Keg King's Bottle Filler Beer Gun

[kahlerisms]

Hey All,

I Keg 99% of the time but often fill bottles to enter in comps. I've long been thinking about a Blichmann beer gun but now I see Keg King are offering one, too.

(part number 007124 on the price list, here http://kegking.com.au/Downloads/Catalogue%20-%20Retail%20Price%20List.pdf)
There's a "CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO" link that doesn't work and a youtube URL which also apparently doesn't work (at least from my phone)

It's $74.95 before disconnects/accessories.

The Blichmann is $115 before disconnects and accessories over here at iBrew

http://www.ibrew.com.au/collections/blichmann-beer-gun

They look bloody similar. Does anyone have the Keg King one? I'm keen to pay so much less (and get it today so I can bottle for British Ales) but I've also been burnt by KegKing stuff in the past (disconnects, elements) so I'm looking for someone with first hand experience.

Anyone got any theories?

 

[pnorkle]

Hi kahlerisms, also looking at one of these so I can fill my SS Growlers. I'm guessing the KK version is a Chinese knock-off of the Blichmann one. I copied the KK youtube URL into my browser & it works fine, the filler appears to work OK in the youtube vid, so I'm going to take the plunge and give it a go.

BTW, your link to the KK cattle dog won't work - it has the trailing bracket as part of the URL. Here's the correct link: http://kegking.com.au/Downloads/Catalogue - Retail Price List.pdf

Cheers.

 

[hathro]

Here is a demo of the Keg King Beer Gun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFFV_k2nDp4&list=PL424CDCFD0827879C

 

[kahlerisms]

Cool, thanks. I'll go pick one up at lunch.

How are people wrangling the gas connection side of things? I anticipate connecting the gas side of things once in a while and not leaving my gun permanently connected. Will need to figure out how to do a disconnect for it.

 

[kahlerisms]

Picked one up and a spare gas post too to throw on the gas line out. I'll set it up tonight and report back.

Gun comes with some tubes and clamps which makes it even cheaper than I thought

 

[PaleRider]

Thinking about getting one of these myself....
Interested to hear your thoughts.

 

[kahlerisms]

Build quality could be better. The little plastic trigger cover came off before I'd even used it.

Clamped the hoses on, replaced the gas barb with a gas post so I can use an existing hooked up gas line with the gun.

Gave it a few test runs - still seamed heaps foamy to me but I wasn't working in ideal conditions so I'd put this down to not having the process fine tuned yet, not using a chilled bottle, etc.

I have no idea how much CO2 I am/should be pumping in.

I'll watch that youtube video as soon as I get a chance.

 

[SimoB]

Build quality could be better. The little plastic trigger cover came off before I'd even used it.

Clamped the hoses on, replaced the gas barb with a gas post so I can use an existing hooked up gas line with the gun.

Gave it a few test runs - still seamed heaps foamy to me but I wasn't working in ideal conditions so I'd put this down to not having the process fine tuned yet, not using a chilled bottle, etc.

I have no idea how much CO2 I am/should be pumping in.

I'll watch that youtube video as soon as I get a chance.

Any progress on this?

I'm thinking of getting one for the competition side of things. The instruction video also says don't fill the bottle to quick...

Don't want to get one if the growler goes flat.

Cheers,

 

[kahlerisms]

Any progress on this?

I think it works better than a hose for me, and I think it maintains a better carb level. I am pretty convinced I have a leak in the gun somewhere (unsure if it's one of my seals or part of the gun, haven't done an immersion test yet) but it's worked well enough to fill four comp bottles so far and I use it sparingly enough that I haven't bothered (needed?) to go leak hunting yet.

 

[SimoB]

Ok cool. Thanks,

 

[carniebrew]

You can get the real Blichmann Beer Gun from Full Pint for just over $100, the KK one is the Chinese copy from the looks. I think they're coming into stock at FP this week some time.

I have one ordered from Full Pint to add to the Merri Mashers' equipment library, for members wanting to fill bottles from kegs for club comps, etc. Happy to post back once we've had a chance to try it out. If it arrives in time I'll use it for submitting my American Red Ale into Pale Ale mania....if I can work out what category it should be entered in...

 

[SimoB]

You can get the real Blichmann Beer Gun from Full Pint for just over $100, the KK one is the Chinese copy from the looks. I think they're coming into stock at FP this week some time.

I have one ordered from Full Pint to add to the Merri Mashers' equipment library, for members wanting to fill bottles from kegs for club comps, etc. Happy to post back once we've had a chance to try it out. If it arrives in time I'll use it for submitting my American Red Ale into Pale Ale mania....if I can work out what category it should be entered in...

That would be great thanks mate,

 

[Ross]

In our experience everyone of them leaks gas & some from several places. Connect to your gas & check by submerging the complete gun in water to spot the leaks, otherwise you'll wonder why your gas bottle has not lasted very long. We sell the KK guns but not before testing & repairing them

Cheers Ross

 

[Crouch]

You can get the real Blichmann Beer Gun from Full Pint for just over $100, the KK one is the Chinese copy from the looks. I think they're coming into stock at FP this week some time.

I have one ordered from Full Pint to add to the Merri Mashers' equipment library, for members wanting to fill bottles from kegs for club comps, etc. Happy to post back once we've had a chance to try it out. If it arrives in time I'll use it for submitting my American Red Ale into Pale Ale mania....if I can work out what category it should be entered in...

Good to know, they are just around the corner from me and with their new 'pick up on saturday' thingo, could be a go'er.

Cheers

 

[kegs23]

Hi kahlerisms,if your just filling PET bottles the new carb cap from keg king works really good, here a you tube clip of someone useing it,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCrfp8ha9Dw
it only about $20 fit both gas and beer disconnects,
i use mine for counter bottle filling out of my kegs,so much better than pouring lots of foam using the taps,
only extra gear you need is a beer disconnect to beer disconnect with some line,

 

[carniebrew]

Ok, I have the gun, and have pulled it apart and reassembled it a few times to get used to it. But I've just realised there's one component it doesn't come with...you need a T or Y piece on your regulator, to hook the gas line from Blichmann's accessory kit up to. This is so you can run gas into your beer gun, as well as leaving gas running into your keg. The piece I'm talking about is shown in Figure 11 on page 4 in their user manual.

The accessory kit comes with 5ft of large diameter gas line, with 1/4" female/flare fittings already attached to both ends. One end, via an adapter also in the accessory kit, screws onto the gas inlet on the beer gun (Fig 10), and the other end connects to the Y adaptor attached to your regulator. I thought of taking the flare fitting off this end, and plugging the line straight into one of the outlets on my John Guest Y divider....but the outside diameter of the provided line is too big to fit.

Given this gun is to share amongst club members, we need something portable. Even if I get a gas splitter with 1/4" screw fittings to fit the gun, I'd then need more fittings to adapt that Y into the line that runs into my JG divider. Anyone else got any ideas?

EDIT: Hold on...looks like the ID on the gas line in the Blichmann might be the same as mine, it's just got really thick walls, so the OD is bigger than will fit my JG splitter. I could remove the barbs/flare fittings off their line, and put mine on instead and it might work...I might just need some new stepless clamps.

 

[Topher]

I've been using one of these and I'm having a foaming problem caused by air getting in the beer line. It's as if it's not sealing at the end, so the first few seconds of the pour is all foam. After a pour you can see air and bubbles moving along the line.

My temporary solution is to purge a few bottles at a time with the co2 , then dump the foamy crap that's in the line into a glass, then when one bottle is full I super quickly jump to the next bottle before the line fills with air and foam again.
This works, and I get to drink the foamy beer in the glass once it settles so waste isn't a huge issue, but it's a bit annoying.

Do other users have this issue? Do you guys think this is a leak, or a design flaw, or user error?

 

[Kodos]

If there was a leak in the beer line, wouldn't beer be coming out, rather than air getting in? (Since the beer is contained at a higher pressure than the atmosphere).

Imagine putting a pinhole into your beer line and see what happens.

I would imagine what you are seeing is CO2 coming out of solution - there could be a nucleation point where you're seeing the bubbles. Or the lines are warm, compared to the beer, which is causing the foaming.

 

[Black n Tan]

I've been using one of these and I'm having a foaming problem caused by air getting in the beer line. It's as if it's not sealing at the end, so the first few seconds of the pour is all foam. After a pour you can see air and bubbles moving along the line.

My temporary solution is to purge a few bottles at a time with the co2 , then dump the foamy crap that's in the line into a glass, then when one bottle is full I super quickly jump to the next bottle before the line fills with air and foam again.
This works, and I get to drink the foamy beer in the glass once it settles so waste isn't a huge issue, but it's a bit annoying.

Do other users have this issue? Do you guys think this is a leak, or a design flaw, or user error?

I have one and have similar issues. I don't think it is a design flaw, just a matter of simple physics. It is not air getting in the line, but CO2 breaking out from the beer, just as it can in your beer line in your kegerator. The issue is the beer gun can warm up and the beer in the line nearer the outlet is under less pressure than in the keg, so the CO2 will come out of solution. To minimise it I just pour the first bit into a glass as you do. The more time it sits around between filling bottles the more CO2 will come out, so the faster you can operate the better it will be. I also find lowering the serving pressure so the beer flows more slowly into the bottle, minimises foaming in the bottle. However a bit of foam is a good thing as it urges ht oxygen from the top of the bottle and will improve beer stability.

 

[Spiesy]

^ Topher and Black n Tan, are you talking about the KK or Blichmann versions?