Bottling From A Cask

[nicksonic]

Hi, I have beer in a firkin that's very recently been opened and I want to bottle the remainder. I'm presuming that I wouldn't need to prime it with the normal amount of sugar for the volume since it already has the desired level of CO2 on dispense. Would I need to prime it at all or would some sugar be required given the CO2 loss that would happen by the time the beer gets into the bottle via collecting it in a fermenter?

[Mr. Dripping]

The problem you have is the cask has already been broached and the beer will have started to oxidise.
I would advise against bottling from a cask this way.
If I was forced down that route, I would use a small amount of priming sugar in each bottle in the hope that the re-fermentation would scavenge the oxygen that the beer has picked up and will pick up during bottling.
This will not however get rid of any 'flavours' that have developed already.

[robbarwell]

Done it loads of times. I use a stainless turned down spout connected to a little bottler. Prime the cask then bottle. Works a treat

[orlando]

The problem you have is the cask has already been broached and the beer will have started to oxidise.

Not just that of course, opening it to the air will include whatever is in the air, if any of it contains lacto bacillus, almost certainly, this can survive in anaerobic conditions. Like robbarwell you may get away with it, be interested to know.

[nicksonic]

We did get away with it although for the various reasons posted we wouldn't want to risk it again.

[Jim]

I used to do that at one time - bottle the dregs from a placcy barrel and prime it. The results were OK but not great - I was more into quantity than quality at the time.