Counter Pressure Bottle Filler

[MMBB]

My Blichmann beer gun isn't cutting it for bottling high CO2 volume brews and soda. Looking to try out a counter pressure filler to see if it works better.

 

[DuncB]

I have been using the Williams Warn counter pressure filler. Pricey but works well, copes with small and large bottles and is so tidy to use, with very little waste. I mostly keg but about 7 litres of every ferment is bottled.
I find there is time to get the next bottle ready, cap the last on foam in the 45 seconds or so it takes to fill.

I would consider the Boel ITap bottler now if I was looking but I'm a bit unsure about the filling down the side of the bottle
and a subsequent video.
wheras the WW fills from the bottom up.
The PeGas craftap 3 is shown here

but the only one I've seen in our local shop is quite damaged / cracked on the casing, I can't say whether this failed or it suffered a mishap.

The only other one I saw ( Tapcooler) fitted onto the end of the beer tap and looked good but then appeared really fiddly holding the bottle up in position etc during the fill.

I reckon it takes about 60 seconds per 750ml bottle to fill with my WW and I'm happy with it but have tried to offer some other options that avoid my bias.

 

[MMBB]

Thanks for the tips DuncB! I have looked at the WW counter pressure filler but the new price tag is a bit much for me to justify purchasing. However, spending money on the Blichmann, and then another ~$100 on one of the counter pressure fillers just to find out that I should have bought the WW all along would be frustrating. Hopefully I can find either of these used.

The iTap looks like a cool device but I don't currently have a draft tower to mount it to. Maybe I could make a stand alone that goes on the counter but being that the bottle hangs from the device, that might not be ideal.

 

[DuncB]

Not sure if you watched this video?



I think that these bottle fillers are the perfect thing to buy as a cooperative with other brewers then just pass it around. We do have a web based rent your gear out service down here MUTU. That has all kinds of stuff on it from tools to glasses and you name it really.
Haven't had the courage to try and rent out any of my stuff on it yet. But if there are brewers in your area maybe they might want to buy a share in a bottle filler.

Sell the blichmann and start your fund.

There are a few Boel ( single tap ) and PEgas units on your ebay under counter pressure that look reasonably priced.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

They can also be found, rather inexpensively on AliExpress.

 

[MMBB]

I think that these bottle fillers are the perfect thing to buy as a cooperative with other brewers then just pass it around. We do have a web based rent your gear out service down here MUTU. That has all kinds of stuff on it from tools to glasses and you name it really.
Haven't had the courage to try and rent out any of my stuff on it yet. But if there are brewers in your area maybe they might want to buy a share in a bottle filler.

Sell the blichmann and start your fund.

There are a few Boel ( single tap ) and PEgas units on your ebay under counter pressure that look reasonably priced.

I did see that video suggested but the other issue is that I live in a small apartment so a bigger piece of gear like that takes up valuable space that I don't have. I stopped brewing beer for a while due to space constraints. Right now I only do cider, mead, and soda because they take up less space equipment wise.

I ended up buying a cheaper counter pressure filler I found on sale. It is the type you insert into the bottle and has a stopper for sealing. I'll see if something like that works for me for now.

You do have a great idea about building a library of equipment to share with other brewers. I didn't even think to ask my local homebrewing group if anyone had something to lend.

 

[Nate R]

Fwiw... i have a v2 blichmann gun.
I saved a large 750 ml bottle of beer in my fridge for about 14 months.

The beer was not oxidized, good carbonation, good head, etc. In other words it was flushed of oxygen and the beer gun did it's job. The taste of the beer was, well... 14 months old (it was a basic smash type beer with fresh wet hops. The wet hops aroma/taste was gone of course).
Point being it did work.
The beer gun is a hassle and a mess yes.
I would prefer a professinal counter filling machine but for $100 and the fact i occasionally bottle... i don't see why the beer gun gets such a hard rep.
Imo it uses a little more c02 but other than that it's pretty easy. (Although the clean up sucks. But with most brewing... isn't that the 'dirty' little secret? Great beer takes mostly cleaning & sanitizing... over and over and over again)

Edit:
Or maybe get a used one of these?!?

https://www.morebeer.com/products/medusa-multihead-counter-pressure-bottle-filler.html

 

[bracconiere]

i'll sell you this one for $5+shipping...i don't fill bottle much any more but, it worked well, and can be adjusted to fill any size bottle from the bottom...


just need a picnic tap and QD for it......

 

[shetc]

Get a Tapcooler - it's the bees knees.

 

[MMBB]

The beer was not oxidized, good carbonation, good head, etc. In other words it was flushed of oxygen and the beer gun did it's job. The taste of the beer was, well... 14 months old (it was a basic smash type beer with fresh wet hops. The wet hops aroma/taste was gone of course).
Point being it did work.
The beer gun is a hassle and a mess yes.
I would prefer a professinal counter filling machine but for $100 and the fact i occasionally bottle... i don't see why the beer gun gets such a hard rep.
Imo it uses a little more c02 but other than that it's pretty easy. (Although the clean up sucks. But with most brewing... isn't that the 'dirty' little secret? Great beer takes mostly cleaning & sanitizing... over and over and over again)

Oh, it works fine for lower volume beers. I tried to bottle a ginger beer I brewed, which was at around 3 volumes, and the bottles lost most of their carbonation during bottling. I got the keg to near freezing, used 15 feet of tubing, chilled the bottles and beer gun, keg pressure turned down to 2psi after venting (was carbed at 15psi) and had the tubing running into a cooler with ice and I still lost most of it.

i'll sell you this one for $5+shipping...i don't fill bottle much any more but, it worked well, and can be adjusted to fill any size bottle from the bottom...


just need a picnic tap and QD for it......

View attachment 726104

Thanks for the offer! I ended up getting a different device already.

Get a Tapcooler - it's the bees knees.

Once I have space (or time) to run taps, I'll definitely give this a closer look. I saw a few videos and it looks great.

 

[Nate R]

Oh, it works fine for lower volume beers. I tried to bottle a ginger beer I brewed, which was at around 3 volumes, and the bottles lost most of their carbonation during bottling. I got the keg to near freezing, used 15 feet of tubing, chilled the bottles and beer gun, keg pressure turned down to 2psi after venting (was carbed at 15psi) and had the tubing running into a cooler with ice and I still lost most of it.



Thanks for the offer! I ended up getting a different device already.



Once I have space (or time) to run taps, I'll definitely give this a closer look. I saw a few videos and it looks great.

Yeah... my bad. I saw that when i re-read your thread- higher carb and soda.
You really almost need a professional machine for higher carb i bet.
Good luck!!