Homebrewing Counter Pressure Bottle Fillers?

[imakewort]

we do not bottle at out brewpub but i would like to be able to bottle up a few 12 or 22 oz.ers once in a while to share with friends or potential distributors.

i was thinking of purchasing a counter pressure bottle filler from one of the online homebrew suppliers.

anyone have any suggestions on a certain type?

[nwcw2001]

Hell if you only want to do it occasionally I would just build one.

this guy has a pretty straight forward set up. And if you are going to do more than a bottle at a time, you can build multiple stations.

John

[imakewort]

i dont mind building one..just dont know how good they work.
good enough?

[BrewinLou]

The design looks to be a good working design. But the best ones on the market are a little simpler and all stainless. Like this one...

http://morebeer.com/view_product/894...ute_for_KEG801

One three way valve and one adjustable bleeder valve are all you need. Just keep the beer very cold and you will be fine.

[rudge75]

This design built in all stainless fittings:
http://www.thekgb.org/cpfiller.html

This method:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCTVEy6z174

Got me 220,000 + bottles filled by hand before we stepped up and bought a 4 head Meheen.

[SRB]

We sure like Blichmann's beer gun.

Sockeye Brewery uses two for seasonal 7bbl bottle runs.

[BrewinLou]

It was my understanding that the "Beer Gun" is not counter pressure. Is this not the case? I am not knocking the beer gun, it is just two different methods of bottling.

[South County]

Either way your exposing the volume left in the neck to atmosphere unless you Fob it to get a foam rise and then cap on the foam (think Meheen). Counter-pressure is supposed to control CO2 nucleation but on this small a scale its is relative and the Blichmann is just as fast. The Blichmann is much more intuitive and efficient IMO. It is a one handed operation. You insert the tube into the bottom of the bottle, pull the CO2 trigger to purge the bottle, then pull the opposite trigger to fill with beer, then you pull the tube above the beer fill, purge again with CO2, and then fob with the beer trigger and pass to a happy capper person to your side and go again. I love it!

[Gordie]

Thumbs up to the Beer Gun. Wonderful device - effective and intuitive. Also, kind of a forgotten and underrated aspect of the design, its real easy to clean. If you're going to buy instead of build, definately the Beer Gun.

[Geoff Logan]

I simply use a piece of polypropylene about 12 inches long cut at a 45 degress angle at the bottom with a #1 stopper at the top. Connect the poly to a short piece of tubing to your tap and fill bottles that way. No need buying a beer gun for me. That's the system I use to send out test batch samples to potential accounts, etc. (And of course take some home for quality control)!

[mishipeshu]

Try to find a Melvico. I love mine.

[Bill Madden]

These handy units were great. I have mine and have had to fabricate parts to keep it together but works great if you can find someone to part with one. The company that manufactured them is long gone.

I use it for competition beer and special bottlings at our brewpub.

Cheers,

Bill
V-50

[gallon]

hey Bill - I also have a melvico but have been concerned with the block containing the beer line. I wonder if it sanitary after abuse with cleaners and use. Did you ever replace this part?

Tim

[Bill Madden]

Tim,

No, never replaced it but I have taken it apart to clean out each and every time I use it. I have replaced all the fittings to that block from plastic to stainless.

Cheers,

Bill

[FarCry]

If we were to bottle our beer using the Blichman beer gun, how long will the beer stay carbonated. It won't go flat will it?