Simplified Counter Pressure Bottle Filler

Hey Everyone,

I've recently completed a simplied CPBF. The design uses the following components:

- Roughly 6-8 feet of tubing, 1/4"
- Two in line on/off ball valves 3/8" (picked up for $7 each at hardware store, they didn't have 1/4")
- T splitter
- One ball lock gas disconnect
- One ball lock liquid disconnect
- #2 drilled rubber stopper

The tubing is connected to each disconnect and then to the T splitter, with the on/off valves in between. I kept the gas valve close to the T splitter and the liquid valve close to the disconnect. On the bottom of the T splitter I put a few inches of the remaining tubing (enough to reach the bottom of a bottle) and slid on the rubber stopper, so that the rubber stopper is at the top of the tubing, overlapping the part where the T splitter is connected to the tubing.

To operate:

1. Jam the stopper end into a bottle. Hold stopper down so it doesn't pop out during next step.
2. Open gas valve to pressurize bottle / equalize pressure between bottle and keg (can also bleed out oxygen if you want).
3. Shut off gas valve and open liquid valve.
4. Slowly let some of the pressure bleed from the stopper by letting up on the force you're using to hold down the stopper, or by kind of pinching the side of the stopper. This will allow the beer to flow into the bottle.
5. When bottle is full shut off liquid valve, pull out stopper, cap and repeat as necessary.

This design is somewhere between the BierMuncher filler and a traditional CPBF. Advantages: it allows you to completely pressurize the bottle / purge oxygen from the bottle in the beginning and is less complicated / less costly ($20 or $30) than a traditional CPBF. Disadvantages: it uses the kegs CO2 supply so if you're filling up a lot of bottles you may need to re-pressurize the keg at some point.

This works good for my purposes because I usually only do a few bottles at a time and occasionally will bottle out of room temperature kegs, so equalizing the pressure between the keg and bottle is key.

You know pics would be really helpful here.

I know, I'm at work right now. I could upload the original sketch I made!

Super detailed schematic attached.

View attachment Scanned1.pdf

If I read the drawing correctly, you still vent by releasing the seal on the stopper? I hate that part in my current system.

phoenixs4r said:

If I read the drawing correctly, you still vent by releasing the seal on the stopper? I hate that part in my current system.

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Correct. Although if you were filing up a growler or larger container and had a stopper with two holes you could attach a valve on the stopper and vent that way. I don't mind releasing the seal on the stopper so I probably won't try it.

Simple set up (and love the detailed sketch). I don't see the CO2 tank, so it looks like you're pressurizing the keg and using its internal pressure to push the beer out?

pfgonzo said:

Simple set up (and love the detailed sketch). I don't see the CO2 tank, so it looks like you're pressurizing the keg and using its internal pressure to push the beer out?

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Yes, I figure for a six pack the internal pressure will be enough. I didn't want to fiddle with another valve and the CO2 tank due to my laziness. Also, if feeling extra lazy you can leave the gas line off completely and only use the liquid side. That would make it very similar to the BierMuncher filler, with a sturdier build.

You mentioned in your first post that you sometimes fill bottles from a room temp keg. What PSI was the keg pressurized at, and what's your foaming like?

pfgonzo said:

You mentioned in your first post that you sometimes fill bottles from a room temp keg. What PSI was the keg pressurized at, and what's your foaming like?

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I'm not sure what the PSI was, I threw some sugar into the keg to condition, but then let some of the pressure out and hit it with one of those portable CO2 chargers. There was minimal foaming. The bottle was cold, it came out of the fridge.

In contrast, I previously tried to bottle using about 10 feet of tubing and lifting the bottle above the keg to cut down on the pressure but I ended up with about a half a bottle of foam.

pfgonzo said:

You mentioned in your first post that you sometimes fill bottles from a room temp keg. What PSI was the keg pressurized at, and what's your foaming like?

Click to expand...

I should also mention this was the first time I tried to bottle from a room temperature keg, which is the reason I wanted a CPBF. There is limited fridge space, and I wanted to be able to bottle from the kegs that are on standby.