Problems bottling from a keg

[akr71]

I still haven't figured this out - please help! I've got something on tap that I'd like to send to the CABA competition.

I've tried jamming a racking cane into the picnic tap - instant foam once the beer hits the cane. I tried subbing the cane for a bottling wand and jamming the cane in my perlick - same result.

My next attempt is to try a piece of regular tubing on the end of the perlick. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[LiverDance]

are you turning the pressure down? I bottle right from the tap with very cold bottles and mininmum pressure to push the beer.

[akr71]

are you turning the pressure down? I bottle right from the tap with very cold bottles and mininmum pressure to push the beer.

Yep (at least on the second attempt), and also tried bleeding the pressure from the keg. I didn't use cold bottles, but the beer turned to foam when it hit the racking cane. That wasn't chilled either, now that I think of it...

[jeffsmith]

When I fill growlers I disconnect the gas and bleed a bit of pressure from the keg. Then I use a 4" long piece of regular tubing with an angle cut on one end and jam the other end into the picnic tap. I've had great luck with it so far. Mind you the growlers are usually drank the same day or within a few days, but my BIL had one in his fridge for a week that stayed at the proper carb level.

[RubberToe]

I use cobra tap -> racking cane (end cut 45 degrees) through #2 stopper (I think). I turn my psi down to 3-5 psi and don't forget to offgas the keg. Also disconnect your other kegs first. I run come cold beer through the lines to cool em off, or just accept that my first bottle may not be great (put it in the fridge and drink it later). I drilled a small hole through the edge of my stopper and put one of those ball filling needles through it.

I put the cane into the bottle, seal the stopper and keep my thumb over the top of the needle. I open the thumb tap and it starts to fill and will slowly come to a stop as the pressure builds. I then release some of the pressure by lifting my thumb from the needle a bit and it will fill the bottle. Stop as the beer / foam reaches the stoper, turn off the thumb tap, lift out the cane+stopper, top up with beer foam, rest a cap on top and do a few more bottles if you want before capping.

On my last run of 10 500ml bottles I had practically no foam and beer right up to about 1cm from the cap.

I want to enter this comp too and hopefully I get a chance to bottle soon.

-Rob

[mr x]

I use the hose shoved in the faucet method. Cold bottles. Vent keg a bit and discnnect gas in. First pour is for me, then to bottles. I have also had great luck gravity filling bottles with the keg on the counter and hose down to the floor. Vent well, but leave vent closed.

[CorneliusAlphonse]

I just lower pressure, fill sanitized bottle right from the thumb tap. cap on foam, usually about 1.5 inch in the neck. so definitely lose carbonation. I've only ever used it for short duration, but I also used this same method to fill bottles of two beers for CABA before I left NS - we'll see how they hold up, since judging will likely be a month after I bottled, haha