15 replies to this topic

[JimNasium]

Each year I attend the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival (formerly known as the King Biscuit Blues Festival) in Helena, Arkansas. This is one of the biggest blues festivals in the U.S. and it's a blast. The problem with the festival is that they only serve the mainline Budweiser products and thus the beer prospects are dim. We've taken a lot of approaches over the years. We've rolled in an Icecube with 3 gallon kegs, we've carried in bottles of home brew and bought good beer at the liquor store. The Icecube solution cannot happen this year as they are charging a nominal fee this year and will have wristband checkpoints. They won't check small coolers but I'm guessing they won't let us roll in with an Icecube. The home brew bottles are a pain to carry, to rinse, and to manage. Good beer from the liquor store becomes financially burdensome over the course of a five day camping trip.So, I'm considering bringing my trash can kegerator with two 5 gallon kegs and setting it up in camp. I've thought about buying a couple of 2 liter growlers and carrying my beer in a smaller cooler. I do worry about the glass though and wondered if there is another solution? Two liter soda bottles perhaps? Any other solutions you guys can think of?Just for the record, this festival survives off of revenue from beer sales, food sales and t-shirt sales. I always make sure and spend extra money on shirts, hats, etc to offset the money they lost on me on beer. What I'm doing is probably shady on the ethics side but at least I'm drinking good beer!

[tag]

Can you fit one 3 gallon corny in a backpack? Then use a CO2 charger or small CO2 tank.

[BrewerGeorge]

I've bottled beer from the keggerator into 2 liter soda bottles many times. Leave the label on and wrap the unlabeled area in masking tape for light protection.

[JimNasium]

I've bottled beer from the keggerator into 2 liter soda bottles many times. Leave the label on and wrap the unlabeled area in masking tape for light protection.

Should I buy some tubing and attach it over my picnic tap to fill the bottles? I would think this would control for excess foaming and help keep the dispensed from losing much of its carbonation.

[BrewerGeorge]

Should I buy some tubing and attach it over my picnic tap to fill the bottles? I would think this would control for excess foaming and help keep the dispensed from losing much of its carbonation.

This, and turn down the pressure on the keggerator until it just barely flows. It should take about 3 minutes to fill a 2 liter.

[JimNasium]

This, and turn down the pressure on the keggerator until it just barely flows. It should take about 3 minutes to fill a 2 liter.

Perfect. This is going to be the ideal solution. Nothing breakable and 2 liters of beer flying right under the radar. Thanks for your assistance!

[BrewerGeorge]

Perfect. This is going to be the ideal solution. Nothing breakable and 2 liters of beer flying right under the radar. Thanks for your assistance!

You're welcome. Just don't forget the tape, or somehow otherwise protect them from light. They can skunk quickly in clear bottles.

[3rd party JKor]

2 liter? Nah, this is what you need:https://www.brews-br...tyle_emoticons/default/headbang.gif

[JimNasium]

2 liter? Nah, this is what you need:https://www.brews-br...tyle_emoticons/default/headbang.gif

I'm not beyond going native. Last year it was PBR in the can!!!! Oh, and some Arkansas moonshine.

[EWW]

why not just get a 40 of shine and call it a weekend?

[JimNasium]

why not just get a 40 of shine and call it a weekend?

I would like to remember a little of the festival. About three years ago I actually lost 8 hours of my life to moonshine. My wife had to hold a mirror to my mouth to see if I was still alive as I more resembled someone laying in state.

[Slainte]

In those situations, I usually fill a couple of growlers. Use brown ones so your beer doesn't skunk when you take it out to pour.

[MakeMeHoppy]

I normally use the 2 liter soda bottles for brew club meetings. If works great and if I leave early I don't need the bottle back. I fill off a cobra tap with 1' of tubing stuck in the tap. The two advantages are that you can fill from the bottom of the bottle and you can raise and lower the height of the bottle in realation to the keg. I start with it up high which prevents foaming and then just find a compromise between fill rate and foam.The 1 liter bottles work well also. I have carb caps that I can use if needed if I get a bad pour and the beer is a little flat.I forgot, I light protect the bottles in a cooler or with a common paper bag.

[JimNasium]

I love flea markets. Today I went to one during my lunch hour looking for an old style peculator coffee pot to use on the camp stove. I found one for $5 but also scored a 1/2 gallon Kreuzberg growler for $7. That and a 2 liter soda bottle and I should be in great shape for the festival.

[Recklessdeck]

I fill growlers with a bottling wand like this attached to a length of tubing attached to a qd. Lately I've just been leaving the the wand on there, works well for pouring pitchers and pints too!{edit caint spelll}

[chadm75]

I've bottled beer from the keggerator into 2 liter soda bottles many times. Leave the label on and wrap the unlabeled area in masking tape for light protection.

Wow, this is a great idea. So simple, yet so useful and effective...thanks BG!