Easiest way to bottle the extra when filling a keg?

[zachattack]

Hey everyone,

I brewed a batch recently and ended up with almost 6 gallons in the primary. When I used to bottle every batch this was never a problem, but obviously I can't fit that much in a corny keg. So I plan on bottling a few when I rack to the keg in a couple weeks.

I was hoping a few of you that do this regularly could chime in with some tips. What's the easiest way to do this? I have some carb tabs, so I'm not worried about priming. But once the keg is full, is it easiest to just quickly move the siphon tube to a nearby bottling bucket? Or maybe trying to fit the bottle filler into the siphon tube and bottling right from the siphon? I know that stopping and starting the siphon can introduce air, but it seems unavoidable here.

 

[Hello]

I would stop the siphon into the keg, then move to the bottling bucket for sure. I can't see an easier way that wouldn't make a bit of a mess.

 

[gpack]

I usually do the opposite and rack 1 gallon into a bottling bucket and the rest into the keg, same concept, it just allows you to prep your priming sugar before hand and move directly to bottling when you finish filling the keg.

 

[ChuckO]

I put a hose clamp on the siphon tube to stop the flow, attach the bottling wand and fill directly from the fermenter. That way I am not breaking the siphon and don't need to transfer to a bottling bucket. I use cubes of regular table sugar and place one in each bottle. I usually fill 5 to 8 bottles.

 

[zachattack]

I put a hose clamp on the siphon tube to stop the flow, attach the bottling wand and fill directly from the fermenter. That way I am not breaking the siphon and don't need to transfer to a bottling bucket. I use cubes of regular table sugar and place one in each bottle. I usually fill 5 to 8 bottles.

That's a fantastic idea, I like that a lot. I should buy a set of line clamps, they're only $8 at Harbor Freight.

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-fluid-line-clamp-set-65116.html

 

[wilserbrewer]

Last time I had more beer than my keg volume, I just simply folded over (kinked) the racking tube closed to stop the flow, and ran the excess beer into 1 liter fliptop bottles. I then added 2 sugar packets to each bottle, I think coffee sugar packets are 5 grams, and this....
http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/
gave me the required priming sugar.

If filling 12 oz bottles, I believe it is around 3/4 teaspoon sugar per 12 oz bottle, to get 2.5 vol. CO2.

It's really not that difficult to measure table sugar per bottle, if needed make a little funnel with a scrap of paper and some scotch tape. For me, I wouldn't bother with a bottling bucket for a few bottles.

FWIW, I would think these would be to slow to close for bottling.
http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-fluid-line-clamp-set-65116.html

I think you want something like this...
http://www.homebrewing.org/product....m=ProductAds&gclid=CKHXs6nO37oCFbN9OgodE2kAfA

Or just folding the racking line works pretty well for me...

 

[zachattack]

Thanks for the tips everyone!

 

[midfielder5]

I did this recently: attached a bottle filler to my siphon line. Threw it in the keg to siphon over. The liquid pressure and contact with the keg's interior kept the line flowing.
Before about the middle of the keg fill, where I thought the yeast/trub would be the least, I pulled the line and filled some bottles. Then returned the line to the keg. Primed the bottles with carb tabs.

 

[AnOldUR]

2 liter soda PET bottles and carbonator caps . . .