Blichmann Beer Gun connection

[Hugh_Jass]

I used the beer gun and am really pleased with it's performance. The thing I didn't really enjoy was connecting and disconnecting the CO2 line from the bottle. It was a PITA, so I replaced the valve I was using:

with a quick disconnect

and made two air lines. One that's attached to the beer gun.

and one for the regular air line to attach to a keg.

I found it was a PITA to keep tightening and loosening the clamps that used to hold the air line tight. Now it's a couple of clicks and I'm in business.

has anyone else done a set up like this one?

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I bottled off a couple cases this evening and thought I'd take some pics for those who are thinking about purchasing a Blichmann Beer Gun.

I recommend that everyone try BierMuncher's method of bottle filling from keg before spending the money on a Beer Gun. It's worked for a lot of people and with great results. For whatever reason, I didn't have any luck with it so I decided to invest in this.

Bottles are cleaned, sanitized and ready to go:

I ordered my Beer Gun from austinhomebrew.com with both accessory kits. All told it ended up being around $120 or so. Here is a picture of the gun itself, and all of the hoses, splitters, QD's, etc. that are included when you purchase both accessory kits. Connect the liquid QD (shown in at the bottom right of the picture below) coming out of the back of the Beer Gun (referred to as 'BG' from here on) to the out (liquid/beer) post on your keg.

Keg of American Rye and 5# CO2 tank are ready to go:

Splitter on the CO2 line:

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I have a dual regulator, so I shut one off and set the one that I will be using to 6 psi:

The red hose is my gas in from the CO2 tank, the line on the right has a gas QD going to the in post on the keg and the line on the left goes into the bottom of the BG.

I find it handy to keep sanitized caps, a capper, a towel and an extra bowl nearby.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Sanitize the end of the BG, insert it in a bottle, tilt it a bit, then pull the gas trigger to purge the bottle and fill it with CO2:

Once you have an inch or two of beer in the bottle, stand it upright (which I hadn't done yet in the pic below) and continue to fill all the way to the top. Just like bottling with a bottling wand, when you pull the BG out of the bottle, the fill level will be right where you want it to be.

Once it's filled, grab a sanitized cap, your cappers and you're done. I took these pics while I was using the BG. It really is as simple to use as Blichmann says that it is.

Yup, that's a bottle that once held Fireball Mead from NHC '08 in Cincy.

 

[Hugh_Jass]

+1 on the simplicity of the beer gun.

I didn't buy the splitter. Here's a thread I put together about the beer gun's airline connection a few weeks ago. It's the one I'm bringing tomorrow.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Very nice (he says in his best Borat voice)!!!!!!

 

[EdWort]

For lots of bottles, it's the bomb! I recommend chilling the bottles first and filling them in a rubbermaid bus pan to collect overflows.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I chilled bottles the first few times, but now I don't even bother. My kegs sit in the Sanyo to carb, so the beer is plenty cold by the time I bottle it off and I have little to no foaming issues.

Ed, can you merge Hugh_Jass's thread linked above into this thread? (or vice versa)

 

[jamesrm]

I dont bother chilling the bottles. I use 2 co2 tanks and regs (overkill, but I have the parts so why not) so I can purge higher psi than bottling. I use about 3-4lbs in the tank to push the beer and about 10 feet of 1/4 ID hose for the beer line.

With the beer chilled to about 35 degrees, without tilting the bottles at all, I got no foam at all when bottling, but these beers were not super carbed.

Its great, and worth the money if your going to bottle much or want to bottle easy and not spend a lot of time sanitizing before and after use.

 

[hexmonkey]

Nice post, great photos. :rockin:

that being said ZOMG you leave the labels on your bottles!!!???

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Nice post, great photos. :rockin:

that being said ZOMG you leave the labels on your bottles!!!???

I don't really see a need to take them off. I write a code on the cap so I know what the beer is. For competition beers I'll bottle off a 6'er in bottles with no labels then write on the 6 pack holder what kind of beer it is.

 

[hexmonkey]

I don't really see a need to take them off.

Personally, I just don't like the way labels look after a few uses, but clearly that's just personal preference.

The only real problem I can see is if you're soaking multiple bottles in a bucket to sanitize all at once. The porous paper labels have much more surface area and can potentially hold onto wild yeast, bacteria and mold.

Of course this doesn't matter if you're cleaning and sanitizing only the inside of the bottles, like with a bottle washer, etc.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Nope, one in each hand. Dunk them in, fill 'em about 3/4 of the way up and shake the hell out of them for about 10 or 15 seconds. Drain and put them on the bottle tree.

I certainly see your point about the labels, but I haven't had any problems.