I need some insight on the counter-pressure bottle filler.

[brewd00d]

I have a couple questions about the counter pressure filler.

I saw a couple vids on youtube, but im still left puzzled. My first question is, does the beer need to be carbonated prior to filling or do i put the beer from the carboy right into the keg and then fill the bottles with the filler?

My second question is, if the beer doesn't need to be carbonated prior to filling, does it need to be refrigerated before filling or can i just siphon the room temperature beer from the carboy to the keg, then fill them with the counter pressure filler?

And thirdly, if the beer does need to be cold as im am using the counter pressure filler, do the bottles need to remain cold or can i store them at room temp?

 

[brewd00d]

Somehow i always manage to leave out other info. The reason im asking is i have 200 bottles to fill for my wedding in June, as the wedding favors. I dont want to use carb tabs or carb drops and lastly i want a better way to manage the carb level in the beer besides using the 5 oz of priming sugar added into the bucket.

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

Yes, the beer needs to be carbonated. The whole point of a counter-pressure filler is to bottle kegged beer.

It is best to use cold bottles to reduce foaming, but after they can be at room temp.

 

[brewd00d]

Ahh. Ok. Will they still keep their carbonation for a good while?

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

No experience with them myself, but I know people who use them and they say it's no different from bottle priming, except less/no sediment.

 

[Hammy71]

I bottled a little over a hundred bottles for Christmas this year. I usually use the BM beer gun, but for that many I went and bought a Blichmann Bottle Filler. The thing kicks arse and well worth the money. Filling the bottles was a snap. I upped the psi a little a couple of days before I bottled to compensate for the headspace in the bottle. I just opened one of the left overs that was hiding in the fridge last weekend, and the beer was the same as when it was on tap back in December.

http://www.blichmannengineering.com/beergun/beergun.html

 

[Flywheel]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun-24678/

 

[brewd00d]

I bottled a little over a hundred bottles for Christmas this year. I usually use the BM beer gun, but for that many I went and bought a Blichmann Bottle Filler. The thing kicks arse and well worth the money. Filling the bottles was a snap. I upped the psi a little a couple of days before I bottled to compensate for the headspace in the bottle. I just opened one of the left overs that was hiding in the fridge last weekend, and the beer was the same as when it was on tap back in December.

http://www.blichmannengineering.com/beergun/beergun.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i98sXDgjs7Q

i think im in love.

thanks for the clip hammy, looks like counter pressure method just got easier

 

[Hammy71]

i think im in love.

thanks for the clip hammy, looks like counter pressure method just got easier

Yeah, love, about captures it. It's kind of a pain to set up. For a sixer I'll whip out BM's filler. But it's worth the setup time, if your doing a lot of bottles, to go with the beergun for sure.....Highly reccomended!

 

[brewd00d]

Im resurrecting my post just to make sure of something. With hammys advice, i purchased the blichmann beer gun. This thing is frikken awesome. I filled up a 22 ouncer in about 5 seconds minimal head, and that bottle was even at room temperature.

I just wanted to make sure that i wont get any type of off flavors once the beer warms up to room temperature in the bottle. The bottles will be sitting at about 60 degrees in the basement until June 4th.

I just dont have enough cold storage to keep all 160 bottles refrigerated after i fill them up, so i was just gonna let them sit in the basement until my wedding.

 

[Hammy71]

Letting the bottles sit at room temperature for a long period might allow some sediment to build up in the bottles. Even if your beer has been kegged and cold for months, those damn yeasties will still do their thing. Won't be anything harmful, but you might get a little bit of a cloud in the bottom of the bottles.

 

[shelly_belly]

I just finished off some beers I bottled over a year ago using BierMuncher'sBottleFiller. They were stored at room temp (68). They had as much carbonation as the day they were bottled and no off flavors.

 

[boo boo]

I do something a little different with my beer gun that he didn't do on the video.
When I finished filling and pull the gun out of the bottle, I give it a little squirt of CO2 to fill the headspace. Just a little insurance I feel is nesessary to try to keep as much air out of the bottle as possible.

 

[brewd00d]

I just finished off some beers I bottled over a year ago using BierMuncher'sBottleFiller. They were stored at room temp (68). They had as much carbonation as the day they were bottled and no off flavors.

thats awesome to hear. thanks for the insight.

they'll be in the bottles for maybe a couple weeks, which may or may not be cause some yeast to settle to the bottom, but on the bright side, it is a hefe and they say they're supposed to be cloudy.

thanks for the help peeps

 

[jaellman]

Well BrewD00d...

Any update on wedding and if the beer stored as well as you expected?

This thread was of great assistance with ongoing debate on buying a beer gun. I'm leaning more toward yes. I moved from 5G to 10G batches and found that I can make more beer then I can drink... Frig/Keg space is getting limited. Time to look into longer storage in bottles at room temp. Interested to see how this worked out for you.