by aleguy » Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:18 am
Looks like it's time for the picnic tap method then. Seriously overcarbonate your keg and then vent it right before you start bottling so the beer pours VERY slowly. fill the bottles with a picnic tap and cap on foam. If it doesn't foam over the top when you have it filled properly, just give the bottle a good thump and it should foam up.
Bottled beer generally runs about twice the carbonation levels of kegged beer, so it's important that you get your co2 volume correct for bottles. You also need to pour the beer very slowly so you get beer in the bottles, not just foam. I have done it this way many times and it works just fine, but it's very difficult to get perfect head space in every bottle. If you really want to get fancy, you can cut the bottom off a standard bottle filler and insert that into your picnic tap. That way you will get the perfect head space every time. Make sure you are just using the tube without the valve though or you will only get foam. Gene may still have some of those curleycue thingys that go into the keg dip tube, they are supposed to eliminate foaming, but I don't know if they ever actually worked.
Never trust a skinny chef, a sober brewer, or a cat with thumbs!