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Counter pressure filling

http://thebrewingnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3086

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Counter pressure filling

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 12:55 pm
by Thirsty Mallard
I thought somewhere I had read that if you use a counter pressure bottle filler you should chill your bottles down as well. Is there any validity in that? I am going to use my new CPBF this weekend... wish me luck.

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 1:14 pm
by DannyW
No matter the type of filler, it will help. Don't freeze them, though, because the ice will cause nucleation sites and give you more foam, not less.

If you use an open filler like the beer gun, then chilling of the beer, bottles, filler, and lines is essential. I know you said counterpressure, but still...

If you use a counterpressure filler that has good gas control (NOT like Justin, he apparently has NO gas control) then you don't need to chill the bottles or filler or anything. I use my poor-man filler at room temp with room temp (or even garage temp) bottles and it works fine.

The big T shaped fillers like the B3 don't seem to have as great gas flow control so they bleed off a little fast and make some foam. You might want to chill those down to save on cleanup.

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 1:58 pm
by barls
ok if the ones from b3 arent any good where does one acquire a good one or do you have to build it?

sorry for the unintentional thread hi jack

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 2:00 pm
by Thirsty Mallard
I got mine from Northern Brewer. It is the same one my LHBS sells. I guess it is good. I have heard mixed feedback about the BeerGun, so I decided to go CPBF.

Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:23 pm
by DannyW
barls wrote:ok if the ones from b3 arent any good where does one acquire a good one or do you have to build it?


Whoa now, the fillers from B3 are fine tools! They are well made, sturdy, and work as advertised. The one I used and commented on before was in fact one generation old - they now use a different type of valve for the gas in and beer in, and for all I know now have more control on the gas out. The one I used was a fine machine, probably the current model is even better.

In fact, all of the fillers work pretty well - Beer Gun, B3 filler, Listermann's, poor man's, heck, even filling with a tube shoved in the faucet will work.

Like many things in brewing, it is a matter of what works best for you, and your system, and your methods.

Many people like a little foam generated to purge the headspace of all air, because the foam is all CO2. Beer Gun, B3, and the tube will all generate some foam, but not leave your beer flat.

Some people need to fill a bunch of bottles all at one time, some fill a couple at a time. Beer Gun, B3, Listermann's are all good at filling a bunch because they are easy to hold. Poor Man's and the tube are good for a few because they are quick to assemble and easiest to clean.

Some people don't mind chilling all their filling equipment at bottles, some like to fill warm. Beer Gun and the tube both need everything to be very cold. The other methods can get away with warmer stuff.

Lots of people fill lots of bottles with any/all of these methods, so they all are viable. Again, it's a matter of how you work and what you want to do.

Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 6:22 pm
by barls
ok thanks for clarifing that

Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2006 11:41 am
by BeerMan
[quote="barls"]ok if the ones from b3 arent any good where does one acquire a good one or do you have to build it?

here is a good site for building your own
http://hbd.org/mtippin/cpfiller.html

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