We no need no stinking beer gun...

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I recently filled 24 bottles for buddies at work. Didn't use the stopper, used about 1PSI just to move the beer and had virtually no foam. Took about 20 seconds to fill a 12oz bottle.

Since the bottling wand drains out pretty quickly, the first bottle of the next batch would foam up more so I would fill the tube first then stick it in the bottle and fill. I did about 6 bottles at a time, cap them and move on to the next batch.

Guess I could use the bottling wand tiop to prevent it from draining out between bottles/batches

Very easy for sure

Toy4Rick
 
For those of you that have used the BMBF, what about purging the bottle with CO2 ahead of time? I would think that this would be important if you were going to store your beer in a cellar for a while, right? I got some money for Christmas and I was thinking of purchasing MoreBeer's counter pressure bottle filler (http://morebeer.com/view_product/18279/104252/Counter_Pressure_Bottle_Filler), as I love the idea of carbonating in a keg and then bottling for cellar storage. Anyone store their beer for a few months in a cellar using a BMBF?
 
homebrewbeliever said:
For those of you that have used the BMBF, what about purging the bottle with CO2 ahead of time? I would think that this would be important if you were going to store your beer in a cellar for a while, right? I got some money for Christmas and I was thinking of purchasing MoreBeer's counter pressure bottle filler (http://morebeer.com/view_product/18279/104252/Counter_Pressure_Bottle_Filler), as I love the idea of carbonating in a keg and then bottling for cellar storage. Anyone store their beer for a few months in a cellar using a BMBF?
Click to expand...

I have. ;)

Purging the bottle with CO2 before filling is really not necessary. The exposure to oxygen is negligible and it is the beer that actually purges the air as you fill. If you give the bottles a quick tip holding the caps on with your finger....the beer will begin to foam. Just cap on foam and you're capping on CO2.

I've had beers in storage for months (and some barley wines and RIS's for years) using this method and there are no issues with oxidation. The only issue I've had is when I rushed the kegging process and as a result, when I returned the beers to room temperature in bottles, they resumed some minute fermentation and became over carbonated.
 
Wow, wow, wow...what a thread!!! My hat's off to you BM, lovely KISS design.

I'm new to all things brewing. I'm a beekeeper that got interested in mead and have started a couple of batches started...a JAOM that's 2+ months old and a traditional that was 1 month old on Christmas Eve. Both are coming along nicely. BTW, over the last several years I've just about stopped drinking...I think the mead has tweaked my interest again. :D

Anyhow, in regards to carbonation and foam I would like to make some of my mead sparkling...will mead foam as much as beer during the bottling stage? Should the BMBF work good for mead? I've pretty much gathered up the equipment to keg with, just gotta get my co2 tank filled now...and order some #2 drilled stoppers. ;)

Thanks for the design again, BM!
Ed
 
Intheswamp said:
Wow, wow, wow...what a thread!!! My hat's off to you BM, lovely KISS design.

... in regards to carbonation and foam I would like to make some of my mead sparkling...will mead foam as much as beer during the bottling stage? Should the BMBF work good for mead? ...
Thanks for the design again, BM!
Ed
Click to expand...

I've carb'd and bottled every conceivable beer style, hard cider, water (club soda) and hard lemonade using this method with success. No reason to think you can't apply the same practice to mead.:mug:
 
BierMuncher said:
I have. ;)

Purging the bottle with CO2 before filling is really not necessary. The exposure to oxygen is negligible and it is the beer that actually purges the air as you fill. If you give the bottles a quick tip holding the caps on with your finger....the beer will begin to foam. Just cap on foam and you're capping on CO2.

I've had beers in storage for months (and some barley wines and RIS's for years) using this method and there are no issues with oxidation. The only issue I've had is when I rushed the kegging process and as a result, when I returned the beers to room temperature in bottles, they resumed some minute fermentation and became over carbonated.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for your reply, BierMuncher! That totally makes sense, and I bet you can even be extra sure if you use some oxygen-absorbing caps... I'll have to just forego buying a counter-pressure bottle filler and just make one of your BMBFs!
 
I haven't read all 89 pages, but I'm guessing my interpretation of the instructions is off - you don't fill the bottles all the way to the very top with liquid and then cap, right? Sounds like you'd fill to a normal level for bottled beer, get it to foam over, and then cap on the overflowing foam.

Is there any disadvantage to this method compared to the beer gun, bought or homemade? Biggest advantage seems to be that it's cheap and doesn't require the purchase of much of anything.
 
jtkratzer said:
I haven't read all 89 pages, but I'm guessing my interpretation of the instructions is off - you don't fill the bottles all the way to the very top with liquid and then cap, right? Sounds like you'd fill to a normal level for bottled beer, get it to foam over, and then cap on the overflowing foam.

Is there any disadvantage to this method compared to the beer gun, bought or homemade? Biggest advantage seems to be that it's cheap and doesn't require the purchase of much of anything.
Click to expand...

Yes, leave some space and cap on foam.

I used the BMBF before I had a beer gun. With the beer gun you can purge with CO2 easily before filling. This may not be that big a deal. You could have a second BMBF for only CO2 if you cared enough.
 
osagedr said:
Yes, leave some space and cap on foam.

I used the BMBF before I had a beer gun. With the beer gun you can purge with CO2 easily before filling. This may not be that big a deal. You could have a second BMBF for only CO2 if you cared enough.
Click to expand...

I suppose the advantage is you don't have to get the beer to foam and cap on it when you purge.
 
jtkratzer said:
you don't fill the bottles all the way to the very top with liquid and then cap, right?
Click to expand...

I fill right to the very top with liquid, but with the bottling cane still all the way in the bottle. Then, removing the cane produces some headspace in the neck of the bottle (equal, obviously, to the amount of beer displaced by the cane when it was inserted in the bottle).
 
kombat said:
I fill right to the very top with liquid, but with the bottling cane still all the way in the bottle. Then, removing the cane produces some headspace in the neck of the bottle (equal, obviously, to the amount of beer displaced by the cane when it was inserted in the bottle).
Click to expand...

Right. That's how I bottle when I bottle condition/carb. Usually a good final volume that way and consistent.
 
jtkratzer said:
I suppose the advantage is you don't have to get the beer to foam and cap on it when you purge.
Click to expand...

When you withdraw the beergun or the BMBF from the bottle this will lower the liquid level. When the level lowers it will draw outside air (oxygen) into the bottle. I would think you would still want to bottle on the foam so that you push out the oxygen that was drawn in.

Ed
 
Intheswamp said:
When you withdraw the beergun or the BMBF from the bottle this will lower the liquid level. When the level lowers it will draw outside air (oxygen) into the bottle. I would think you would still want to bottle on the foam so that you push out the oxygen that was drawn in.

Ed
Click to expand...

If you purge with CO2 first, there shouldn't be O2 in there as the CO2 is going to stay below the oxygen. Just a guess. Otherwise, what's the point of purging with CO2?
 
jtkratzer said:
If you purge with CO2 first, there shouldn't be O2 in there as the CO2 is going to stay below the oxygen. Just a guess. Otherwise, what's the point of purging with CO2?
Click to expand...
If you have the nozzle/stem of the gun/BMBF inside the bottle and fill to top of the bottle this will push CO2 or any other gas (oxygen) out of the bottle. This leaves liquid and the nozzle inside the bottle. The problem that I see is when you withdraw the stem/nozzle of the beer gun or BMBF. The nozzle has displaced a bit of liquid and when withdrawn the surface of the liquid will drop to fill the space where the nozzle had been. The dropping of the liquid level will create a space that has to be filled by "something"...that *something* is a very small amount of CO2 that is being released but mostly it is the air outside of the bottle that is pulled inside to fill the newly created empty space.

In my newbee mind, the reason I see for purging with CO2 is to prevent the beer or other product from being heavily aerated by splashing and swirling in the presence of the oxygen that would be present in an unpurged bottle. If there is no foam after removing the nozzle then there will be oxygen that has been drawn into that space. Either cap on the foam or use CO2 again and purge that small space.

Maybe I'm missing something that you're seeing? :confused:

Ed
 
I was talking about the beer gun that allows one to purge before filling. If you have to foam the beer and make a mess with the beer gun even after purging, I really don't see the point of buying one over using BM's method with a bottling wand.
 
jtkratzer said:
I was talking about the beer gun that allows one to purge before filling. If you have to foam the beer and make a mess with the beer gun even after purging, I really don't see the point of buying one over using BM's method with a bottling wand.
Click to expand...

I dont think you need to cap on foam with a beergun since you can purge bottle, fill bottle, purge headspace, cap. I still see no need to get one and use the method in this thread.
 
AnchorBock said:
I dont think you need to cap on foam with a beergun since you can purge bottle, fill bottle, purge headspace, cap. I still see no need to get one and use the method in this thread.
Click to expand...

So as you withdraw the beergun and the tip is just inside the mouth of the bottle you are able to put a little co2 in it to purge any oxygen drawn into the bottle? You are able to add the little bit of co2 in the same motion as taking the nozzle out of the bottle? I'm just not sure of the procedure for using a beer gun.

Ed
 
Intheswamp said:
So as you withdraw the beergun and the tip is just inside the mouth of the bottle you are able to put a little co2 in it to purge any oxygen drawn into the bottle? You are able to add the little bit of co2 in the same motion as taking the nozzle out of the bottle? I'm just not sure of the procedure for using a beer gun.

Ed
Click to expand...

Check out this video:
 
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I am the least handy person in the world, but the instructions for this were so easy. I ordered the parts and just tried it--seemed very successful, super easy. We'll see for sure when I open the bottles, but I have a great feeling about it.
 
ok, so I haven't read every page, but I did read a lot of this a few years ago and tried it... with no success. I believe I did everything right, but the main issue I had (that I think may be the culprit) was temp. If I try to let the beer sit and carb at room temp will it not hold the gas well? I remember when I bottled it was nice and carbed, but in only a few hours it was rather flat. Does the beer need to be carbed cold for this to work optimally?
 
I don't get why you would waste CO2 purging the bottle. At the end, you still suck the same amount of air into the bottle when you pull the cane out. A short blast of CO2 maybe would do something at the end, but it still won't get all the O2 out. I think the best method is to loose fit the caps on the bottles for a few minutes to let CO2 from the beer displace some O2 and then use and O2 absorbing cap. i just don't see the point of going through the hassle of connecting the CO2 line to a beer gun.

Also, how necessary is it to use the stopper? I understand the pressure buildup will reduce foaming, but if you have a cold bottle and fill slowly this seems like an unnecessary step.
 
Having just skimmed the pages... I was wondering what BMBF is...

Per google it was: The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF

Thank got for the youtube video i found.. lol
 
rdann87 said:
Having just skimmed the pages... I was wondering what BMBF is...

Per google it was: The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF

Thank got for the youtube video i found.. lol
Click to expand...

With deference to the OP, I believe it is the BierMuncher Bottle Filler.
 
I have a question that I haven't seen asked throughout this thread (I've probably read through 50 of the 91 pages on here, so I certainly could have missed it!)

I'm certainly no expert on keg line balancing, but the research I've done has told me that 3/16" ID beverage line has a resistance of 3 psi per foot. Assuming there is 12 psi in the keg, a 4 foot section of 3/16" hose should mean less than 1 psi coming out the other end, right? So if you are using 6 or 7 feet, the beer should be at a fraction of a psi or not flowing at all? I realize the elevation difference has an effect too, but the question I have is if we are using a 7 foot liquid line, why do we need to vent the 12 psi from the keg, and lower it to 2-3 psi? Shouldn't the long line negate the need to do this? One reason I ask is if I'm bottling a dry hopped IPA, I don't want to vent the keg and lose all that lovely hop aroma to fill a few bottles. I've had to vent the keg repeatedly before when I've had IPA overcarbonation issues, and it really seemed to affect the hop aroma in the remaining beer. Anyone have an idea on this? Why keg pressure needs to be lowered rather than just using a long enough liquid line to restrict the flow?
 
Hey Tool, not sure if it would help, but believe the 3/16" is closer to 1.8 psi vs 3 based on reading and personal experience. Longer would help and the beer gun recommends something like 10'.

Cheers,
Dan F.
LAGERS/FOSSILS
 
i've been bottling a few brews with this method but have had a concern come up and want to see if anyone else has been dealing with the same thing.. I take my keg that is carb'd to specs, clean and freeze my 12 or 22 oz bottle, drop the CO2 pressure to about 2psi and fill the bottles and cap on foam. However, when i go to open the bottles after a few days or few weeks, i get little to no gas noise when popping the cap. The beer itself is carb's fine in the bottle but just concerned that i get zero sound og gas escaping. Is there something i need to worry about or is this common?

I'm getting ready to bottle some chocolate stout that has been sitting and aging in my keg and afraid to bottle this if it goes flat or bad if i'm doing this process wrong.

Thanks!
 
MoeIPA said:
i've been bottling a few brews with this method but have had a concern come up and want to see if anyone else has been dealing with the same thing.. I take my keg that is carb'd to specs, clean and freeze my 12 or 22 oz bottle, drop the CO2 pressure to about 2psi and fill the bottles and cap on foam. However, when i go to open the bottles after a few days or few weeks, i get little to no gas noise when popping the cap. The beer itself is carb's fine in the bottle but just concerned that i get zero sound og gas escaping. Is there something i need to worry about or is this common?

I'm getting ready to bottle some chocolate stout that has been sitting and aging in my keg and afraid to bottle this if it goes flat or bad if i'm doing this process wrong.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

If you are transferring a cold carbonated beer into cold bottles and then into the fridge, you probably shouldn’t expect that extra “Phttt” and CO2 cloud. That excess CO2 is formed as the beer continues to ferment ever so slightly in the bottles stored, or traveling at room temperature.

One thing you might try is as soon as you transfer to bottles, let them sit at room temperature for a couple of weeks. The warmer temps will spark just a little additional fermentation and give you that bonus “pop” of CO2 when you open the bottle. But….make sure your beer has fully fermented in the primary. Force carbing in a keg, and then transferring a slightly underfermented beer to room temperature bottles will result in the opposite effect…gushers.
 
ok, so i'm not doing anything " wrong " with the fact that i'm not getting the " psst " from opening the bottles.. I mainly bottle the last 4/5 bottles in my keg so i can free it up for new beer..

thanks!
 
I saw this thread and realized I had all this stuff laying around. It took me a few minutes to build and saved me $75. Thanks for this.
 
I will be making some root beer and force carbonating it for a get together this Summer. I don't want or need an expensive counter-pressure filler for its limited amount of use to make "Party Bottles", as I keg and bottle condition my beer. This is perfect. Thank you!
BierMuncher said:
Here's a proven method for bottling your beer from the keg without an expensive beergun. I've been doing this for over a year and bottled dozens of cases this way. Every beer I've ever entered into a competition has received consistently high scores for carbonation.

Go ahead and keg the entire batch and get it to your desired carbonation.

To do this, you'll need a liquid hose with a picnic (cheap plastic) tap attached. The longer the liquid hose the better. I use about 7 feet. This provides adequate pressure to prevent foaming. The end of a racking cane fits very snuggly into the picnic tap nozzle. (Make sure the cane is pushed all the way into the nozzle of the tap) Go to your local HBS and buy a drilled stopper (I think it is a #2) that will fit over the other end of your racking cane. The end tip of the racking cane should be cut at an angle to allow free flow of the beer.

You now have a racking cane extending from your picnic tap with a stopper about midway up the cane. The idea is that this racking will go to the bottom of your bottle and the stopper will slide down snug onto the neck of the bottle.

It will help to chill your bottles ahead of time. Giving them a quick rinse in cold water will also keep foaming down. Recently, I've taken to just rinsing the bottels and have zero foaming problems.

Now follow these simple steps:

  1. Shut off the gas to your keg momentarily and open the (keg) relief valve to bleed excess pressure from the the keg.
  2. Turn the PSI on your regulator down to about 5. This needs to be a slow gentle process.
  3. Go ahead and open the tap and drain some beer into a waste bucket. This will prime and cool the lines.
  4. Now place the bottle filler into the bottle with the stopper pushed down snug onto the bottle neck. Open the picnic tap to the locked position.
  5. The bottle will begin filling but slow to a stop as the pressure builds
  6. Gently push the side of the stopper to allow the pressure to "burp" out of the bottle and the beer will begin to flow again.
  7. Continue the fill until beer (not just foam) begins overflowing and turn off the tap.
  8. Quickly move the rig to the next bottle and repeat.
  9. When all the bottles are full, give each one a quick "burst" of beer from the tap to top off.
  10. Move the bottles to your capping bench and place a cap on each bottle.
  11. Before locking down the cap on each bottles...tip the bottle on its side and back (holding the cap on with your finger of course). This will cause the beer to begin to foam.
  12. Place the capper on the cap loosely and as soon as the foam begins to overflow...lock down the cap.
This last step is important because capping on foam means you've purged the oxygen from the bottle and it will store much longer.

It will help to contain the mess if you load all of the bottles into a short five gallon bucket. I can usually fit about 13-15 bottles into one.

It sounds more complicated than it actually is. Very easy and you can get a sixer filled in about 5 minutes. Move the bottles to a fridge and open when ready. I just opened a porter this afternoon that I bottled this way about ten days ago and it was perfect.

From here on, I will keg everything and bottle off a twelve pack or so for keepsake and travel.


I recently (10/14/07) openned another Porter from my March bottling session and it was still just perfect. Nice puff of CO2 cloud in the neck of the bottle. Good foaming action during pour. Good thick head...and the beer laced nicely all the way through.

Notice the angled cut of the racking cane. Very important.
View attachment 2953

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Click to expand...
 
This is awesome BierMuncher!! I just took the plunge into kegging yesterday and whilst getting everything ready at my LHBS, the guy there was explaining this exact process to me. I picked up the racking cane and picnic faucet so I can do this. Its perfect, cant wait to try it. If I could get 12 bottles off of every keg, I'll be very happy.

Thanks a lot for your write up, I will be doing this in a few weeks.
 

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