Counter-pressure Bottle Filler.

[Dave70]

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

 

[komodo]

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.

 

[cdbrown]

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

 

[Bribie G]

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.

 

[haysie]

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.

 

[cdbrown]

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.

 

[haysie]

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!

 

[Bribie G]

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

 

[bradsbrew]

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

 

[cdbrown]

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.

 

[haysie]

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!

 

[Simon from Hargreaves Hill]

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.

 

[stew.w]

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

 

[paulwolf350]

...........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

 

[jakub76]

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

 

[QldKev]

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

 

[paulwolf350]

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

 

[Kleiny]

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

 

[Nick JD]

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.

 

[Bribie G]

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.