# Counter-pressure Bottle Filler.



## Dave70 (12/4/10)

There's a good amount of info out there on how to construct these jiggers, but I'd like to hear from anyone whos had some experience using / constructing one. Having the flexability to bottle from a keg sounds like living the dream to me, but also sounds like flat bottles of BYO beer and embarrassment if you cock it up.
Any tips, tricks or pics would be much appreciated.

cheers


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## komodo (12/4/10)

Yeah I've been wondering about this for ages. 
I keg and filter generally - but lately more and more people have been asking to sample some of my beer so I've been bottle conditioning a bit. But CPBF sounds like a better way for me as I could serve crystal clear beer from a bottle with no yeast sediment (not that it really bothers me - more just a wank thing) plus handy for those times I have an awesome brew on tap that I didnt bottle condition any of. 

I've been looking at these ones 
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/COUNTER-PRESSURE-BO...=item439e7bda3a 
But havent seen any one who has used one.


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## cdbrown (12/4/10)

Cheaper - http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=3246 
*no affiliation


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## Bribie G (12/4/10)

That Ebay one looks like a lesbian sex aid  - I can vouch for the CraftBrewer version $99 one but it really needs to be attached to some sort of stand or tripod or you need a buddy or two to help you. The unit itself works very well indeed and filled bottles of well carbed beer, depending what pressure you had it carbed at in the keg, of course.


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## haysie (12/4/10)

Yeah I can vouch for the Craftbrewer/Morebeer version, its good! These things are as BG mentioned a little unorthodox in that they require one hand holding your stopper in, one hand adjusting the ball valve, one hand to control the pressure valve, then 2 hands to cap! Thats 5 hands. Bottling into PET is even worse cos they are so light. I have built a little jig that holds the bottle and I cap it place, if i ever get piccy savvy i`ll post it up.
Another thing that may help, do a youtube search, before i bought mine it was handy to watch these video`s of others.


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## cdbrown (12/4/10)

I'll be getting the $99 version very soon as I'm keen to get a tripel out of the keg and into bottles. Knew I shouldn't be lazy and put them into bottles in the first place.

So with a stand can it be done with one person? Current process is to relieve the pressure on the keg and then pour that way.


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## haysie (12/4/10)

cdbrown said:


> I'll be getting the $99 version very soon as I'm keen to get a tripel out of the keg and into bottles. Knew I shouldn't be lazy and put them into bottles in the first place.
> 
> So with a stand can it be done with one person? Current process is to relieve the pressure on the keg and then pour that way.




Without a stand it works ok, I just tweek things so I can do it sitting on a stool drinking the dregs from the bottle i mucked up. Current process works great CD, my experience is good for 2-4 weeks, after that its a little lifeless.

edit, it really is quite simple ONCE you have screwed up and have beer dripping from your ears, eyes n chin. Do it!


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## Bribie G (12/4/10)

You may have missed my recent thread, I bought Tidal Pete's complete outfit from him and once it's set up, it's a breeze. Looks like something from Prof Ernest Rutherford's laboratory last Century


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## bradsbrew (12/4/10)

haysie said:


> Current process works great CD, my experience is good for 2-4 weeks, after that its a little lifeless.



Hmm I am getting conflicting opinions on the life of a CPBFed beer. I am yet to use mine, I have bought it for comp time but I am a little concerned that if they only last 2 weeks it will be gone by the time its judged. Haysie are your beers stored in the fridge or in storage?? Interested to hear of other lifetimes of CPBFed beers as well.

I guess I should just get my lazy arse into gear and use the bloody thing and find out for myself.

Cheers


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## cdbrown (12/4/10)

The 2-4 week comment was in reference to me pouring bottles from the tap rather than the CPBF becuase alot of CO2 comes out of solution during the transfer. Of course that's the point of the CPBF to prevent the CO2 loss.


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## haysie (12/4/10)

bradsbrew said:


> Hmm I am getting conflicting opinions on the life of a CPBFed beer. I am yet to use mine, I have bought it for comp time but I am a little concerned that if they only last 2 weeks it will be gone by the time its judged. Haysie are your beers stored in the fridge or in storage?? Interested to hear of other lifetimes of CPBFed beers as well.
> 
> I guess I should just get my lazy arse into gear and use the bloody thing and find out for myself.
> 
> Cheers




Cheers Brad, CD answered that one!


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## Simon from Hargreaves Hill (12/4/10)

Interestingly, I bought one last week to bottle a couple of hundred champagne bottles of our Abbey Dubbel. The John Guest fitting idea looks to be a winner - so easy to sanitise. If done properly, there shouldn't be significant pressure loss during filling as long as the vessel that you are coming out of has a good head pressure. The good thing about counter pressure filling is that you know how good your carbonation is instantly, which, in my experienve, is very different to bottle conditioning. Unfiltered beer should have a good shelf life, as there is still some yeast to absorb any unpurged oxygen.


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## stew.w (12/4/10)

i thought beer bottled with a CPBF lasted a reasonably long time.
i thought the whole reason for it was to prevent the beer oxidising when you fill bottles?
is this right? i'm curious as i just made one, but if they only last 4 weeks then there wouldnt be much point...

cheers,

stewart


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## paulwolf350 (12/4/10)

Komodo said:


> ...........I've been looking at these ones
> http://cgi.ebay.com.au/COUNTER-PRESSURE-BO...=item439e7bda3a
> But havent seen any one who has used one.



I have been looking at them as well, they are font mountable so should be easeier to use. I was thinking of permanently mounting it to my fridge

Paul


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## jakub76 (12/4/10)

There's something to be said for keeping it simple.
http://www.wortomatic.com/articles/Herb%27...s-Bottle-Filler


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## QldKev (12/4/10)

paulwolf350 said:


> I have been looking at them as well, they are font mountable so should be easeier to use. I was thinking of permanently mounting it to my fridge
> 
> Paul



If you mounted it to the fridge would it become a CPPF (Counter Pressure Paul Filler) ? 

QldKev


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## paulwolf350 (12/4/10)

QldKev said:


> If you mounted it to the fridge would it become a CPPF (Counter Pressure Paul Filler) ?
> 
> QldKev




Probably, there are three paul fillers already on there, lol


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## Kleiny (12/4/10)

paulwolf350 said:


> I have been looking at them as well, they are font mountable so should be easeier to use. I was thinking of permanently mounting it to my fridge
> 
> Paul



Just got one of these but have not given it a run yet.

I can get a hold of these and supply them cheaper than ebay if anybody is interested give me a PM. B) 

Kleiny


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## Nick JD (13/4/10)

For anyone else like me who has never watched one in action, here's a very droll American feller showing how to work one. 

Looks pretty easy to me.


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## Bribie G (13/4/10)

jakub76 said:


> There's something to be said for keeping it simple.
> http://www.wortomatic.com/articles/Herb%27...s-Bottle-Filler


That fills the bottle no problems, however as the beer comes out it loses some pressure and the beer in the bottle is not the same as the beer in the keg. With the CPBF the P for Pressure is the main letter - it ensures that the beer fills the pressurised bottle without foaming and only gets exposed to low pressure in the few seconds during capping, and if you are quick enough you can get it capped before the CO2 starts breaking out. That's how Carlton and Tooheys and every other brewery do it. However a simple pipe is a perfectly good method of drawing off some draught beer to take to a BBQ whatever.


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## Dave70 (13/4/10)

jakub76 said:


> There's something to be said for keeping it simple.
> http://www.wortomatic.com/articles/Herb%27...s-Bottle-Filler



Yup.
After a little more snooping on other other forums, there are plenty of comp brewers doing just that.

There just seem to be a few tricks to getting it right.

*Low pressure and a nice slow feed into the base of the bottle with the wand.
*Tilt the bottle to help minimize foaming.
*Refrigerate your bottles and gear beforehand (apparently helps to keep the disolved C02... disolved)
*Get a cap on ASAP.

I'm going to try this with a stout next week so we shall see.


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## Maple (13/4/10)

Dave70 said:


> Yup.
> After a little more snooping on other other forums, there are plenty of comp brewers doing just that.
> 
> There just seem to be a few tricks to getting it right.
> ...



Also a wet bottle has less point of neucleation than a dry one, thereby helping to maintain the CO2 in solution.


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## Kleiny (15/4/10)

Heres some pics of the CPBF i just got







Top handle opens the gas and then rotates to open the beer in valves
Bottom handle operates to seal to the bottle
Silver valve on side operates the bleed
Tube at the back is the overflow





Its looks like you can only fill PET style bottles as it needs the wide plastic rim to pull the bottle up for the seal.

I filled one bottle and it worked well.

Kleiny


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## Bribie G (15/4/10)

Brilliant looking machine. Where did you get it and how much?


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## Kleiny (15/4/10)

BribieG said:


> Brilliant looking machine. Where did you get it and how much?




They come from Kegking and i mentioned above i can do a better deal than ebay are currently selling them just PM me if your interested.

Kleiny


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## Bribie G (15/4/10)

Recently bought the skinny stainless model, wish I'd known about your chunky one. <_<


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## Kleiny (15/4/10)

BribieG said:


> Recently bought the skinny stainless model, wish I'd known about your chunky one. <_<



At least once you get the hang of yours you will be able to fill any bottle not just PET ones


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## haysie (15/4/10)

can the gas n beer in.... be changed to a quick release kleiny?


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## Kleiny (15/4/10)

haysie said:


> can the gas n beer in.... be changed to a quick release kleiny?



The beer is just like the back of a tap with a thread which has a barb to screw on so i would say yes, the gas in is more sealed to the unit it may screw out i dont really know.

Kleiny


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