Counter Pressure Bottle Filler

[Bugglz]

Are counter pressure bottle fillers such as the ones sold at Grain and Grape worth it? Has anyone had much experiance with them?

I've used the Blichmann beer gun bottle filler before and I find too much CO2 comes out when useing it.

 

[Jye]

There are few threads already about this but essentially a TRUE CPBF is much better than a Blichmann gun.

 

[Quintrex]

There are few threads already about this but essentially a TRUE CPBF is much better than a Blichmann gun.

I went in to G n G to get advice about buying a CPBF, and found out that they also stock the fermentap one for a similar price point afaik,
Check out the video here of it in operation.


I think I'm going to pony up for one in the next few weeks.

Q

 

[Thirsty Boy]

I made a perfectly nice one out of a couple of picnic taps and a few dollars worth of bunnings plastic irrigation fittings - if you already have any picnic taps around, then its a cheap and effective solution. I posted pictures here once upon a time that you can probably search out. If you dont - well it'd be $20 for the picnic taps anyway .. and its not pretty like the stainless ones. So maybe it would be better to buy a new one.

Otherwise drop me a note and I'll show you how to make a cheap arsed but fully functional one - or there are a few other designs out there that are even simpler.

 

[Back Yard Brewer]

Are counter pressure bottle fillers such as the ones sold at Grain and Grape worth it? Has anyone had much experiance with them?

I've used the Blichmann beer gun bottle filler before and I find too much CO2 comes out when useing it.

Not sure about the G&G filler but I have made my own as well as a couple for others. The one I have works a treat. You can ask a couple others on here that I have made some for as well. As for over gassing this would only be possible if your keg beer was to gassy.


BYB

 

[AndrewQLD]

Here's the one I made, works like a charm.
Semi CPBF

Andrew

 

[outerwater]

can anyone tell me how long you can keep your beer bottled this way.
looking at using Grosclh bottles and the following link. Appears to be a good system.
Any advice welcomed.

cheers.
Jaz

 

[Jye]

As long as you use the CPBF correctly it should last the life of the beer. Im using mine for bottling barley wines and they will be aged for years.

 

[RagingBull]

can anyone tell me how long you can keep your beer bottled this way.
looking at using Grosclh bottles

I've found with chilling my grolsh bottles and turning the pressure down really low on my system i can fill them from the tap and they seem to have retained carbonation for 4-5 days (max time i've tested). I'm sure there would have been some loss seing as though the bottle was not purged with CO2 but it's good if you're going somewhere and taking a bottle or two for consumption that night.

Using the CPBF looks easy from the video.. getting round to making it is another story.. lots of great information on here anyway.

cheers

 

[Bribie G]

Excuse noob question but does a counter pressure bottle filler:

• Do away with the need for priming sugaz and thus fill your bottle with clear pressurised beer like the brewery bottling line or:
• Just flush the bottle so the beer is not in contact with oxygen but basically the beer will remain only as gassy as if served on draught from the keg?

I'm looking for a system to bottle the keg 'leftovers' from each 24 L brew which are clear and carbed so I can take them places, hand them out, enter comps whatever.

:icon_cheers:

Edit: Maybe I'd be better off with PET bottles and the carbonating cap? The blue one.

 

[troopa]

I assumed that they allow you to fill directly from a carbed up keg Bribie


Tom

 

[glaab]

this looks like an easy option

 

[buttersd70]

glaab
That's the exact video I based my method on. It does work, very well. I had a keg of beer I was not entirely happy with, I bottled using this method and gave them to my brother in law for xmas.....went over there in May, and he still had most of it left. Not only was it still carbonated, but it had smoothed out and improved with the age....I drank the lot.

 

[Maple]

glaab
That's the exact video I based my method on. It does work, very well. I had a keg of beer I was not entirely happy with, I bottled using this method and gave them to my brother in law for xmas.....went over there in May, and he still had most of it left. Not only was it still carbonated, but it had smoothed out and improved with the age....I drank the lot.

The present that gives soo much back...nice one, I'll have to remember this

 

[outerwater]

Thanks everyone will try to make the system on the video just have to find a pressure relief valve.
Keep you posted.
Cheers.
Jaz :icon_chickcheers:

 

[katzke]

Thanks everyone will try to make the system on the video just have to find a pressure relief valve.
Keep you posted.
Cheers.
Jaz :icon_chickcheers:

The last video is the one I use. Because it is how I dispense my beer and the plastic tube is from a broken racking cane it cost me 0. I do not use the stopper. I chill cleaned and sanitized bottles in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Turn the gas way down (sorry my gauge is wonky so can not say how low) and burp the keg. Or you can turn the gas off and burp the keg. You only need a bit of gas left to push the beer out. Then pour away and if I get a little extra foam on top it pushes the O2 out as the bottle fills. I just lift the tube out as the bottle gets full and the headspace is filled with foam that goes away after it sets capped for a while. Take a bit of watching to get the fill level correct. Dont forget to turn on the gas or you will find flat beer the next time you want a glass.

I have not done any long term storage but they drink fine the same day. See no reason why they would not be good at a later date as they are sealed and pressurized. Sure there could be a bit of O2 in the bottle that would spoil with time but mine do not last that long. Both of our wins have come from bottles filled this way.

A real counter flow may have its advantages but I hear they are a pain to clean up after filling just a few bottles. Mine is real easy as it takes just a rinse of the tube with water after use and before I use it I give the tube and the tap a squirt with StarSan.

 

[pdilley]

Excuse noob question but does a counter pressure bottle filler:

• Do away with the need for priming sugaz and thus fill your bottle with clear pressurised beer like the brewery bottling line or:
• Just flush the bottle so the beer is not in contact with oxygen but basically the beer will remain only as gassy as if served on draught from the keg?

I'm looking for a system to bottle the keg 'leftovers' from each 24 L brew which are clear and carbed so I can take them places, hand them out, enter comps whatever.

:icon_cheers:

Edit: Maybe I'd be better off with PET bottles and the carbonating cap? The blue one.

Yes on both points.

Especially when entering competitions is is nice to get a pure CO2 flushed bottle of beer. One where you have exactly carbonated in the Keg to exactly the amount you want. You soak the bottle in sterilized water. You insert the CPF with it attached to CO2 line and a Beer line. You shut off the beer line. You then invert the bottle and open CO2. The water is pushed out as CO2 fills the bottle. When no more water you shut off the CO2 and turn the bottle right way up like it normally should be. You Open the beer line and clean clear carbed beer straight from the Keg fills the bottle. You then put the bottle under your bench capper and cap. You then can enter it in any competition even shipped across the world and know with a better certainty that by the time the bottle is opened at the competition that your beer will be as close as to when you transferred it out of your keg.


Price seems to be ok as well local. We built these past few Canberra Brewers Club meetings out of bits.

US Price for CPF is $50, US Price for Stainless Steel CPF is $79. With exchange rate that is $92 Australian for Stainless Steel. You now need to ship it over. You will be getting close to the local price in the end. Only consider if you buying tons of other gear as well like Stainless Steel racking canes for $12

But that $10 option looks the goer for the cheap bastard in all of us

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[Thirsty Boy]

I think that going with a "true" CPBF is important mainly if you are a filterer. I Filter and force carb all my beers .. so if I do bottle, I want to be sure there is as little O2 in the system as possible. Can't rely on yeast activity to mop any extra O2 up.

Packaging O2 is the biggest - bar absolutly none, contributor to stale beer flavours . nothing you do in your mash or your boil even comes close. So for me a CPBF is a non optional brewing tool for the beers I decide to bottle.

 

[Bribie G]

I think that going with a "true" CPBF is important mainly if you are a filterer. I Filter and force carb all my beers .. so if I do bottle, I want to be sure there is as little O2 in the system as possible. Can't rely on yeast activity to mop any extra O2 up.

Packaging O2 is the biggest - bar absolutly none, contributor to stale beer flavours . nothing you do in your mash or your boil even comes close. So for me a CPBF is a non optional brewing tool for the beers I decide to bottle.

Yes TB I'll probably go that route with the filtering etc for certain styles like lagers and Aussie Olds etc. Per my previous question, I take it therefore that when bottling off say a Carlton knockoff with a CPBF , the beer in the bottle will be just as fizzy as coming out of the keg. However would that be a tad flat compared to, say a bottle of VB or Carlton Draught from a bottle shop? I'm thinking of comp brews where carb, head and beading would be a definite 'plus' in the judging.

 

[Zwickel]

BribieG, there is a spreadsheet for adjusting the optimal CO2 contend in relation to the beer style.

For example: Pilsener or Lager beers should contain around 5g of CO2 per litre.
Weizen should contain around 7g/l CO2.

So depending on temp and pressure you could adjust your beer prior bottling to achieve a perfect carbonated beer.

One more example: Im going to store my beers in kegs around 1C at a pressure of 65KPa, that provides the beer with a CO2 content of 5g/l or alternative 0,5%
Thats just the ideal CO2 content.

If Im going to fill my beers in bottles now by using a CPBF, the beer in the bottles will be at the same CO2 content as before, nothing will change.

That way, the beer in the bottles will be at a optimal CO2 content.

here you can see the saturation table:




Cheers :icon_cheers: