beer guns are so expensive.

[nostalgia75]

Hey there BTBC. I've updated the description with a parts list for you. You probably have most of the stuff in stock already.

Yeah, I agree beer guns are some bucks. They're nice if you're doing this all the time, but I'm WAY too lazy to pull the kegs out and start changing fittings around, especially when I'm filling from 3-4 different kegs.

[woody350ep]

cool, I figured it might have been something along those lines, but thought maybe you were just skipping a rinse step for video sake or something. Now go turn some wood!!!

[woody350ep]

Alright Joe, help me out here. Is that soapy water you are using in that pot to rinse them? If so, doesn't that taste mix with the beer????

[nostalgia75]

Hi woody - that's a bucket of Star-San no-rinse sanitizer. At the proper dilution the amount left in the bottle (the foam) imparts no flavors to the beer. I've been using it now for a year and love it.

[beerman1957]

@woody350ep: He is using Star-San. It is a no-rinse sanitizer and won't affect the taste.