bottling off a keg

Any time you bottle from a keg, you'll lose some CO2. But it shouldn't be different a month after bottling than it was a minute after bottling. However, it doesn't sound like you're using a sanitary method, so I wouldn't let these bottles sit very long before drinking.

Yes.

 

1) forever

2) most definitely

I regularly bottle from the keg. If done properly, the bottled beer will keep their bubbles the same as if they were re-fermented. You really don't want to do your part 2. Your kegged beer's carb level will immediately start to equalize with headspace pressure. You can get away with this for a couple of minutes, you should not risk a couple of hours . . . for a couple of days expect a disaster (size of disaster will be determined by the size of the remaining headspace).

If you need to bottle at a later date, simply re-apply the headspace pressure to normal. Then reduce to 2'ish psi on the next bottling day. Another hint is to slightly increase the keg's pressure ('bout 1 psi) the night before bottling. This is to offset the slight off-gassing during bottling. Also, you want to start capping PDQ after the brew is bottled . . . much easier with two in the brewhouse.

I've never had good luck with a po'man's setup . . . my Beergun has paid for itself many times.

 

For it to be sanitary, you'd need to clean and sanitize the cobra tap, the wand, and the bottles before bottling. A cobra tap sitting around after having dispensed beer is kind of a recipe for bugs.

If you don't want to buy a beer gun or commercial counter pressure filler, I seem to recall a youtube video for building a cheap DIY version. Someone probably has that link.

 

One more important technique: you want your bottles to be cold . . . I mean really cold. How cold do you ask? Think in terms of a well diggers anatomy. Using a Beergun and sub-zero bottles, I still find the first pour a mini-mess. That one is marked for me and the others go out to meet the world.

 

For those folks who are DYI types and don't want to pay for a beer gun:

 

Blichmann Beer Gun is definitely money well spent if you plan to fill bottles from kegs often, especially for competitions or for long-term storage in the bottle because it greatly simplifies the purging of bottles with CO2, reduces foaming & carbonation loss and minimizes waste (if you're doing things right).

 

The video @JackHorzempa posted is how I bottle from the keg. With capping on foam and super cold bottles, I haven't noticed any ill effects on the beer in the short term. If I bottled from the keg frequently or intended to compete, I'd probably look into a beer gun more seriously though.

 

The couple of times I have bottled from kegs I have just held the bottle at an angle to the faucet handle. I have a Perlick 650ss so I can adjust the flow at the faucet to be very slow. I get little to no foam.

 

Get a number 2 size drilled stopper and put a bottling wand (you need to remove the spring tip so it is just a tube) through the stopper so the stopper plugs the bottle while the tube reaches the bottom of the bottle. Then turn on full blast (after previously chilling bottles to the same temp as beer) at 2-3 psi. Then pinch the stopper every second or so to release the pressure until the bottle is full. Spray a splash on top and cap on foam.

 

[QUOTE="GetMeAnIPA, post: 4189167, membecks. Sounds like the stopper is the key part I am missing as I've done the other steps. Some worked and some ended up with 3/4 filled bottles and a lot of waste.[/QUOTE]

Yes, the stopper allows for poor man's counterpressure filling. Also equally important are making sure the bottles have been sanitized and chilled to the temperature of the beer in the keg. This reduces the amount of CO2 that will come out of solution. Also, make sure to prime the bottle filler by blasting a shot of beer into a glass (so the plastic tube is full of beer) before filling your first bottle. Using this method, I've been able to bottle and store pretty much indefinitely while still maintaining the same level of carbonation as the beer had the day it was bottled.

 

I love using the hacked off autosiphon for short term bottle/growler fills. I used to think that the stopper really helped purge the bottle and that I was getting minimal oxygen into the beers, but recently I've discovered that isn't the case.

I filled some bottles of pale ale a month or 2 ago. With the red neck filler and rubber stopper. Tried a bottle a week later and it was noticeabley darker than it was on tap. Flavor was lacking also.

I now only use the red neck filler for growler fills.

If I'm gonna bottle for a little bit longer term, I'll go through the hastle of busting out the beer gun. It is awesome once it's sanitized and connected.

 

Big abv, darker beers tend to be more anti oxidative than light colored lower abv beers IMO. I've got a BA RIS that's been in bottles for almost a year. Half were bottled with the beer gun, half with the ghetto filler. Haven't noticed a taste difference yet but am saving bottles for future comparison.

 

Put a towel down. I'm not sure how this guy was able to prevent spilling a single drop of beer! I'm usually mopping my floor when I'm done.