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  • Small Volume Bottling

    We're producing about 24 BBLS / mo. right now and are looking into doing some small volume bottling as we add some more brewing capacity.

    We'll probably start out with something basic, but has anyone ever used one of these?



    Any other advice or equipment recommendations on this subject would be great.

    Cheers,
    Chris Enegren
    www.enegrenbrewing.com

  • #2
    We are using that exact machine. Right now we are getting about 86 bottles an hour...A far cry from the 200/hour in the description. I have talked to others that use and most get in the 60-100 bottles an hour range, though one said they got 216!

    Christian

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    • #3
      What size bottles are you planning on using?
      We use two CPF from MoreBeer.
      Then we bottle to growlers.

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      • #4
        I use a CPBF from MoreBeer and do about 80 bottles per hour, by myself, into 750s. I bet that filler is much more comfortable to use. My hands and arms and shoulders and back hurt after filling bottles one by one for 10 hours straight.
        Nat West
        _____________________
        nat@reverendnatshardcider.com
        503-567-2221

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        • #5
          Bottler

          I have used that very bottler in two breweries and will soon be using it a third. I have filled anything from a 12 oz bottle through a 64 oz growler with no problems. Yes, when the weather is warm you get a bit of foaming, but nothing horrible. Downside you want 2- 3 folks to run the bottler. One rinsing and purging, as well was putting cases away, one filling, and one capping.
          Dammy Olsson
          Quality Manager
          Wormtown Brewery
          Worcester, MA

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Damase
            I have used that very bottler in two breweries and will soon be using it a third.
            Any report on BPM with it?
            Nat West
            _____________________
            nat@reverendnatshardcider.com
            503-567-2221

            Comment


            • #7
              We have one of those that we use to bottle our 750 ml cork and cage seasonals.

              With 5 people (rinse, fill, cork, cage, qc and packoff) we can do about 1500 bottles in a decent 6 hour shift. It's a servicable machine, but the springs get to your back after a while. Also, we remove the plexiglass doors (everyone wears safety glasses) which eliminates one motion during filling.

              I probably have video of us filling on it. The 750's take about 40 seconds to fill at the rate we go.

              Hope that helps.

              Nat

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              • #8
                I'd love to see a video of that machine in action.

                If you don't have a video on line, pm me and I can send you an email to send it to.

                Thanks and cheers- Mike

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                • #9
                  Bottles per minute

                  I have to say it does depend a little bit. Over time, a full pallet of 22 oz bottles (depending on carbonation levels, temp in the brewery, etc) including cleaning before and after and presanitation, between 6 and 12 hours. Once you get in the swing and get your rhythm going you can crank out 15 BBL in a comfortable work day. The whole key is the rhythm and who is best at each position. I never have calculated BPM, but usually the first cases are slow, then you pick up speed, then the last several cases slow down again.
                  Dammy Olsson
                  Quality Manager
                  Wormtown Brewery
                  Worcester, MA

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                  • #10
                    O2 pickup?

                    How do you evac on a machine like that? We have a similar model (2 head) and we don't use it anymore cause the O2 pickup was a disaster.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by DancingCamel
                      How do you evac on a machine like that? We have a similar model (2 head) and we don't use it anymore cause the O2 pickup was a disaster.
                      If you mean this one:


                      It says at the end

                      • Machine purging bottle with gas prior filling.
                      I'd take that to mean yes.
                      Kevin Shertz
                      Chester River Brewing Company
                      Chestertown, MD

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                      • #12
                        We did not evac the bottles, but we did fill the bottles with CO2 before filling (hose in bottle flowing CO2) and it seemed to work well. Tasting only, we did not do a scientific testing on the beer.
                        Dammy Olsson
                        Quality Manager
                        Wormtown Brewery
                        Worcester, MA

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Damase has three people, Natrat has five running it. Being able to talk BPM per human is an important metric. As I mentioned, with a single-head very manual CPBF, I can do 80 BPH. If I had four people, each with a filler, and one person shuttling things around, I could exceed Natrat's throughput, and for about $8000 less in capital purchase. I wish this wasn't the case, because I really want a better bottling solution, both less painful and faster. I suppose I'll have to save my pennies to get a fully automated bottler.
                          Nat West
                          _____________________
                          nat@reverendnatshardcider.com
                          503-567-2221

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