counter pressure bottle filler from keg-king

[ozdevil]

Hey all

Just recieve a counter pressure filler from Keg king

i just hand an empy bottle sitting next to my computer

So placed it on the 330ml bottle and i noticed about an inch and 1/2 space between
the bottom of bottle and the bottom of the filler stem.

my thoughts on this, is this will create a bit of foaming and oxygen with in the poured bottle

i understand that when i first connect i will purge the oxygen out of bottle 1st

then when i have finished purging i then place a bit of co2 back in to pressurize
then turn it to beer and ever so slightly release the purge valve to start the fill
i understand this will be done slowly but will this be to much of a problem
having an 11/2 inch gap approx

cheers and Beers
ozdevil

 

[CKK]

Not had a look at one of these for a while but I think the fill tube is telescopic and extends.

 

[Kranky]

Just put a bit of beer tube at the end of it.

 

[CKK]

Hey all

Just recieve a counter pressure filler from Keg king

i just hand an empy bottle sitting next to my computer

So placed it on the 330ml bottle and i noticed about an inch and 1/2 space between
the bottom of bottle and the bottom of the filler stem.

my thoughts on this, is this will create a bit of foaming and oxygen with in the poured bottle

i understand that when i first connect i will purge the oxygen out of bottle 1st

then when i have finished purging i then place a bit of co2 back in to pressurize
then turn it to beer and ever so slightly release the purge valve to start the fill
i understand this will be done slowly but will this be to much of a problem
having an 11/2 inch gap approx

cheers and Beers
ozdevil

Just had a look and the tube pulls out so you can use it with much larger bottles than the 330ml.

 

[ozdevil]

Just had a look and the tube pulls out so you can use it with much larger bottles than the 330ml.

hmmm the one you guys sent defenitly does not pullout mate

its one sollid tube

 

[CKK]

hmmm the one you guys sent defenitly does not pullout mate

its one sollid tube

Ah so you did not get the Tapcooler one. Then the suggestion of a bit of extra line works

 

[ozdevil]

Ah so you did not get the Tapcooler one. Then the suggestion of a bit of extra line works

nope but the tapcooler one maybe on the cards soon enough.......

 

[Kodos]

It's fine - when you're filling a pressured bottle and go slowly, you'll see very little foaming even with a 1" gap between the end of the tube and the bottom of the bottle. Make sure the bottle is at the same pressure as the keg, and then *very* slowly open the bleed valve. Beer will flow in with minimal foam.

I'm working on a video showing exactly this for our (Canberra) club members - I'll try to remember to link it here as well if you like.

 

[ozdevil]

It's fine - when you're filling a pressured bottle and go slowly, you'll see very little foaming even with a 1" gap between the end of the tube and the bottom of the bottle. Make sure the bottle is at the same pressure as the keg, and then *very* slowly open the bleed valve. Beer will flow in with minimal foam.

I'm working on a video showing exactly this for our (Canberra) club members - I'll try to remember to link it here as well if you like.

cool a video would be fantastic to see and may also help others that have purchased these

 

[ozdevil]

What would be the prussure to fill bottles , i was thinking of aroud 4-5 psi

 

[Bane the Shaker]

If your beer is carbonated enough to drink, 4psi is plenty. You want as little head as possible. Slow and steady wins the race

 

[Kodos]

Hey, sorry for the delay, finished editing it last night.

Personally, I always fill at the same pressure as in the keg or higher. In my experience, lower pressure doesn't necessarily reduce foaming - the pressure helps keep the CO2 in solution. You control the speed of the fill (and minimise foaming) with the purge valve - only open it just enough to let the beer trickle through and make tiny adjustments to get a flow rate you're happy with. The video below was filled at 200kPa to show it at one extreme.

If you set the pressure lower than carbonation pressure, the head pressure in the keg can end up higher than the pressure in the bottle, and you lose control over the fill rate as the system tries to equalise.

It's also worth keeping everything as cold as possible - including the bottle you are filling. If cold beer hits warm glass, you'll get foam. I know one pro brewer who told me they always can at -2C or they lose too much carbonation during the process.

Forgive the shoddy editing, it's only my second attempt using iMovie!

The best view of how the filler doesn't foam too much, even when there's a gap between the filler and the bottle, is at 6:12 (but things go wrong afterwards - on purpose).

Slow counter-pressure filling to help retain carbonation - inc how things can go wrong.

 

[Kodos]

Probably worth including this video as well. It's more overview of the whole setup, and shows how you can fill a bottle with boiled water or sanitiser and push it that out with CO2, ensuring a complete oxygen purge.

Apologies again for the shameful editing (this was my first attempt using iMovie)