Beer Gun Issue

[SONICYOUTH]

I recently bough a Blichmann Beer Gun. I kegged my beer as I usually do: a day or so at 30 PSI, then lowered it to around 10 or so for a week. The day of bottling, I hooked up all of my equipment, and made sure there weren't any leaks. I burped the keg, then lowered the PSI to around 5. I purged the bottles with CO2 for around 4 seconds, then filled the bottles. I capped on top of the foam. The first one I tried was not carbonated at all when I drank it. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[Yooper]

I recently bough a Blichmann Beer Gun. I kegged my beer as I usually do: a day or so at 30 PSI, then lowered it to around 10 or so for a week. The day of bottling, I hooked up all of my equipment, and made sure there weren't any leaks. I burped the keg, then lowered the PSI to around 5. I purged the bottles with CO2 for around 4 seconds, then filled the bottles. I capped on top of the foam. The first one I tried was not carbonated at all when I drank it. Am I doing something wrong?

That seems about right. Was the beer fully carbed when you bottled it?

 

[SONICYOUTH]

It was. I did bottle and drink it the same day, so I'm thinking maybe I should just give them a couple days before I try again?

 

[Yooper]

It was. I did bottle and drink it the same day, so I'm thinking maybe I should just give them a couple days before I try again?

For some reason, the co2 was "lost". Did you have excessive foaming? With my beergun, I had almost no foam.

Try chilling the bottles in the freezer before filling next time, and also try turning down the psi to 2-3 when filling, just enough to push the beer.

 

[SONICYOUTH]

I think maybe the big issue is my keg has been at room temperature...probably explains why it isn't as carbonated as normal. I had been having some issues with my fridge. So a PSI adjustment should do the trick?

 

[OldWorld]

Next time bottle condition half and keg the rest...problem solved. Kegging can't compare to a bottle conditioned ale.

 

[SONICYOUTH]

I actually went beer gun because I don't like bottle conditioned beers...more specifically the sediment left behind. Not my taste.

 

[badbrew]

A day at 30 psi and then a week at 10 psi all while at room temp? Of course it isn't carbed up. If you want it carbed up at room temp, give it 3 weeks at 30-35 psi.

 

[LKABrewer]

You cannot bottle warm beer with the beer gun... all of the carbonation will be lost in the transfer. Cold beer absorbs/retains co2 better. So, the colder the better.

 

[Yooper]

You cannot bottle warm beer with the beer gun... all of the carbonation will be lost in the transfer. Cold beer absorbs/retains co2 better. So, the colder the better.

Yep, this. The carbonation would be lost in the transfer. I'm not sure it's possible to bottle warm carbonated beer.

 

[SONICYOUTH]

Got it.

 

[day_trippr]

If you're going to put the bottles in the freezer, if they get frosted you should definitely let them thaw out before filling, unless you need a sudden education about "nucleation sites"

I'd just stick them in the fridge overnight myself...

Cheers!

 

[homebrewfrank]

If i could piggy back a question here, i havent kegged a beer and carb'd just yet, always have bottled and "naturally" carb'd.......before kegging and carbing, is there any type of filter to remove the yeast that had remained from a secondary? Or do you just let it stay in the beer...because i would like to give my carb'd bottled beer to people to take home and drink whenever they like, and not worry to tell them to let it sit in a fridge over night, and this is how to pour it, etc.

 

[LKABrewer]

The yeast and sediment settles to the bottom of the keg. The first beer or two may be a bit cloudy, but after that you get clear beer. I love the beer gun; you get perfectly carbed and clean beer in the bottles.

 

[normzone]

<<<<Originally Posted by LKABrewer View Post
You cannot bottle warm beer with the beer gun... all of the carbonation will be lost in the transfer. Cold beer absorbs/retains co2 better. So, the colder the better.>>>>

<<<<Yep, this. The carbonation would be lost in the transfer. I'm not sure it's possible to bottle warm carbonated beer.>>>>

Well, then, that explains the results of my experiment yesterday. I'm still hunting for a very low cost kegerator to back up my free fermentation chamber.

 

[greggreg66]

I used my Blichmann Beer Gun for the first time yesterday. I bottled 70 x 500ml bottles all carbed at room temp. I put 1 beer in the fridge (immediately after bottling) and all the rest stayed at room temp. Today I opened the cold one - it was flat. The room temp one was carbed, but not as much as when it was kegged.

So, I think that everyone must be right! I'm going to look into getting a cheap fridge so I can chill my beer & bottles ahead of bottling. The only pain is that I don't have any 'no rinse' santiser so I need to rinse every bottle, then refrigerate them.... I just hope they don't pick up anything while chilling.... mind you I'll probably put foil over the bottle neck.

The beergun so far seems a bit of a hassle to me, but if I get carbed & sediment-less bottles of beer it'll all be worth it!!

 

[BrewThruYou]

Greg,
Did you mean that you bottled the beer when it was room temp?

 

[greggreg66]

Yeah, everything was room temp. I force carbed at room temp (20 psi for a week or so... at room temp it took a while!!). Bottles were rinsed in tap water, but otherwise room temp. (don't have a no rinse sanitiser)

I've now opened 4 beers and only 1 was flat, 3 had carbonation but not bear the scale when in the keg. I am happier now I've got a 3 in 4 chance of being fizzy though, it's not all bad! May try and chill the keg next time.

 

[BrewThruYou]

I've heard of people using it like a bottling wand with priming solution mixed with beer and then gunning into bottles, but I haven't heard of bottling room temp carbed beer. I would think it would cause a lot of foaming. When I use my Beergun, it's always with a cold, carbonated keg into chilled bottles.

Another problem also is that 20psi at room temp isn't enough. If room temp is 65°, 20psi gets you about 2 volumes I believe. You need to get close to 30psi before you reach 2.5 volumes at 65°.

 

[greggreg66]

Yeah, it was foaming loads when I bottled, maybe 1 inch as it got to the top. I know I need to chill it but I haven't got the capacity / or haven't worked out a cunning way yet. I'm just thinking wet tea towels wrapped around the corny. Hmm. Basically I'm making do with what I've got for now as I've just shelled out for 3 corny's and a bottling gun (pricey in the UK!)

 

[greggreg66]

I think you're right about needing closer to 30psi at room temp too!!

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

While it does not exactly make me popular with the rest of the crew ... If you take *all* the shelves and useless stuff (milk, eggs, veggies, ...) out of the family fridge - you can just barely fit a keg in there. After a day it's nice and cold.

Bob

 

[greggreg66]

Bob, that's genius!!!!!

I have thought that myself, but I live with fiancé & 3 others. It's a busy fridge / small kitchen scenario. But for the greater good of my beer it's worth the sacrifice of their cold goods I think! Haha!!

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

We have five fridges, and five freezers running around here for the two of us. I still seem to get in trouble for using "to much" space.

Bob

 

[greggreg66]

Well, I ran into a bit of luck today. Someone in a studio next to mine at work (I work in a block of artist studios) had a fridge that she thought was broken and was only good for the skip. I took it and tried it out via a circuit breaker and it works. Brilliant! So now I am going to slowly turn it into a kegerator (I already have the taps).

Anyway, to cut a long story short..... I put a keg in this morning and bottled it this evening and man, its so much easier using the beergun with chilled beer isn't it!!! The foam was so much less than it was at room temp.

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

An un-converted fridge with enough room for a small CO2 bottle can be a *very* handy thing to have. There are a lot of ways to use it even without any taps.

Bob

 

[greggreg66]

I'm amazed at the difference it makes when bottling.

I'm tempted to open all my bottles beer that was bottled at room temp, re-leg and force carb again then chill and bottle. Do you think this is risky? All will be consumed in 4 weeks so they won't be sat around for ages.

Thanks!

 

[carlisle_bob]

I'm amazed at the difference it makes when bottling.

I'm tempted to open all my bottles beer that was bottled at room temp, re-leg and force carb again then chill and bottle. Do you think this is risky? All will be consumed in 4 weeks so they won't be sat around for ages.

Thanks!

Hi

I would open all the bottles that were done at room temperature and DRINK them . Any excuse to consume beer is a good excuse.

I think the benefit from re-doing them is fairly small if they would be consumed soon anyway. I'd chalk it up as another brewing lesson learned and focus on the next batch.

Bob