Bottling from taps - Perlick owners

[nostalgia]

I've been using the BMBF for a while, but I hate dragging my kegs out of the fridge to use it (I have a similar fridge set up to the pics the OP posted). This should make things much easier

This was my biggest reason for wanting these - I'm freakin' lazy It's also great to not have to mess with the CO2 pressures.

I still use it all the time. I bottled a few dozen for Christmas gifts, and it's great for a quick growler fill.

-Joe

 

[BigWhitey_FrostBox]

Thanks Joe for putting the idea into motion. We lazy guys appreciate it!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Got mine today and the machining is top notch.

It's so small!

I hear that all the time but never thought I'd get to say it.

 

[BLUEZL600EFI]

I am working on a bottle filler kit that will work on the new 525 Perlick (solid piece units). I may also have a kit for the standard non forward sealing taps as well.

I will post here if and when they become avaiable.

Also as I reminder I do have these with the Ventmatic thread as well.

 

[nootay]

Good to hear about the 525 kit! My kegging kit should be here today and i was kicking myself for not getting the 425s

 

[valicious]

Just ordered one too

 

[ekjohns]

out of stock... hopefully he will get some more soon

 

[nostalgia]

Try shooting him an email. Mike's always been very responsive in the past. Maybe he can one-off one for ya.

-Joe

 

[mazultav]

Has anyone heard anything about the 525 bottle fillers?

I just tried PMing BLUEZL600EFI but his box is full.

 

[BLUEZL600EFI]

Has anyone heard anything about the 525 bottle fillers?

I just tried PMing BLUEZL600EFI but his box is full.

Try again I cleared my inbox, got an email saying I was full.

I have not made anything for the 525, I don't even have time to machine another run of the regular ones I have been so busy at work.

 

[samc]

I bought one of these gizmos recently. Well made item.

However, I have double black stout stains on my ceiling after attempting to bottle. My beer flows slow when pouring into a glass (10 ft lines), but shoots out too fast with this method. I also tried the tire valve in the #2 stopper trick and nothing really worked very well for me. Any tips? or I might just go back to the Cobra Tap method which in all honesty was easier because it didn't hit the ceiling. (sorry forget the pictures before cleaning)

 

[BLUEZL600EFI]

There is a learning curve to using it, you must keep the stopper on tight to create a airlock in the bottle to allow it to fill slowly. Then you very lightly vent the stopper in little "pssttttts" to allow the bottle to continue filling.

 

[bruin_ale]

Can you describe your process samc? I bought one of these for my ventmatic and used it recently with great success. I've done the hose jammed in the faucet thing before and the picnic tap attached to the QD... this was by far the cleanest, least amount of carbonation lost, and most under control bottling I've ever done.

 

[nostalgia]

samc,

What size stopper are you using? I've found #2 works the best. Have you seen the video I did? That was at 12PSI.

-Joe

 

[samc]

I used the #2 stopper and the bottle filled really fast, before I could push the stopper to vent it shot out all over the place. Then I tried leaving it with a slight venting and I got a lot of foam. I wound up with one fully filled bottle and 5 partially filled bottles and a mess of beer all over the place.

I tried the #2 with the air valve and the needle distorted the stopper edge so that I could not get a good seal.

 

[bruin_ale]

my bottle stops filling while the stopper is in place, then I vent it slowly to allow more beer to enter.
How long is the hose you have coming from the tap? Mine was on the longer side (maybe 5 ft), so once I open the tap the pressure equalized with beer just starting to enter the bottle - I suppose if I used a really short tube the beer would start filling the bottle before I ever started venting the stopper.

 

[samc]

I tried again with a long (10ft) hose and it didn't work any better. How slow/fast are your pours from the Perlick? I'm thinking I need to use the mixing sticks in the keg trick to get a slower pour going or this will never work for me. I notice from the Youtube vid by Nostalgia that he is using a rather short hose and his obviously works fine.

 

[bruin_ale]

I tried it again and ended up w/ beer on the ceiling.. it has to do with how carbonated the beer is (and how much line you have to compensate) for sure. I had 3 beers I was trying to pour - two of average carbonation and a belgian. The two average carbonation ones are pretty easy to bottle, but the belgian (of which I have a hard time pouring without getting quite a bit of head in the glass) turned to foam and no matter how hard I tried there was just too much pressure. I'm planning to get the mixing sticks as well, can't get my Belgian carbonated right because I can't serve it at that pressure without getting lots of foam. Oh, BTW, I switched to a different stopper that's inverted - so the beer reflects off the top and back down - rather than going all over everything

http://morebeer.com/view_product/16655//Universal_Stopper_With_Hole

 

[nostalgia]

I made another video of my process. Hope it helps!



-Joe

 

[JRems]

I have found that freezing the bottles before filling makes it much easier. It does take a couple tries to get the hang of it. Use the shortest line from the faucet to the bottle as possible. Mine is only 3 ft. If it's too long the beer gets warm and foams up.

 

[Bitterbrush]

My son in law and I bottled up a case and a half the other day using the Bowie Bottler. I have 10' beer lines and then used about a 2' line from my tap. Here is the secret to keeping beer off the ceiling....you must turn off the tap before the beer gets to the bottom of the stopper, if that beer gets up to the bottom of that stopper and you haven't turned off the tap it's going to blow. There is no place for that pressure to go except out past that stopper and into your face, ceiling and the wall.

 

[nostalgia]

I know this is stupid late notice, but I'm bottling a dozen off now and broadcasting live. I can't help it, I'm a camera ****

If you want to watch, come on by. I'll answer any questions I can too. It's 12:15 EST now. I should be at it for a 1/2 hour or thereabouts.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/manskirtbrewcast

-Joe

 

[Eisendrath]

This is a grteat thread at a great forum!
Just ordered one from Mike for my Perlick 425s.
A question and a couple of thoughts:
1.] the bottling wands in the vids have no check valve at the bottom.
Why not use a wand with check valve on bottom instead of turning handle on and off, on and off, etc.?
2.] I've got one of McMaster Carr 1986K5 in each of my 425s just in case the cats
rub their face on my handles and start 5 gallons of beer to dump on floor.
I'll have to overcome that to leave handle on for filling.
3.] In one of the vids, no airspace was left in the bottles.
Once I filled a grolsch bottle with cold tap water, sealed it and left it at room temp.
As the water warmed up and expanded it expolded the bottle. Just saying, watch out.

 

[nostalgia]

Hi Eisen,

1.] the bottling wands in the vids have no check valve at the bottom.
Why not use a wand with check valve on bottom instead of turning handle on and off, on and off, etc.?

I believe it's been tried before, and using the bottling wand with fully carbed beer resulted in too much foam. Give it a shot and let us know how it works for you.

3.] In one of the vids, no airspace was left in the bottles.
Once I filled a grolsch bottle with cold tap water, sealed it and left it at room temp.
As the water warmed up and expanded it expolded the bottle. Just saying, watch out.

A good point. I've found that filling the bottle to the rim and removing the racking cane leaves about 3/4" of headspace, which seems just about right.

-Joe

 

[drocu]

I am working on a bottle filler kit that will work on the new 525 Perlick (solid piece units). I may also have a kit for the standard non forward sealing taps as well.

I will post here if and when they become avaiable.

Also as I reminder I do have these with the Ventmatic thread as well.

Any chance that you made a version for the standard non-Perlick faucets? I have the cheap chrome faucets and am not yet ready to make the jump to Perlicks but want to fill bottles from the tap like this.

 

[diannotti]

Would be interested in 525 version when and if.

 

[drocu]

Would be interested in 525 version when and if.

Did you see this thread?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f41/bottling-wand-perlick-525-75-aka-bowie-bottler-228344/

It's essentially the same device but for the 525.

 

[advent]

Any chance that you made a version for the standard non-Perlick faucets? I have the cheap chrome faucets and am not yet ready to make the jump to Perlicks but want to fill bottles from the tap like this.

try this.. it fits the generic bar taps.. only thing that sucks is the barb is 1/4in or 5/16in.. i tried fitting a 3/16 hose over the barb but it wouldnt go.. I ended up fittin a 1/4 hose over it after heating it up.. I wish they made a 3/16th version.

http://www.homebrewing.org/Jug-growler-filler_p_1682.html

 

[drocu]

try this.. it fits the generic bar taps.. only thing that sucks is the barb is 1/4in or 5/16in.. i tried fitting a 3/16 hose over the barb but it wouldnt go.. I ended up fittin a 1/4 hose over it after heating it up.. I wish they made a 3/16th version.

http://www.homebrewing.org/Jug-growler-filler_p_1682.html

Thanks, I picked this up and a couple of other things I needed from homebrewing.org.

Why does it matter if it's not 3/16? Before the beer gets to the faucet, it's already gone through 10 feet of 3/16" tubing so the pressure should be low.

 

[redsoxfan1974]

Looks Great....subscribed