I carbinate my 5 gallon extract with 5 ozs of corn sugar then bottle in 12oz bottles.(wish I had keg capabilities 
) My question is that if I fill my 2 litre growler from the bucket before filling the bottles will it carbonate correctly or am I asking for a bomb. Any help is appreciated.
Seems most advertise NOT to do that, though there seem to be some brewers that say it might be OK if you keep the carbonation low.
I did two already in used growlers, a choclate porter and a pale ale. No problems at all, once I opened them my brothers and I drank it all. Nothing exploded.
I think the issue is that most growlers are not rated for pressure. They may hold up, but are not designed for it. Iād recommend the biggest capable bottles you can find. Find a bar that sells 22 oz bombers and get their empties.
I was lucky enough to get my hands on some magnum champagne bottles (1.5 liters) Those are great for bottle carbing.
Before I started kegging I would fill one or two growlers from each batch when bottling. Was perfect for get togethers with the neighbors. I used the poly seal caps (black caps with plastic insert inside to make a good seal. Did not have any issues for the few years I did that.
[quote=āNanoBrewā]Before I started kegging I would fill one or two growlers from each batch when bottling. Was perfect for get togethers with the neighbors. I used the poly seal caps (black caps with plastic insert inside to make a good seal. Did not have any issues for the few years I did that.[/quote]I do the same thing but I have found that the caps you mention do not seal very well so I use the white metal ones with the caulk like material inside the cap.
I just did my first 2 liter growler with the original red seal with Irish Red yesterday. Wait and see I guess. will post the results in 3 weeks or soā¦ :cheers:
Iād like to know how it turns out. I have several 1 gal glass jugs with those black caps, and that would be perfect for some situations. Maybe Iāll give it a shot too.
Iāve read other discussions regarding this subject and have stumbled upon stories of people being injured by exploding growlersā¦I believe I read it right here on NB forumā¦I know the idea of using growlers is attractive and enticing, but be careful!
Cheers and Happy Brewing!
:cheers:
Itād be a heck of a lot safer to carb in a 2L plastic soda bottle, which you could then pour into a growler if you want to transport with style.
I started carbing in growlers I had from local breweries before I ever realized there would be a reason not too and havenāt had any issues. Itās worked for me ok, but you know, if you get shrapnel to the face no lawsuits please. I do leave a decent amount of headspace though, just to throw that in.
I once left a LOT of headspace in a 1 liter flip top - that apparently let a whole lot of pressure build up and when I opened it, the flip top shot off, cage and all, past my eyes and hit the ceiling. Iām not so sure a lot of head space is advisable.
Iāve found that it depends on how youāre priming. If you mix the priming sugar into the whole batch and then fill bottles, then extra headspace isnāt a problem. If you use carb tabs, then you are producing enough CO2 for a full volume of beer, but you donāt have a full volume of beer to have the CO2 in solution, so thereās a much higher pressure in the headspace (and the beer that IS there is more highly carbed.
Iāve found that it depends on how youāre priming. If you mix the priming sugar into the whole batch and then fill bottles, then extra headspace isnāt a problem. If you use carb tabs, then you are producing enough CO2 for a full volume of beer, but you donāt have a full volume of beer to have the CO2 in solution, so thereās a much higher pressure in the headspace (and the beer that IS there is more highly carbed.[/quote]
Been a long time, so I canāt remember. Iāve batch primed for a long time, but maybe that was an early Mr.Beer with sugar added to bottle.
[quote=ātom sawyerā]Itād be a heck of a lot safer to carb in a 2L plastic soda bottle, which you could then pour into a growler if you want to transport with style.[/quote]+1 No chance of an exploding bottle and a great way to monitor the progress of the carbonation for the rest of the batch, used to do about half of all my beer in PET. And you can just spray-paint the bottle gold or silver to gussy it up.
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What about racking into growler instead of pouring?
Iām thinking @tom_sawyer has rafted down riverā¦that was 5 years ago.
If I understand your question, you could rack carbonated beer into a growler, no problem. I pour carefully from my cobra tap to reduce loss of co2.
I think they are cautioning against carbonating in a standard growler, FWIW.
There lies my problem. Limited funds nad new to brewing.
#2manylittle1s
Ok to help me (us) understand, what equipment do you have?
