We no need no stinking beer gun...

[Cheesefood]

Has anyone tried or thought of modding this to add their bottling wand?

 

[RoaringBrewer]

Has anyone tried or thought of modding this to add their bottling wand?

Aren't most bottling wands made from about the same diameter plastic tubing that the racking canes are? Would it be possible to just stick the wand right into the picnic tap? Or is it too short?

May be an idea, but its also just one more thing that may complicate the process (spring-loaded filling)... the process seems pretty good as is, take a little "over fillage" mess at times.

Someone try this with a wand!

 

[BierMuncher]

THe only thing with the wand is it's etiher on...or off.

The stopper (and the pressure you apply) is essentially your "trigger" for releasing the air pressure and allowing the flow. More pressure on the stopper...slower flow. Especially important when you're nearing the top of the bottle.

Don't know that you'd need two triggers. I think I've read where someone did that so I'm pretty sure it would work.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I guess it wouldn't require the extra alcohol abuse bucket to catch all your spills. When it's full and you pull it out, there's no mess. (there's no way to say that without it sounding all wrong).

 

[Philip1993]

Someone try this with a wand!

I did. It foamed a lot.

I guess it wouldn't require the extra alcohol abuse bucket to catch all your spills. When it's full and you pull it out, there's no mess. (there's no way to say that without it sounding all wrong).

Hardly a drop spilled. Best thing I have used to date.

 

[BierMuncher]

I guess it wouldn't require the extra alcohol abuse bucket to catch all your spills. When it's full and you pull it out, there's no mess. (there's no way to say that without it sounding all wrong).

But it's the moving the cane fro bottle to bottle that drips everywhere.

At the end of a 12 pack (all I can fit in a bucket), I end up with the better part of a 1/2 cup of beer at the bottom.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

But it's the moving the cane fro bottle to bottle that drips everywhere.

At the end of a 12 pack (all I can fit in a bucket), I end up with the better part of a 1/2 cup of beer at the bottom.

I understand. A bottling wand wouldn't do that. But if it foams up, then it's no good.

 

[BierMuncher]

I understand. A bottling wand wouldn't do that. But if it foams up, then it's no good.

The other thing is that I tend to grab the bottles out of the bucket to go cap and leave the cane sitting in the bucket while I'm off capping the bottles.

Just easier cleanup at the end.

I was at the LHBS at lunch today picking up some odds and ends and saw a beer gun for sale.

Man that thing looked complicated.

 

[El_Borracho]

Off Topic: new thread created..http://homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=42737

 

[Cheesefood]

question, if using one of those bottling buckets from Midwest, with the "Italian Spigot".. What sort of filler should I use/need?

They have a fermtech one, uses gravity, the other is a spring loaded ball?

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=4739

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=4738

You're talking about a bottling wand. This is something that is CO2 driven to bottle beer that's been carbonated in-keg.

 

[El_Borracho]

One day I'll fill a keg. This day is not that day.

 

[BierMuncher]

You're getting us a bit there El B...

You're liable to get more replies and better help starting a new thread with your secondary to bottle questons. Like Cheese said, this topic deals with bottling from finished kegs of beer.

 

[El_Borracho]

Done..http://homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=42737

Sorry about that.. I got a little carried away..

 

[D*Bo]

check out these pics of my scab together counter pressure filler it worked like a charm
http://dccounterpressure.shutterfly...66CF5A5E72CC0022F17CB7?a=67b0de21b32b5e66c445

Where did you get the stainless tubing to make that?

 

[BierMuncher]

I thinks he's gone.

 

[Philip1993]

But it's the moving the cane fro bottle to bottle that drips everywhere.

At the end of a 12 pack (all I can fit in a bucket), I end up with the better part of a 1/2 cup of beer at the bottom.

I cut my cane down to about 14" of straight tube, and it hardly drips at all. In fact, when I'm done I have to pull the tube from the tap or it just sits in the tube.

If you can't picture what's happening, think about one of those little hamster water bottles that keeps the fluid in my vacuum action. Or when you pick up drink with a straw by putting your finger over the top.

 

[thereefgeek]

I built a cpbf years ago, and like someone else said at the start of the thread, I've since turned it into "spare parts". It was just too much of a pita to keep clean. I started using the picnic tap and plastic wand simply as a way to get kegged beer into growlers and swing tops for transportation to partys and what not. For long term storage I started flooding the bottles first with CO2 from a valve and tee off of my gas line before crimping a hard cap on top and it works great. As the bottle is filled the CO2 keeps the beer away from any oxygen (in theory). At the end of the fill as I'm removing the "wand" from the bottle I fill that extra bit of head space with a quick spray of foam from the tip and slam a cap on the bottle. After the bit of foamover subsides I end up with about 3/4" of space under the caps. Takes a bit of practice, but the bottles keep for months and costs about $3 to bottle off a keg.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Muncher, I meant to post in this thread a while back - AWESOME IDEA!

I'm now jealous of your DIY Beer Gun and sorry I spent cash on the Blichmann (Bling-mann) version. I like yours way better, and I might have to make one just for the hell of it!

 

[Indiana Red]

This is exacly the thread i needed as I am planning on a sweet Raspberry "Lambic" (another thread) and I cant have it naturally condition as I plan to pasteurize to stop fermentation at the sweetness I want.

Perfect.
Thanks.

 

[Funkenjaeger]

Got all the required parts today from my LHBS:
Cornelius liquid QD, 4 feet of 1/4" ID tubing, cobra tap, short racking cane, little drilled rubber stopper, and a bottle of Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout - all for $24, including the $2.25 they overcharged me but wasn't worth going back to argue about.

Can't wait to try it!

 

[BierMuncher]

Got all the required parts today from my LHBS:
Cornelius liquid QD, 4 feet of 1/4" ID tubing, cobra tap, short racking cane, little drilled rubber stopper, and a bottle of Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout - all for $24, including the $2.25 they overcharged me but wasn't worth going back to argue about.

Can't wait to try it!

Uh oh...

Big F?

You really want a standard liquid tube....3/16" inner diameter.

The 1/4" inch would be for longer push distances (like over 10 feet). I'm afraid the velocity will be too fast with a wider ID and you're going to get some excess foaming.

Give it a try, but you'll probably want to replace that hose in the long run. Also...go with 6 feet. The additional resistance will help you retain carbonation.

 

[Funkenjaeger]

You really want a standard liquid tube....3/16" inner diameter.

The 1/4" inch would be for longer push distances (like over 10 feet). I'm afraid the velocity will be too fast with a wider ID and you're going to get some excess foaming.

Give it a try, but you'll probably want to replace that hose in the long run. Also...go with 6 feet. The additional resistance will help you retain carbonation.

Oh, I know, I'm already quite familiar with the liquid tubing dynamics, having a kegerator and all - but my LHBS is nothing but a few dozen square feet in the back corner of a health food store, and needless to say they don't stock 3/16" ID beverage tubing. And all the beverage line I own is already in use in my kegerator. I just wanted to be able to try it out to some degree tonight, thus 1/4" was my only real option. I'll definitely swap real beverage line on there as soon as I place an order someplace that carries it.

 

[Funkenjaeger]

As a follow-up, I wanted to share my experiences. I just tested this method out using the setup I mentioned above, including 1/4" ID vinyl tubing instead of proper 3/16" beverage line.

I did make a bit of a mess filling the first bottle due to user error (hint: remember to shut off the cobra tap before pulling the filler out of the bottle...) but the tubing seems to have worked out alright when I did things right - there was a little foam, maybe 1/8" or so, while filling, but not too much. Apparently the low dispense pressure, plus the fact that the counter-pressure aspect of it minimizes foam, is much more significant than the restriction of the tubing in this case.

Not to suggest that you SHOULDN'T use proper beverage line, but just saying that if (like me) you can't get it locally, you can use 1/4" ID tubing in the mean time.

BierMuncher, thanks for the idea, this is an awesome system - I can tell that once I get a little more practice getting the fill levels right, this will be a quick and easy method with great results. And the fact that it costs WAY less than a typical counterpressure filler is a huge plus.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I just placed an order at AHS and spent the extra $3 to convert my picnic tap to a bottle filler. Can't wait to try it out!

 

[Nwcw2001]

here is a hint from the brewery I get to help bottle in.

ALWAYS CAP ON FOAM

Foam=CO2 and if you have foam up to the cap you have no oxygen in the bottle!
If the foam isn't tiny bubbles up to the cap give it a shake and then cap. Tiny bubbles are CO2 and big bubbles are oxygen

hth

John

 

[the_Roqk]

Hey BierMuncher, I enjoyed reading this thread and your idea. But for the life of me I can't seem to wonder why everyone that kegs are going back to bottling. Nothing wrong with it, especially when it's nice to bottle some brew that's been forced carbed so you can take it on the go. So don't bash me all ye who post! I think it's a great idea! I'm just making and observation that's all. Seemed a little funny to me. Thanks again for the thread and pics!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Cuz we like to share beer...kinda hard to send a pint to you without some sort of container around it!

 

[the_Roqk]

Cuz we like to share beer...kinda hard to send a pint to you without some sort of container around it!

Duh...

TRUE!

 

[Funkenjaeger]

Listening to one of the episodes of the Jamil show on the Brewing Network podcast, I seem to remember one of those guys saying that when they brew big beers like belgians that they bottle condition instead of serving from a keg, they still keg them and force-carb, and then bottle from the keg, rather than messing around with naturally carbing in bottles.

Not that that's exactly my goal. I totally agree with what Yuri said, I would love to be able to bring bottles with me to share when I go somewhere. Also, since I can only serve from 2 kegs at once, I would like to be able to keep some beers around in bottles so that I can have a bit more variety - and bottling a 12-pack (or whatever) from each keg that I serve seems like a good way to build up a stock of different beers.

 

[BierMuncher]

Hey BierMuncher, I enjoyed reading this thread and your idea. But for the life of me I can't seem to wonder why everyone that kegs are going back to bottling. Nothing wrong with it, especially when it's nice to bottle some brew that's been forced carbed so you can take it on the go. So don't bash me all ye who post! I think it's a great idea! I'm just making and observation that's all. Seemed a little funny to me. Thanks again for the thread and pics!

For me it's a matter of brewing lots of styles very quickly. The only thing standing in my way is not enough room in the keezer to chill and carb my kegs. Getting that last half keg into bottles makes room.

Another thing is this: I brew some out-of-the-ordinary beers...just to try out. I have 10-gallons of Old Speckled Hen down in the brewshop. Now I love that beer, but it's the kind of beer you enjoy a half a pint of in front of the fireplace 3-4 nights a week. Kegs are better suited for higher volume house ales (in my opinion). I like to bottle those more "extreme" beers for leisurely sipping over time.

Ultimately, I'd like to get to where I have a steady stash of bottled beer that is 10-18 months old. Now that's the beer I'll send in to competitions.