Bottling process on a gravity fed manual bottler

[mlallier]

Hello,

I’m currently working on a project where a manual gravity fed bottle filler would be used. The beers would be bottle conditioned.
Never having worked with such a setup I’m unclear as to how the bottling sugar is introduced - mixed in with the beer - and at what stage in the transfer.

To be sure, I’ve included an image of such a bottling machine.

I’d greatly appreciate if someone could explain the best practice on how to go about this.

Thanks!


Martin

 

[number40fan]

You mix the sugar with the beer before you bottle. So whatever container you are using to hold the beer before putting it into the bottles, mix everything while either putting it in there, or just before.

 

[thegreatmaibockaddict]

Boil the priming sugar and add it to the sanitized bucket or whatever container that you will be using. Transfer beer from the fermenter (primary or secondary) onto the priming sugar (for best results use DME). I have a spring loaded filler, and use a siphon to transfer the primed beer into the bottles. A valve may also be fitted low on the side of the bucked toward the bottom, but to get the last 1/2 gallon of beer or so out an assistant is required to tilt the bucket properly.

http://www.thegreatmaibockaddict.com/bottling.shtml

 

[flars]

Bulk priming, for a set up like yours, you would want to keep the primed beer moving to keep the priming solution evenly mixed.

There is probably lab quality equipment available that could precisely measure the priming solution for each bottle before filling.

 

[mlallier]

number40fan: I'm thinking a 7bbl brewhouse so about 800 litters of beer. Considering how it takes care to carefully mix in the bottling sugar evenly at a home brewers volume I'm doubtful this can be done with much larger volume.

Flars: are you saying something like inline priming where the sugar solution is introduced in the beer line from the fermenter to the gravity fillers tank?

 

[flars]

number40fan: I'm thinking a 7bbl brewhouse so about 800 litters of beer. Considering how it takes care to carefully mix in the bottling sugar evenly at a home brewers volume I'm doubtful this can be done with much larger volume.

Flars: are you saying something like inline priming where the sugar solution is introduced in the beer line from the fermenter to the gravity fillers tank?

I was thinking a system or bank of automated pipettes that would drop a measured amount of priming solution into each bottle.
An inline system would depend on a constant flow of beer and the priming solution. Any change or interruption in the flow could over prime or under prime the beer in the system at the time.

 

[number40fan]

That is quite a bit of beer there. Still, if you are using one container to dispense from, I think mixing in it would be the way to go. Even if you have to use a stirrer at low speed to keep everything mixed properly and not aerate. Heck, could even cover and purge with CO2 to keep from introducing oxygen.