We no need no stinking beer gun...

Interesting... it took me a while to read all 40 some odd pages and then make my own BMBG. Curious though... has anyone ever transferred by this method to a growler and what size stopper would you need ?

Depends on what growler you're using. Flip top or screw cap?

Suthrncomfrt1884 said:

Depends on what growler you're using. Flip top or screw cap?

Click to expand...

Screw cap

IrregularPulse said:

Nice BM, but I think someone needs a new bottle opener!

Click to expand...

You can say that again...:cross:

I'm pretty sure a number 5 stopper works on the screw caps, but don't quote me on that. I have a flip top growler that has a much bigger opening.

Tried this out for the first time tonight on a Honey Blonde. Works great! I can't wait to see how the beer ages compared to carbonating with dextrose. A couple of notes:

1) I wasted waaayyy too much beer, at least a litre. I will get better at this now that I have the process figured out.

2) I hope I got the carbonation about right. The beer temp was around 50 degrees under 15 psi. Hmmm...looking at a force carb table that should be just right. Blind luck! Next time I will pay closer attention to this beforehand.

So, does this eliminate the sediment at the bottom of homebrew bottles? Or will there still be sediment unless you filter the beer? Some of the people that try my homebrew are weirded out by the sediment on the bottom.
I try to explain that it is normal and just to pour it into a glass, but they are used to their "Coors light" (insert any light beer here).

Yep, by force carbonating in a keg, then bottling, you eliminate the sediment. Typical bottle sediment is yeast from bottle conditioning.

Depends on what you mean by sediment. If you mean yeast sediment from secondary fermentation in the bottle, yes, it will eliminate that because you're not performing a secondary fermentation. However, if your beer in the keg has other suspended particles. For me, most often this is hops from dry hopping but it can also be a tiny bit of yeast sediment from when I transferred from the fermenter into the keg, though that tends to filter out after pouring a few pints from the keg because the dip tube pulls it up pretty quickly. This is definitely a great method for bottling up exactly what you want/need with great results.

built one today and bottled 2 grolsch bottles.....works great...

sea2summit3 said:

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet... you can keep the racking cane from draining between fills by submerging the tip. You'll need a heavy/stable container (to prevent tipping from the weight of the beer gun). I used a 1 liter glass mug I got at a beer festival, and put a couple inches of Starsan solution in the bottom. If you transfer the cane fast enough, only a little beer drains out!

Click to expand...

That's a great tip and I'll try that next time. I tried this for the first time Tuesday and would just balance the wand on the drip tray of my kegerator. I definitely have to fine tune my methods though. I filled a dozen bottles with little spillage but several near mishaps. I guess I should do it on a more sturdy surface than a small foot stool. lol

I sent 3 bottles off to a competition. I'm anxious to see if they mention my carbonation level and/or oxidation. I think I'm going to shorten my hose though. At 10 feet it was tedious to rinse afterwards.

Not sure if others mentioned this previous or not, seeing as how I have not read through the entire thread. I used this method but instead of using a cut piece of racking cane, I just used the stopper along with a bottling wand. This made the process a little easier since you never had to worry about flipping the lever on the party tap faucet. Just pull the wand up and the flow stops.

Still hate bottling, but that's another thread.

thesanch said:

I used this method but instead of using a cut piece of racking cane, I just used the stopper along with a bottling wand.

Click to expand...

I tried this for the first time today and I used the bottling wand...worked pretty well though I could not compare it to the original method. Took a few bottles to get the hang of it...time will tell.

I also still hate bottling...mostly.

There have been some recent threads about folks having trouble with the BMBF, and I realized I've never posted this video in the thread.

This is my method, based on the BMBF. Instead of a picnic tap, I'm bottling right off my faucets. This is convenient for a few reasons: I can bottle at serving pressure, so no futzing with the regulator. I don't have to pull the kegs out of the kegerator or the quick-connects off the kegs, so it's quick. I also usually bottle 2-4 different beers at a time, so I'm not breaking and making a lot of connections.

The fitting for the Perlick taps came from Centerline Machining, but when I first started I just jammed a 1/2" hose over the end of the taps, which works too. Just don't forget the hose clamp!

[youtube]7IgVx3h5llA[/youtube]

I've had beers bottled around a year with this method and sent several of those to competitions, and none had bottle infection or carbonation issues.

If you get a few different sized stoppers it also works great for bottling in 1- and 2-liter soda bottles or growlers for bringing to parties. Or work.

-Joe

Wow, I really like that fitting. I just fired off an email to find out on pricing. Brilliant.

So you don't have to do anything to your tank pressure??? I could leave it at my 10-12psi and use this bottle filler? This is gold.

IrregularPulse said:

So you don't have to do anything to your tank pressure??? I could leave it at my 10-12psi and use this bottle filler? This is gold.

Click to expand...

That is exactly what I do, yes. You do have to be a little more vigilant about keeping good backpressure as you fill, but for me it's worth the convenience of not having to lower the pressure and vent the keg before filling. In my fridge setup it's very difficult to reach the kegs, especially at the back.

-Joe

nostalgia said:

That is exactly what I do, yes. You do have to be a little more vigilant about keeping good backpressure as you fill, but for me it's worth the convenience of not having to lower the pressure and vent the keg before filling. In my fridge setup it's very difficult to reach the kegs, especially at the back.

-Joe

Click to expand...

I wasn't able to watch the video because I'm at work and that link is blocked. Since there is already 10' of hose inside the kegerator, could I just use something short like 3' of hose for filling from the faucet?

nostalgia said:

That is exactly what I do, yes. You do have to be a little more vigilant about keeping good backpressure as you fill, but for me it's worth the convenience of not having to lower the pressure and vent the keg before filling. In my fridge setup it's very difficult to reach the kegs, especially at the back.

-Joe

Click to expand...

What do you mean by this? It's harder to hold stopper in or...?

IrregularPulse said:

What do you mean by this? It's harder to hold stopper in or...?

Click to expand...

I think he means to just keep constant down pressure on the stopper. Then when the flow slows or stops you push in on the side/top to release a little pressure and it will flow again. Repeat until full. Usually 3-4 times. But always keep the stopper in and down.

so its essentially just the fitting, some hose, straight tube and a drilled stopper?
and you dont have to hit it with co2 after?

fezzman said:

I wasn't able to watch the video because I'm at work and that link is blocked. Since there is already 10' of hose inside the kegerator, could I just use something short like 3' of hose for filling from the faucet?

Click to expand...

Sure, I use about 12-18" of hose. Just enough to make it easy to get the wand in and out of the bottles.

-Joe

Yambor44 said:

I think he means to just keep constant down pressure on the stopper. Then when the flow slows or stops you push in on the side/top to release a little pressure and it will flow again. Repeat until full. Usually 3-4 times. But always keep the stopper in and down.

Click to expand...

Right, because at the higher pressure the beer wants to foam more if you don't keep it in check by holding the stopper in and regulating the pressure with your thumb. This keeps backpressure on the beer and keeps the foam down.

At least in my experience YMMV of course.

-Joe

gmtech825 said:

so its essentially just the fitting, some hose, straight tube and a drilled stopper?

Click to expand...

Yes.

gmtech825 said:

and you dont have to hit it with co2 after?

Click to expand...

I don't feel I do, no. Once I shut down the tap and let off the pressure the beer foams up over the neck of the bottle. I cap on top of that, so there's no O2 left in the bottle.

-Joe

My buddy helped me brew a wonderful stout and we're serving it at a party today. He brought over the stuff, but he couldn't come to the party, so he wanted to fill a couple of bottles for himself and his mom.

So I just threw this together with a piece of racking hose and a cut-off wand. It sealed perfectly when I jammed it up in there.



Worked pretty well, I think!

I have done this several times with great success. However I chill all of my beer before I force carb it in the keg. When I bottle the beer I keep it cold. Have you had any issues with the bottled chilled beer warming and skunking?

nostalgia said:

[youtube]7IgVx3h5llA[/youtube]


-Joe

Click to expand...

omg i was so excited for this until i realized my setup (arrives on thursday!!!) will have the newer perlicks, without the removable...tip...thing.

did you say you used to be able to just jam a hose onto your faucet? i might have to try that. having never kegged before, i'd really like a quick, easy way to do this.

@BM: Dude, you got me to all grain, now you're going to have me bottle from my keg... you are a God, a scholar *and* a gentleman.

BierMuncher said:

[*]Go ahead and open the tap and drain some beer into a waste bucket. This will prime and cool the lines.

Click to expand...

By waste bucket you mean empty glass right?

P.S. here is a good video

great thread..

I just stumbled across this from the HBT news letter and was already planning almost the exact same thing except I was going to attache a 3/8" ID silicone hose to my faucet on one end and a racking cane fitted with a stopper. This would allow me to not have to swap my liquid disconnects to bottle.

i cant follow this thread anymore.....after making "cheap" filler and having success i woke up this morning and the Easter bunny brought me a beer gun for my birthday!

I have a standard perlick faucet on the side of the fridge and have used a 18" (ish) fill tube to the bottom of the growler and it works well. There is a little foam that overfills but I get 90% liquid on the first pour, even at 8 PSI. I copied this from a local brew pub that I have seen use this method.

What I was wondering is what is the point of using the rubber stopper and pumping carbonation into the Growler? I never have an issue with beer going flat as it never lasts more than a day or two in the growler so maybe it is just to pressurize it if you plan to keep it longer?

wheadman66 said:

I have a standard perlick faucet on the side of the fridge and have used a 18" (ish) fill tube to the bottom of the growler and it works well. There is a little foam that overfills but I get 90% liquid on the first pour, even at 8 PSI. I copied this from a local brew pub that I have seen use this method.

What I was wondering is what is the point of using the rubber stopper and pumping carbonation into the Growler? I never have an issue with beer going flat as it never lasts more than a day or two in the growler so maybe it is just to pressurize it if you plan to keep it longer?

Click to expand...

That.

Your growler is good for a week unopened. It'll go flat a few days after opening. This gives you as long as any commercial packaged beer. Years, if you sanitation is proper.

Filled a sixer for the 1st time last night. worked really well, just a little messy.
Curious... Does filling the bottle all the way up, not cause bottle bombs?

tried it for the 1st time, worked like a Champ!! I bottled 3 and will pop 1 each week as a test!

thanks for saving me $100

BierMuncher said:

[*]Go ahead and open the tap and drain some beer into a waste bucket. This will prime and cool the lines.

Click to expand...

Why are these two words in the same sentence?

this may be a dumb question.

should the bottles be sanitized or just clean when filling them from the keg?

BM says you can rinse with cold water to chill the bottles, but cold water from the faucet would not be sanitized.

if i were to bottle and open with a week, sanitize or no?

if there were going to be stored for a month or more, sanitize?

thanks

I don't bother sanitizing if I'm bringing them to a party, just a good rinse. If they'll be in storage, I sanitize the bejeezus out of everything within a 10' radius

I also never found a need to chill the bottles. With the backpressure, I don't have foaming issues.

-Joe

I have been toying with the idea bottling some and am really glad I ran across this. A couple observances:

1) I don't think that filling hte bottle up with CO2 is really necessary if you fill the bottle all the way to the top, this will force out any O2 that is in the bottle. Plus CO2 is heavier than O2 and will "sit" there, as long as you don't have a lot of motion or and open window, the O2 will not get in the bottle easily.

2) It seems that filling it to the top, loosely capping, then shaking the bottle a bit to get it to foam up is the best way to make sure there isn't any O2 in the bottle is the best way to preserve it.

3) the quick rinse and the cooling of the bottles is a stroke of genius.

I can't wait to try this.