# Another Rootbeer Question



## Guest (May 9, 2005)

Anybody know if I can force carb 5 gals of RB in a keg and then bottle it (in glass bottles) without the risk of bottle bombs or losing carbonation? I want to try making rootbeer, but I don't care for the yeast taste present in a batch a friend made. I don't have room to chill 40 bottles of yeasty RB and I don't want to have to drag the keg out everytime the kids want a drink. I also think the kids would prefer the feel of glass over plastic bottles when drinking their brew. Thanks for your help.


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## ScottS (Jul 19, 2004)

You can, but you will need a counterpressure bottle filler to preserve the carbonation when you bottle. I hear they take a little getting used to.


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## mattoleriver (Sep 20, 2003)

Some folks are successful at bottling beer from a keg but I don't know if root beer would work as well, I'm assuming that root beer is more highly carbonated. The simplest(cheapest!)method for bottling a few beers is:
Attach a piece of hose ~12" long to your tap. This hose should be long enough to reach to the bottom of the bottle that is being filled so that the beverage will not splash into the bottle.
Chill the keg AND the bottles to just above the freezing point of the beverage. The colder it is the more CO2 stays dissolved in the beverage.
Reduce the pressure on your gas regulator to the point where it just barely pushes the beverage.
Open your tap fully to reduce foaming as you fill the bottles.
Fill the bottles to the top; when you withdraw the filler tube the fluid level in the bottles should drop to a nearly perfect level.
This method is slow but cheap. If you plan on bottling very often a counter pressure filler may be the way to go.

There are also carbonator caps that have a ball lock fitting that allow you to pressurize a plastic 2 litre pop bottle. The drawbacks are that the caps are expensive (~$12), can only be used on one bottle at a time and they can only be used on the plastic screw top bottles. They are available at many homebrew stores. 
George


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