15 replies to this topic

[hullabrew]

I have a keg setup but I don't have faucets--just a picnic tap. Can I bleed the keg pressure, turn down the psi on the tank and fill a cold growler with a picnic tap? Will it be ok to drive with it for 5 hours and then refrigerate it for maybe 24 hrs? Or, will I have flat beer?

[ncbeerbrewer]

I think you will be fine to be honest. My brew buddy comes over about once a week and pulls a growler full off of one of my four taps. The last time he came, we filled it up and off he went. About 4 days later I asked him how the beer was and he was like well I just drank some for the first time last night. He seem to indicate it was fine. So for your situation I think since it is a Growler and can be sealed you will be fine for your drive and then drinking. I know they have those carbonator caps but that does not work with a Growler.

[Yeasty Boy]

Yup, you'll be fine.Bleed the pressure till it's just a trickle (or bleed mostly and then stand high on a chair, whatever it takes to get a very slow pour. If you have a broken racking cane (straight) that can fit into the cobra tap and reach the bottom of the bottle; filling from the bottom decreases foaming.Fill completely full, to the very top, so there's no headspace that the carbonation will want to pressurize, and your beer will be about as flat as it was coming out of the faucet.

[hullabrew]

Yup, you'll be fine.Bleed the pressure till it's just a trickle (or bleed mostly and then stand high on a chair, whatever it takes to get a very slow pour. If you have a broken racking cane (straight) that can fit into the cobra tap and reach the bottom of the bottle; filling from the bottom decreases foaming.Fill completely full, to the very top, so there's no headspace that the carbonation will want to pressurize, and your beer will be about as flat as it was coming out of the faucet.

Will it leak using the racking cane in the tap?

[ColdAssHonky]

Will it leak using the racking cane in the tap?

Nope, a racking cane fit perfectly in a cobra tap.

[Slainte]

Or you can just shove a piece of tubing on the faucet.I would keep the beer in a cooler for the drive, and drink it as soon as possible.Flat beer isn't a problem at all, as long as you seal the bottle. Although you may lose some carbonation filling a bottle.

[Kunsan90]

When filling just a few bottles for a comp or a growler for a friend, I just stick my bottling wand up into the cobra tap, bleed some pressure off the keg, and fill away. It's worked great for years.

[hullabrew]

Should I try to over carbonate it just a little before filling the growler, or is that probably no necessary?

[djinkc]

Should I try to over carbonate it just a little before filling the growler, or is that probably no necessary?

Nah, just do what's needed to fill from the bottom and all the advice above. I've done this and it's been good for 2 - 3 days. Plus plan on a mess and have a pan or something under the growler - there will be some overflow foam. I just fill till the foam's gone and when the tube is pulled out have about the headspace I want.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I have a keg setup but I don't have faucets--just a picnic tap. Can I bleed the keg pressure, turn down the psi on the tank and fill a cold growler with a picnic tap? Will it be ok to drive with it for 5 hours and then refrigerate it for maybe 24 hrs? Or, will I have flat beer?

You'll be fine - this is essentially how I fill my growlers. I just pour straight from the faucet. Do picnic taps foam more than regular taps? If not I'd say you are golden.

[stellarbrew]

You can help to minimize foaming by chilling the growler before you fill it.

[43hertz]

Or you can just shove a piece of tubing on the faucet.

That's what I do, put tubing on the cobra tap, shove tubing to bottom of growler and fill slowly.If you've got time to plan ahead, you can overcarb the keg by fivish pounds so that what you lose in filling will be compensated for by the overpressure in the liquid. Also helps if you put the growler in the freezer overnight before you fill. The fewer warm surfaces you have in contact with the liquid as you fill, the less carb you will lose in the process.edit: i see now that stellarbrew already mentioned chilling the growler.

Edited by 43hertz, 14 May 2009 - 12:36 PM.

[hullabrew]

thanks for all the help everyone. I just filled the chilled growler from the cobra w/o tube or cane. I filled it completely and let about 1 oz spill over to make sure it was full. I kept it cool for the whole trip, and it seemed to be fine. The first pour was a bit weak on carbonation, but the other glasses were pretty good. This makes me wonder if I could fill bottles this way as well. Anyone do that?

[djinkc]

.......... you can overcarb the keg by fivish pounds so ............

I think that is unnecessary, and probably a mistake. We all occasionally buy pitchers (or a growler) and then pour them into a glass. It usually works for me. Anyway, why overcarb a keg for a few beers...... I don't see that any problem the few times I buy a growler at a pub. Or when I bring one with me from home. It ain't rocket surgery..........

[Cliff Claven]

I have read, but not tried, that placing a rubber stopper on the tubing so that you can maintain pressure in the bottle/growler helps in reducing the foam. LinkyI seem to get a lot of foam even with chilling the bottle and dropping the pressure?

[ColdAssHonky]

I have read, but not tried, that placing a rubber stopper on the tubing so that you can maintain pressure in the bottle/growler helps in reducing the foam. LinkyI seem to get a lot of foam even with chilling the bottle and dropping the pressure?

I use the method from your link (that's where I found out about it in the first place).I don't bother chilling the bottles and don't have a problem with foam. I've found that if you use the stopper and allow the pressure in the bottle to max out so that the beer stops flowing and only slowly burp the stopper to fill, it helps to keep the foam down to a minimum. YMMV.