bottling from a keg

[pinnah]

Can someone school me?

Since I have started kegging, I miss the ability to travel with or gift my beer.
Is there an easy way? Do I have to buy a gun?

What about filling growlers for travel?

Thanks in advance.

[Joe Sr.]

Simplest way to do it is stick a piece of racking cane in a picnic tap.

Release some pressure from your keg and off you go.  For growlers, this works like a charm.

For bottles, you can get a drilled stopper that will fit the bottle (I want to say #2 but honestly have no idea off the top of my head).

Push the stopper in the bottle and "burp" it now and then as you fill to release pressure.

This works best if you chill the bottles as that will reduce foaming.

[tygo]

Do I have to buy a gun?

You don't have to.  Lots of people have reported success with the technique Joe described above.  And other ways too. . However, I didn't have much success with it.  Granted, I only tried it a couple of times before I got myself a beer gun.

And I will attest that I have no regrets whats so ever about laying out the dough for the gun.  It's fantastic.

[euge]

The above mentioned approach. ^^^^^

Also turn the pressure down to just enough to move the beer (1-2psi). This will help keep the foam down.

[bluesman]

If you plan to bottle for shelf storage then I highly recommend the beer gun as it will mitigate oxidation and make it quick and easy to bottle. The beer gun is one of my favorite tools. Aside from the initial setup time it is very efficient and makes for ease of bottling.

[tschmidlin]

If you are bottling to take some to a party or something, get a carb cap and use a soda bottle.  It's fast and easy to fill from the tap and you can add carb before you leave.

http://morebeer.com/view_product/18250/

[beersk]

If you plan to bottle for shelf storage then I highly recommend the beer gun as it will mitigate oxidation and make it quick and easy to bottle. The beer gun is one of my favorite tools. Aside from the initial setup time it is very efficient and makes for ease of bottling.

Sure, but you shouldn't have to worry about oxidation if you fill the bottles to a half inch or so from the top and cap on foam. 

[bluesman]

If you plan to bottle for shelf storage then I highly recommend the beer gun as it will mitigate oxidation and make it quick and easy to bottle. The beer gun is one of my favorite tools. Aside from the initial setup time it is very efficient and makes for ease of bottling.

Sure, but you shouldn't have to worry about oxidation if you fill the bottles to a half inch or so from the top and cap on foam.  

When filling with a picnic tap there is O2 in the bottle that the beer is exposed to which can effect beer flavor.

A CPF or Beer Gun mitigates this effect by purging the O2 with CO2 prior to filling.

[bo]

The beer will displace the O2 and the CO2 in the foam, that you generate, will purge the rest of it.

I've used a cobra tap/tube  many times and have stored those beers for months/years without any problems. I would never spend that much money on a beer gun when a good alternative is so cheap.

[Joe Sr.]

Not just "cheap" but likely can be put together from stuff you have lying around.

If it doesn't work out for you or you prefer to spend the cash, there's nothing lost in starting out with the picnic tap and bottling wand approach.

Also, if you're really concerned about O2, you can purge the bottles from your tank prior to filling.  Put a QD on the gas line and use an air-gun attachment from a compressor kit.  You can stick a hose on this to get it to the bottom of the bottle.  You could also T the gas line if you want to.

Since I have all this lying around anyway, it's essentially free for me.  Plus, I don't bottle enough to warrant the investment in a beer gun anyway.

[bo]

Not just "cheap" but likely can be put together from stuff you have lying around.

If it doesn't work out for you or you prefer to spend the cash, there's nothing lost in starting out with the picnic tap and bottling wand approach.

Also, if you're really concerned about O2, you can purge the bottles from your tank prior to filling.  Put a QD on the gas line and use an air-gun attachment from a compressor kit.  You can stick a hose on this to get it to the bottom of the bottle.  You could also T the gas line if you want to.

Since I have all this lying around anyway, it's essentially free for me.  Plus, I don't bottle enough to warrant the investment in a beer gun anyway.

I agree. Purging is an easy thing to do if it matters to you. Keep in mind that when either the tube or the beer gun is extracted from the filled bottle, O2 will be pulled in to displace the volume that it held.

[bluesman]

If the O2 is purged there will be a lesser degree of oxidation over time. Moreover the beer will oxidize in the presence of O2 and this impacts beer flavor.

[Joe Sr.]

I suppose one could cap with oxygen scavenging caps...  I don't know if there would be any benefit.

[bluesman]

I suppose one could cap with oxygen scavenging caps...  I don't know if there would be any benefit.

I think they would help mitigate O2 in the capped bottle.

[beersk]

I suppose one could cap with oxygen scavenging caps...  I don't know if there would be any benefit.

I think they would help mitigate O2 in the capped bottle.

This is another step I take, is the O2 absorbing caps coupled with filling to about half an inch from the top and capping on foam.