Using the BMBF (BierMuncher Bottle Filler)

[EdWort]

Hey guys,

I bottled up my brews for NHC 2008 last night and thought I would share my method. My kegs are out in the garage in a 20 cu. ft. chest freezer. Using the BMBF can be a bit messy, so I started off by inserting my sanitized BMBF into the picnic tap on a brew. I put a 3 gallon sanitizing bucket on top of the other kegs and put in two plastic pint beer glasses (one sanitized). The sanitized glass would hold my BMBF when not in use. The other glass was used to hold the inital flow. In other words, I hold the bottle over the bucket to catch the foam over flow, but I start the flow in the second glass to catch the foam till clear beer runs. I then quickly insert the BMBF into the bottle and open up the cobra tap, letting the beer flow in slowly. The bottles were put in the freezer for about 10 minutes first and then purged with CO2.

Bottom line is the bucket saved my freezer from overflows, the sanitized glass served as a BMBF holder, and the second glass was something to look forward to after bottling.

Bottling forced carbed beer is a PIA, but experience has shown me that this method works and beers are still nicely carbed 6 months later.

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

This is probably a stupid question and i'm sure I'm going to smack myself when I hear the answer, but what do you do to purge the bottles with co2?

 

[EdWort]

This is probably a stupid question and i'm sure I'm going to smack myself when I hear the answer, but what do you do to purge the bottles with co2?

I have a 20# cylinder that I use for purging kegs, parties, etc. The gas hose has a 1/4" NPT connector that you can screw a gray gas ball lock connector on to. I just unscrew the ball lock connector, point the opening in the bottle and open the valve a bit and let some gas flow into the bottle. Between that can capping on foam, you won't have any oxidation problems.

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

I figured it was something as easy as that. I haven't been purging, but filling the bottles up to within 3/4" - 1/2" of the top and capping on foam and have been having no issues YET.

Thanks.

 

[TexLaw]

I am glad you mentioned that, Ed. I have done something similar when cobra-head filling bottles, and I need to BMBF some. However, it has been so long since I filled a bottle from a keg, I would not have thought about a holder or a mess catcher until it was too late.


TL

 

[EdWort]

Yeah, I'm happy how it turned out. No mess and I kept my BMBF clean and I drank the initial pours.

At the same time, I then used the bucket to haul my beer covered bottles inside to rinse off. I then rinsed the entire system and sanitized the BMBF and its holder when I switched to a different brew.

It's amazing how a task can be made easier with a little planning and organization. Pull a bottle from the freezer, pull the foil cap off, purge, fill, cap, repeat.

 

[MTpilot]

Has anybody tried this with a regular bottling wand jammed into the cobra tap?

It doesn't seem like the 2ish psi would be that much more force than gravity and the whole tube would stay full of beer until the very end. You also wouldn't have to worry about opening and closing the tap. You would have to get the stopper in just the right position so the top seals and it opens the valve at the same time.

I think I'm going to try it unless anyone else already has and can share the results.

 

[tjp68]

Has anybody tried this with a regular bottling wand jammed into the cobra tap?

It doesn't seem like the 2ish psi would be that much more force than gravity and the whole tube would stay full of beer until the very end. You also wouldn't have to worry about opening and closing the tap. You would have to get the stopper in just the right position so the top seals and it opens the valve at the same time.

I think I'm going to try it unless anyone else already has and can share the results.

Yes, I use a spring loaded wand and no stopper. I carb my beer a little high, shove the spring loaded wand into the picnic tap, turn down the PSI to about 2 and bleed off excess, and fill the cold bottles to overflowing.

I load the bottles into a galvanized tub and use a 7' liquid tube.

I did this for the first time in the spring of 2010 to free up kegs for the next batch. I had about 12 bottles left. I pretty much figured the beer would be crap. Stale, oxidized and undrinkable. But I really needed that keg.

I just opened one - a robust porter - on Jan 1st, and aside from not having much hop bitterness left, it tasted great.

I'm not really advocating this method, and I don't enter competitions, so as always, YMMV.

 

[Homercidal]

I did something similar 2 weeks ago. Except that I forgot to turn off the flow and gently release the bung before pulling the filler out of the bottle... Twice...

The first time one of the cats was just walking up to the nearby food dish. He jumped back and looked at me like WTF?? It's funny now, but it wasn't funny when I was wiping beer off the floor.