We no need no stinking beer gun...

[Soulive]

That will insure a nice controlled fill. You may want to pull up a chair and have something to sip on near by.

Cool. We think very much alike

 

[ghart999]

Fantastic idea. I actually ordered a beer gun over the weekend and called NB today to cancel the order after I found this post. Thanks a lot.

 

[billym99]

I think i'm going to build on of these tonight... QUESTION: If i bottle a six pack from a keg that has been in the fridge for a few weeks will it hurt to store the six pack in a warm area, or should it be kept cold?

 

[BierMuncher]

I think i'm going to build on of these tonight... QUESTION: If i bottle a six pack from a keg that has been in the fridge for a few weeks will it hurt to store the six pack in a warm area, or should it be kept cold?

I bottle up 15-20 at a time and refrigerate 4-5 and the others I store in a milk crate in the basement.

As long as you cap on foam, you should have a pretty good shelf life.

In my experience:
Lighter gravity (1.032-1.045), I'm fine with 2-3 months.
Medium gravity (1.047-1.055), 4-6 months.
Bigger beers, indefinitely. Especially if they're hoppy.

I did just crack a Northern Brewer Blonde (1.040, 20 IBU's) that I brewed in the summer, and it was perfect.

It's important to let those beer chill for 3 days or more to "set" the beer before serving. Simpy crash chilling on a freezer shelf for 1-2 hours will do the beer an injustice.

 

[billym99]

Thanks BM, that helps a lot. I'm actually going to be bottling some "Ode To Arthur" this weekend... turned out to be a great brew and want to share some with friends.

 

[RoaringBrewer]

Well, even though I was one of the first 5-10 people to chime in on this thread months and months ago, I just used my BMBF for the first time today. Worked well and bottled up a nice 9 bottles of my Amarillo Pale Ale, some of which I plan to submit to NHC and a local competition here. Anyway... question arises now:

I turned the pressure down from the 12 I had it set at to 5, released the pressure from the keg, filled the bottles nicely. Quit, turned my pressure back up to 12, and tapped a beer. Seems much more flat than it was prior. Is this normal? How long is this going to take to get back to normal carb levels. Tastes like it would if I had it set at probably 7-8psi... probably < 2 volumes CO2 for certain, when it was 2.4... Thoughts?

 

[BierMuncher]

Well, even though I was one of the first 5-10 people to chime in on this thread months and months ago, I just used my BMBF for the first time today. Worked well and bottled up a nice 9 bottles of my Amarillo Pale Ale, some of which I plan to submit to NHC and a local competition here. Anyway... question arises now:

I turned the pressure down from the 12 I had it set at to 5, released the pressure from the keg, filled the bottles nicely. Quit, turned my pressure back up to 12, and tapped a beer. Seems much more flat than it was prior. Is this normal? How long is this going to take to get back to normal carb levels. Tastes like it would if I had it set at probably 7-8psi... probably < 2 volumes CO2 for certain, when it was 2.4... Thoughts?

Hard to imagine that temporary drop in pressure flattened out the beer. Especially if you only bottled up 9 and went back to normal settings. I don notice that when we have company and several pints in a row get drawn that the beer “settles down” out of the tap. Was the beer just less foamy when you drew or was the effervescence less and the beer truly flatter?

 

[RoaringBrewer]

Hard to imagine that temporary drop in pressure flattened out the beer. Especially if you only bottled up 9 and went back to normal settings. I don notice that when we have company and several pints in a row get drawn that the beer “settles down” out of the tap. Was the beer just less foamy when you drew or was the effervescence less and the beer truly flatter?

The beer was actually foamier (maybe from the keg being drug in and out got it shook up a little?) on the pour, but less effervescent when you got past the head and to the actual liquid... *shrug* I'll try it again in a day or three. PS - the 25psi for 36 hours definitely didn't overcarb the beer either. Still a bit light on carbonation, but letting it get the rest of the way on 13psi...

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Yeah that seems awefully quick to flatten the beer. Especially if the Keg temp did not rise.

 

[BierMuncher]

The beer was actually foamier (maybe from the keg being drug in and out got it shook up a little?) on the pour, but less effervescent when you got past the head and to the actual liquid... *shrug* I'll try it again in a day or three. PS - the 25psi for 36 hours definitely didn't overcarb the beer either. Still a bit light on carbonation, but letting it get the rest of the way on 13psi...

One thing to consider. That same thing always happens to me on the first pour after reconnecting everything. The cause is the air in the lines that causes foaming (beer flattening) . Subsequent pours are always right back to normal though.

 

[RoaringBrewer]

Ah, good to hear... I'll try another sample later tonight maybe...

 

[RoaringBrewer]

Tried to pull another draft today. Carbed up just fine and back to normal! Thanks BM!

 

[Dude]

I'm having troubles with the beer being flat in the bottles. The 25 psi for 36 hours thing prevents this?

 

[BierMuncher]

I'm having troubles with the beer being flat in the bottles. The 25 psi for 36 hours thing prevents this?

Dude, the night before I'm going to bottle, I usually set my PSI to around 18.
THat's for a keg that is already up to full carbonation.

I just like a little extra gas since I'm liable to loose some during the transfer.

25PSI for 36 hours would probably be too long if the beer is already carb'd.

So:

For a fully carb'd keg, raise the PSI for 18-24 hours to around 15-18PSI.
When you begin the transfer, drop the pressure to 4-5, release the excess gas in the keg.
I like to draw off the first pint into a glass and enjoy. That first draw tends to put my process in a "groove".

 

[Bobby_M]

You don't want to overcarb by much. I think the key here is to be really sure you're starting with a keg that is fully carbed. I mean, many people will mistake a 1.5 volume beer that happens to have a head on it for a 2.2 volume beer with a litte bit of head. That can be the difference of a whole week on serving pressure.

I've had luck raising the pressure a few PSI for two days but then NOT dialing it back too far for the bottling. If you vent the keg down by 10PSI, you're actually causing the beer to offgas and foam while it's still in the keg. This is a tricky balance that requires a few tries using this method. Low enough pressure to not initially foam like crazy, but high enough not to encourage foaming in the keg.

 

[TexLaw]

I don't know if anyone else has used this wonderful contraption to fill growlers, but it works wonderfully. You just need a larger stopper.


TL

 

[Brew-boy]

I prefer the beer gun, money well spent.

 

[BierMuncher]

I prefer the beer gun, money well spent.

We're assuming you assembled and tested the BMBF?

 

[Dude]

I prefer the beer gun, money well spent.

I totally don't understand that statement, considering the results are equal and the price difference is about 70 dollars.

BTW....a question for the creator....is the stopper really necessary, considering it has to be vented during filling anyway? Do you really lose that much CO2 without the stopper in place?

 

[BierMuncher]

I totally don't understand that statement, considering the results are equal and the price difference is about 70 dollars.

BTW....a question for the creator....is the stopper really necessary, considering it has to be vented during filling anyway? Do you really lose that much CO2 without the stopper in place?

The stopper is your flow "regulator". It allows you to control the speed of the fill. Initially, I like to keep the stopper pretty tight and maintain a very slow fill until it's going and then slowly squeeze the stopper to allow venting and a faster flow.

By the way Dude...where the heck ya been man???

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I tried this for the first time last week. I was just filling some grolsch bottles for a quick trip to hillbilly hell - sorry I meant a local demolition derby. I turned down the pressure but forgot to vent the keg, so I had too much pressure. Still, we had fresh carbed beer to drink and I didn't have any complaints.

I did feel a little out of place at the DD with a grolsch bottle full of tasty homebrew. I don't think many attendees would have "gotten it".

 

[TexLaw]

I prefer the beer gun, money well spent.

I disagree completely. My total cash outlay for this whole project was about 59 cents for the stopper. I have heard people sing songs about the beer gun, but I just do not see the value.


TL

 

[JustMrWill]

I bottled 4 cases this way. I admit...I had a few duds but overall, I am happy with it.

I think the duds were from me rushing the process at times. I also, did not pre-chill the bottles....so - my fault.

-JMW

 

[BierMuncher]

I bottled 4 cases this way. I admit...I had a few duds but overall, I am happy with it.

I think the duds were from me rushing the process at times. I also, did not pre-chill the bottles....so - my fault.

-JMW

Yep...chilling the bottles and "crawling" the process certainly helps. Glad that most of the batch bottled up good though.

 

[BakerStreetBeers]

I tried the BMBF technology for the first time several weeks ago. I put a 1/2" hose onto the end of my keezer faucet, put a rubber stopper around a racking tube and filled the bottles up on the floor. I spilled a lot of beer in between bottles and consistently having foam in the line.

Last weekend I tried a different approach. I cut 3-4" of line and 5-6" of racking tube. Stopper on racking tube, line on keezer faucet. This allowed me much more control over my fill. And when I beer was done, I could shut the faucet off, pull the tube out of the beer and the tube would drain to leave less headspace in the bottle.

 

[BierMuncher]

I tried the BMBF technology for the first time several weeks ago. I put a 1/2" hose onto the end of my keezer faucet, put a rubber stopper around a racking tube and filled the bottles up on the floor. I spilled a lot of beer in between bottles and consistently having foam in the line.

Last weekend I tried a different approach. I cut 3-4" of line and 5-6" of racking tube. Stopper on racking tube, line on keezer faucet. This allowed me much more control over my fill. And when I beer was done, I could shut the faucet off, pull the tube out of the beer and the tube would drain to leave less headspace in the bottle.

Get yourself a cobra tap and 6 feet of line and it will be nearly a flawless process. Racking canes fit perfectly into the cobra taps.

 

[BakerStreetBeers]

Get yourself a cobra tap and 6 feet of line and it will be nearly a flawless process. Racking canes fit perfectly into the cobra taps.

Thanks for the tip. I may try that once I buy a cobra tap (portable draught beer is definitely in my future). But i'm very happy with this version of the BMBF:

 

[Bobby_M]

You have to make sure that faucet is really clean and sanized. Even with forward sealing faucets, there's going to be some nasties living in it. It's OK for beer that will be consumed in less than a week, but I wouldn't send that to competitions or save it over a long time period.

 

[killian]

I think this will really help dialing in the volumes of co2 in my bottled beer, thanks BM

 

[eeafp]

cold liquid holds more gas. unless a carbonated liquid experiences a rapid pressure change it outgases slowly. co2 sinks. to bottle from a keg freeze your bottles the night before. dial down the temp 5 degrees or so on the fridge holding your keg the night before. shoot a small amount of co2 into the bottles ( I hooked a picnic tap faucet up to the co2 line). lower the pressure in the corny keg to 3 psi. put a tube on the tip of whatever tap you usually use to dispense your keg so you fill the bottles up from the bottom under the co2 layer. if you get foam lower the pressure in the keg or increase the length of hose going to your tap. I have had no problem with bottles several months old oxidizing or loss of carbonation. with two people I can bottle 5 gal in 1/2 hour. it's mind-boggling to me why people spend a hundred dollars to spray beer in their face with a cpbf, or buy a stainless steel version of a picnic tap faucet when they have to take all of the same preparations the day before in order for it to work.