Blichman - oy vey

[Gravity]

I'm trying to bottle from a couple of cold kegs using the Blichman beer gun and i'm getting a bunch of foam + bubbles in the bottle

The foam has subsided, and I turned down the PSI to the lowest 2 (tried 4) and when I pull the trigger I get a bunch of bubbles in the bottle

I'm afraid of 3 things 1. oxidation 2. over-carbing and 3. wasting my time

Not sure if anybody has bottled beer after noticing bubbles - the kind that look like when you blow the opposite way on a straw

My line is long enough - not sure what's happening here

I guess wasting beer would be the 4th worry - I've gone through about 8 beers worth trying to dial it in

any thoughts

 

[Jag75]

I use the Blichman v2 . I imagine if you have the v1 it's pretty much same . After I sanitize the bottles I put them in the kegerator to get them nice and cold for a bit . Then my co2 is at about 15psi and the keg is at around 4 . I purge the bottle for about 6 seconds then immediately fill with beer . I hold it at an angle for a bit then straight up . As I pull out the wand I hit the headspace with co2 couple bursts. Then cap quickly . If your beer line is long enough and cold and the bottles are cold you should be ok . Are you using the beer line that came with the gun ? I'm assuming your not .

 

[IslandLizard]

If your beer line is long enough and cold

A cold line is essential, IMO, as is the low fill pressure.

If there's 10' of line hanging outside the keezer, you will get foaming issues.

I don't have a beer gun or ever used one. I use Beermuncher's counter pressure fill technique using a drilled stopper. The fill tube and a short piece of silicone tubing clamped to the faucet is all that's outside the keezer.

 

[augiedoggy]

if there is a leak at one of the fittings you will get foam like this as well.
if it was line temp it would have most likely cleared up after the first few bottles.

 

[Gravity]

if there is a leak at one of the fittings you will get foam like this as well.
if it was line temp it would have most likely cleared up after the first few bottles.

I don't think it was a temp issue as both beer and line were cold

I've checked for leaks before and get nothing - which is good, however still get foam

The pressure always gets dialed down to about 2 psi after purging the keg

I may try a counter pressure method in the future

 

[Beerwildered]

I gave up on my Blichmann and bought a WilliamsWarn bottle filler. It was spendy, but I swear it will save me time and money in the long run.

Case in point - I bottled two cases of ale yesterday and only had about 4 oz of waste. It took me 30 minutes.

 

[Gravity]

I'll look into that too

 

[ojaason]

I've found the beer gun to be incredibly unreliable and inconsistent. I have the first version, maybe the second is better. I now successfully bottle with a counter pressure filler

 

[TheMadKing]

Have you disassembled and looked for obstructions? That sounds like a turbulent flow issue. And does the beer pour foamy through a regular tap from that keg? If so the problem is in your keg poppet.

I've had no issues with my beer gun at all, even using it with the keg at 10psi fwiw.

 

[augiedoggy]

I only used my kegking/blichman clone like 3 times but never had foaming.. something is wrong here either a bad seal in the keg diptube or along the beerlines.

 

[Gravity]

I only used my kegking/blichman clone like 3 times but never had foaming.. something is wrong here either a bad seal in the keg diptube or along the beerlines.

I've trouble shooted enough over the years to give it up and try to find something better, or at least different alternatives

I'll take a look at the poppets - however, i'm assuming thats not the culprit

The gun comes with a brush that I always run through both ends - i'm meticulous when it comes to cleaning etc

 

[TheMadKing]

I've trouble shooted enough over the years to give it up and try to find something better, or at least different alternatives

I'll take a look at the poppets - however, i'm assuming thats not the culprit

The gun comes with a brush that I always run through both ends - i'm meticulous when it comes to cleaning etc

Could be a burr on the stainless too. I'd consider contacting blichmann, you might get a replacement. It sounds like maybe you got a bad one