Bottling and kegging

[LILJONNYWV]

I have only kegged one batch of beer and decided I want to bottle about ten bottles of my next two battches and keg the rest. Do I need to do anythig special when I keg primed beer, or do I just put it in? Also one of the beers is an oktoberfest so do I need to add some yeast before priming and if so what kind and how much?
Thanks!

 

[mrk305]

I have read that if you prime beer for the keg you should only use about half as much sugar. If you want to prime the whole batch you might have to vent some pressure from the keg.

I don't prime my keg beer. I just let the CO2 tank carb my kegs. When I do bottle a few I add Cooper's Carb Drops or Munton's carb tabs to the bottle. They cost a little more than priming sugar, but for a just a few bottles who cares.

 

[runningweird]

1. No, the only thing I do after kegging a sugar primed beer is seal the top and pressurize the keg. I usually put about 30psi on it just to make sure the entire setup seals properly and without leaks.

2. You said one of the beers is an oktoberfest - if its already done fermenting(unless you have had it in coldcrash for two years - you will have plenty of yeast in suspension in the beer itself to carbonate the keg.

3. You can pitch yeast into the keg to speed up carbonation, but remember that everything you add increases the chance of contamination. I would pitch a packet of cheap mild ale yeast - it won't really contribute any noticeable tastes to your end product.

4. Remember that natural carbonation in a keg will leave you with a layer of sediment on the bottom of your keg( more so than carbonating with a co2 tank)

 

[WhiskeySam]

Mixing natural carbonation bottling and force carbonation can be tricky, because the amount of priming sugar needed varies depending on how much beer you intend to bottle. Software like iBrewMaster (for the iPhone and iPad) can calculate this, as other can as well I'm sure.

If you only intend to bottle 10 bottles, then I'd suggest investing in a counter-pressure bottle filler. I use the one from morebeer -- http://morebeer.com/view_product/18279//Counter_Pressure_Bottle_Filler

My buddy uses the Beer Gun from Blichmann, which he also likes. Theres about 30 bucks of hardware you need in addition to the MoreBeer bottle filler, so it's entirely possible that the Beer Gun is a better investment. Either way, you'll want to have some method of bottling from carbonated kegs if you're going to be doing this for a while.

As for adding yeast as a secondary measure, it's almost never necessary. There's still yeast suspended in your beer, even if it's clear. If you're going to add yeast, just get a pack of dry ale yeast. There's no flavor to impart, as your beer has finished fermenting. Just add a pinch to each bottle and you'll be fine. What doesn't eat up the priming sugar will flocc out. Don't drink it.

As for kegging primed beer -- I have no idea what'll happen as I've never done it. You won't damage your keg, but your beer might be overcarbonated. If you do this, and your keg is in the fridge, you probably won't be done carbonating for about a month. You're better off segregating a quantity to bottle and force carbonating the rest. It'll be drinkable sooner and you won't run the risk of having a foam-a-thon in a glass.

 

[itsme6582]

Carb with CO2 and add carb tabs to your bottles. Or just keg and make a beer gun.

We no need no stinking beer gun