Expert: Ed Westemeier - 9/6/2008

Question
I was wondering is there a way to force carbonate beer in the bottle or something that will do it just before filling the bottle.  I would prefer not to have to buy the Kegging equipment.
thanks
rich

Answer
I assume you're just looking to avoid the wait for naturally carbonating beer in the bottle.

If so, you can just get a CO2 tank and regulator, and force carbonate in plastic soda bottles (the one or two liter size). This works well, and is simple. You'll need a carbonator cap for each bottle:

http://www.liquidbread.com/carb.html

Most homebrew suppliers should carry carbonator caps, and you can also get them online from most of the big online suppliers.

This is the simplest solution I know of. I recommend using bottles that originally contained seltzer water or something else without a strong flavor, since the flavor can remain in the plastic bottle for a long time. The caps last for years, and you can use them over and over.