Equipment To Bottle From A Keg

[barls]

ok guys ive got some spare cash and need to decide which way to go, ie do i buy a counter pressure filler which looks complicated to operate or do i go the easy operation beer gun from northern brewer?
im reasonable technically minded, i have a hydralics and pneumatics ticket, but would prefer something that is easy to clean and operate as im only going to use it to bottle from my kegs when im going away as i go away for a couple of months at a time.
id like to hear from both sides on this one if i could and as always cheers in advance

 

[Barramundi]

i made my own barls using 3 1/4" ball valves and a few snap together pnuematic fittings ill get a pic of it take and post it on here later on ....
have tried it once and it worked ok as far as carbonation went but the taste was a little different to that out of the tap , perhaps it was a cleansing issue im not sure , but it carbed up good ... if you can hold out a while till wedo the swap ill make one up for ya ...

 

[PistolPatch]

Barls, I'd defintley go a Bronco tap from Ross. $15 and works a treat.

Perhaps the worst brewing thing I have ever bought was some bottle filler for about $130 when I first started kegging. Still annoys me.

When filling from the keg, turn the gas down as low as possible, tilt the bottle and off you go. The Bronco tap allows for some good flow control as well.

Cheers
Pat

 

[browndog]

Yep, I agree with Pat, I built a solid CPBF and found the best method to be just as Pat described. The CPBF has sat in the cupboard since the first use.

cheers

Browndog

 

[Jye]

I would go with something similar to this from brewiki but replace the valves with one 3-way valve located at the brass T-piece, and make the connections john-guest so it comes apart for easy cleaning.

If you could get a 3-way valve with John-Guest fitting you could make one in 5 minutes, but such a valve doesnt seem to exist

If you were bottling for short time I would also pour from the tap but since it is a few months then you will need a CPBF.

 

[sluggerdog]

Perhaps the worst brewing thing I have ever bought was some bottle filler for about $130 when I first started kegging. Still annoys me.

I'm with Pat here, I got one of those guns, found it to be total crap, I get just as good results straight from the tap with low pressure.

:beer:

 

[Duff]

Glad it's not just me. I borrowed Doc's Blichmann CPBF to fill some bottles for the Castle Hill comp and buggered if I could get it to work. I'd certainly invest in something else.

Cheers.

 

[Jye]

Perhaps the worst brewing thing I have ever bought was some bottle filler for about $130 when I first started kegging. Still annoys me.

I'm with Pat here, I got one of those guns, found it to be total crap, I get just as good results straight from the tap with low pressure.

:beer:

Is this the gun you are talking about?

Ross posted a solution on how to turn them into proper CPBF here in post #80.

 

[sluggerdog]

yeah that's the gun, cheers for the link jye.

 

[PistolPatch]

That's the one Jye. I tried the cork thingo with no luck. I think Ross has given up on this gun too.

I'm taking mine to Indy, throwing it on the track and then selling it on EBay, "Beer Gun Run Over by Indy Cars." This way it will have at least some value - lol.

Jye, do you reckon if you purged the bottle with CO2 and then poured from the tap, that the beer would last as long as bottling with a gadget?

 

[T.D.]

This is really interesting. Only recently when taking some beers to a mates place I decided to fill a couple of longnecks with keg beer just using my pluto gun on low pressure. It worked beautifully, but I just assumed that since I wasn't using a counter pressure filler that the carbonation would eventually go away. I figured it was a good way to go if you planned to drink the beer later on the same day, but wouldn't work longer term. Does anybody know if using a pluto gun or bronco tap will keep a healthy amount of carbonation in the beer longer term.

 

[Gerard_M]

I have used a Counter pressure filler with no dramas, easy to use & very easy to clean. I wouldn't use it every day. To answer T.D's question, why not fill a few tallies & put them in the fride until you get an invite to go somewhere?
Cheers
Gerard

 

[Jye]

Jye, do you reckon if you purged the bottle with CO2 and then poured from the tap, that the beer would last as long as bottling with a gadget?

If you purge the bottle first and use a tube on the tap to pour to the bottom of the bottle, it should last as long as a bottle filled with a beer gun since it is effectively the same process. I have a 30cm piece of polycarbonate (the same stuff I used for my site tube) that I jam into my brumby tap on the fridge and use this to fill a frozen bottle. This is how I fill all my bottles for meetings and never have any issues with carbonation.

Heres a pic of my CPBF, the only time I use it is for the xmas case and if Im bottling a few dozen.

 

[barls]

that looks the shit jye. ok ive decided to build one similar to yours. just one question what are the 3 different connections, i can figure out 2, ie liquid in and gas in but the 3rd has me stuffed.

 

[T.D.]

To answer T.D's question, why not fill a few tallies & put them in the fride until you get an invite to go somewhere?
Cheers
Gerard

At least that would tell us if it stays carbonated long term... :lol:

 

[Justin]

that looks the shit jye. ok ive decided to build one similar to yours. just one question what are the 3 different connections, i can figure out 2, ie liquid in and gas in but the 3rd has me stuffed.

I'd hazard a guess that the third has no fittings and is simply used to purge with, then slowly bleed off the pressure as you fill.

I'm with you Gerard though in regards to the CPBF, I've used a CPBF and found it easy and simple to use and I got good results (it's still handy to have someone standing beside you capping if you've got a production line going). I would still give thought to building one eventually. The trick is to be patient on the fill (ie. bleed the pressure off slowly so you have a slow, quiet fill of beer). You only want a slow fill so there isn't too much of a pressure difference between the keg and bottle, just enough so you get a careful flow.

If you're filling from the tap I've had best success with freezing my bottles for 10mins before filling. The coldness helps keep the CO2 in solution. I'd drop the pressure on the keg to 2-3 psi and then fill from the tap, a length of hose attached to the tap helps but most that I used to do I just ran down the inside of the bottle. It work very well indeed and my carbonations were always fine. I didn't store them long term this way though.

 

[Jye]

that looks the shit jye. ok ive decided to build one similar to yours. just one question what are the 3 different connections, i can figure out 2, ie liquid in and gas in but the 3rd has me stuffed.

I'd hazard a guess that the third has no fittings and is simply used to purge with, then slowly bleed off the pressure as you fill.

I'm with you Gerard though in regards to the CPBF, I've used a CPBF and found it easy and simple to use and I got good results (it's still handy to have someone standing beside you capping if you've got a production line going). I would still give thought to building one eventually. The trick is to be patient on the fill (ie. bleed the pressure off slowly so you have a slow, quiet fill of beer). You only want a slow fill so there isn't too much of a pressure difference between the keg and bottle, just enough so you get a careful flow.

Thats it and I agree you have to bleed off slowly.

There is a fault with mine it does not purge, only pressurizes the bottle. The co2 comes in and out at the base of the bung, when it should come in through the diptube (where the beer comes in) and out at the base on the bung. Before I use it again I will be correcting this and is only a matter of rearranging everything in the correct place. The other change I would make it use John-Guest fittings, they are cheaper than the keg posts and hell of a lot easier to clean. Also try and get a 3-way valve to replace the beer and gas in valve.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[barls]

ok that does make a little sense but i still like the idea of the keg posts as id rather not take my sysem apart every time to do it. but ill look in to all the parts as i can aquire them though work does anyone have a pneumatic diamgram on how they are suppose to work so i can improvise

 

[PistolPatch]

Jye, do you reckon if you purged the bottle with CO2 and then poured from the tap, that the beer would last as long as bottling with a gadget?

If you purge the bottle first and use a tube on the tap to pour to the bottom of the bottle, it should last as long as a bottle filled with a beer gun since it is effectively the same process.

That's what I wanted to hear Jye. Thanks mate.

I'm a little confused now though. Why on earth would anyone consider using anything else?

I can pour easily straight from my beer tap. It's balanced and pours slowly so no worries. I can do the same from my broncos but have to release pressure from the keg first only because I don't have the line to balance them as yet. If I had them balanced pouring from them would be even better than from my tap as I have flow control as well. Perfect!

This counter-pressure thing has me totally mystified. I mean the cork or whatever is meant to balance the pressure but as soon as you take the cork out everything foams up anyway - usually well before.

Am I stupid or should everyone just purge their bottles and pour from a balanced tap or from a tap at low pressure?

I'd really hate to see Barls spending time and money on something that can be achieved simply. I'm a gadget man but have been down this road too many times, often encouraged to do so. I can only think of one area of my brewing where gadgetry has served me well.

Don't take another one for the team Barls!

Cheers
Pat

 

[mark_m]

A fairly simple & effective solution (might be covered elsewhere on the forum but can't put my hand on it) is the home made carbonation cap system.

You'll need some pet bottles & caps, some tyre valves (so far my local tyre bloke has been happy to supply as many as I like as long as I slip him a few bottles of home brew from time to time), an old soda stream machine & cylinder, a short length of 4 or 5mm hose & a standard tyre valve fitting (any auto parts store) & some hose clips.

Simply drill a 12mm hole in top of pet cap, fit tyre valve (push valve part way thru, hold stem gently in a vice & pull the rest of the way.

Process from there is fairly simple,

1) fill however you like (I fill from the tap - lower the pressure the better)
2) squeeze out air (& any froth)
3) fit cap & pressurise bottle with soda stream & tyre valve

Bottles can be topped up if they lose pressure (as pet tends to do over time).
Have noticed a rubber smell in bottles left for a couple of months or so, but no noticeable taint in the brew.
System using soda stream valve is not foolproof, the good lady has blown the fittings off once by simply connecting valve & holding down plunger until something happened. Could have been messy if the clamps had been tighter & bottle had ruptured.

Attached photo's should be self explanatory. An added advantage (?) of this system is that it tends to be a conversation piece resembling a large baby bottle.

Cheers,
Mark

Attached photo