We no need no stinking beer gun... - Page 9

**WC87** · 11-13-2007, 06:09 PM

Awesome stuff! I just got my drilled #2 stopper via UPS, and will be assembling and testing my BMBF this weekend!

flippindiscs · 11-13-2007, 06:25 PM

Well it's funny, I stumbled upon this blog this morning as I was gearing up to use my new counter pressure bottle filler from Braukunst. I saw the simplified version using a racking cane and a stopper and said to myself…
well if I bought the real thing it must be easy and work the best....

ehemmm...
The counter pressure filler is the most stubborn and hard to use piece of brewing equipment I own!!!

I followed the directions and all of the tips I read on the blog this morning and filled 8 bottles in 30 minutes while losing about 6 bottles worth in the process. Now I feel that I am pretty competent in my brewing ability. I have been all grain for 2 years, have been brewing for about 5, and can figure out how to use/build anything I need within my brewery.. (or so I thought)

See if anyone can figure out what I did wrong:
- I chilled all the bottles to almost freezing temps so the bottles were just as cold (if not a little more) then the beer.
- Hooked the CO2 line of the gun into a 10psi empty corny for purging the bottles.
- Hooked the beer line into an Alaskan Amber Ale Clone corny.
- Released the pressure on the keg.
- Brought the beer up to 4psi in the keg.
- Purged the bottle before filling, and gently allowed the beer to enter to bottle.
- The bottle would fill 1/4 of the way up and then turn into a mountain of foam.
- Once the bottle was filled all the way... (after numerous four letter words) I would attempt to have my wife cap it but unfortunately the beer was continuing to foam out of the bottle pushing the cap off the top making it extremely difficult to cap (thank god I have a determined wife to help me with capping). The lag time between filling the bottle and capping it was only a few seconds.
- I then immediately refrigerated the bottles that were filled out of the batch to see if this ordeal was even worth it. After one hour in the fridge I popped one to see… No CO2 smoke, and the beer seemed like it was going flat. It did have some carbonation to it but nothing like (not even close) when it is running out of my kegerator.

Here is what I feel might be the problem..
1 - Cold beer with CO2 foams when it hits warmth, thus the filler was room temp when I started and never got to be as cold the beer while I was filling bottles. With the BMBF, it is one beer line with a plastic racking cane so it cools very quickly to the temp of the beer thus minimal foaming/.
2 - The Braukunst filler sucks.

Overall, it looks like I will officially be stripping down my pressure filler for parts unless someone else wants to take it off my hands.

El_Borracho · 11-13-2007, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flippindiscs

Well it's funny, I stumbled upon this blog this morning as I was gearing up to use my new counter pressure bottle filler from Braukunst. I saw the simplified version using a racking cane and a stopper and said to myself…
well if I bought the real thing it must be easy and work the best....

ehemmm...
The counter pressure filler is the most stubborn and hard to use piece of brewing equipment I own!!!

I followed the directions and all of the tips I read on the blog this morning and filled 8 bottles in 30 minutes while losing about 6 bottles worth in the process. Now I feel that I am pretty competent in my brewing ability. I have been all grain for 2 years, have been brewing for about 5, and can figure out how to use/build anything I need within my brewery.. (or so I thought)

See if anyone can figure out what I did wrong:
- I chilled all the bottles to almost freezing temps so the bottles were just as cold (if not a little more) then the beer.
- Hooked the CO2 line of the gun into a 10psi empty corny for purging the bottles.
- Hooked the beer line into an Alaskan Amber Ale Clone corny.
- Released the pressure on the keg.
- Brought the beer up to 4psi in the keg.
- Purged the bottle before filling, and gently allowed the beer to enter to bottle.
- The bottle would fill 1/4 of the way up and then turn into a mountain of foam.
- Once the bottle was filled all the way... (after numerous four letter words) I would attempt to have my wife cap it but unfortunately the beer was continuing to foam out of the bottle pushing the cap off the top making it extremely difficult to cap (thank god I have a determined wife to help me with capping). The lag time between filling the bottle and capping it was only a few seconds.
- I then immediately refrigerated the bottles that were filled out of the batch to see if this ordeal was even worth it. After one hour in the fridge I popped one to see… No CO2 smoke, and the beer seemed like it was going flat. It did have some carbonation to it but nothing like (not even close) when it is running out of my kegerator.

Here is what I feel might be the problem..
1 - Cold beer with CO2 foams when it hits warmth, thus the filler was room temp when I started and never got to be as cold the beer while I was filling bottles. With the BMBF, it is one beer line with a plastic racking cane so it cools very quickly to the temp of the beer thus minimal foaming/.
2 - The Braukunst filler sucks.

Overall, it looks like I will officially be stripping down my pressure filler for parts unless someone else wants to take it off my hands.

You need to build a BM bottle filler.. Cut the crap, go with the best. Who's the best? BM's the best.

SAS98M · 11-15-2007, 03:46 AM

Quick question-Would a wine bottle filler tube-the one with the little valve in the bottom work on this ? The valve would cure the run-off (dribble) concern between bottles no ? And the tube would remain on the bottom (to keep valve open)during filling as the stopper is pinched to relieve pressure right ?
I'm gonna make one too........

newguy · 11-15-2007, 08:57 PM

well got my BM-CPF all made up today and I'm going to try and fill a case on Sunday. Can't wait to try it out!

Cheers,

**BierMuncher** · 11-15-2007, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAS98M

Quick question-Would a wine bottle filler tube-the one with the little valve in the bottom work on this ? The valve would cure the run-off (dribble) concern between bottles no ? And the tube would remain on the bottom (to keep valve open)during filling as the stopper is pinched to relieve pressure right ?
I'm gonna make one too........

People have done that with good results.

Just remember to use the stopper as your "regulator". You really want to control that flow to a nice, steady, slow fill.

**Bobby_M** · 11-17-2007, 03:52 AM

This ought to make it clear. I go into dreadful details on my process but you'll have to live with it. I catered to people who might not have had the benefit of reading this thread.

[YOUTUBE]CwIbFQcHYyo[/YOUTUBE]

**Lil' Sparky** · 11-17-2007, 02:13 PM

Great video, Bobby. I like the little opening and closing bits you've added!

I'm definately going to build one of these!!

Grimsawyer · 11-17-2007, 10:33 PM

That was AWESOME!!!! I can get my beer to come out and I dont lose much, about a tsp/ bottle... But I've always done it at 20psi.... Screw that, i'm turning it down next time I bottle! AWESOME Video!!!

**Bobby_M** · 11-18-2007, 07:17 PM

You know, I just realized that this video shows another example of why the autosiphon is just one of the best values going in homebrewing. There are plenty of people with all kinds of alternatives to starting siphons. I probably use mine as a sanitizing pump at least as often as I use it for racking. It's frickin $9 people!! Buy two.