Beer gun - it is necessary? Other ways to fill the bottles

[Omega]

I give away most of the ales and beers I make, therefore, bottling became quite in demand. I currently use a normal dispensing tap on a hoze. However, some people mentioned that I lose a lot of gas, so I want to improve the quality of my drink

Will beer gun make much difference? Thinking about this one because it is so much cheaper than Blichmann beer gun https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product/duotight-bottle-filler-beer-gun-kit/?v=79cba1185463
Or I can use my existing tap, fill the bottle up and then carbonate using Carbonation Cap Tee Piece complete kit with Caps Carbonation Cap Tee Piece – PCO 1881 thread - The Malt Miller
I may end up bottling about 20 bottles every 2 weeks, so I won't bother for a little convenience, but a significant convenience - yes, I will go for it. My bottles vary from 0.5 to 2 litres and I usually get at least half back, so no plans for canning
Thanks

 

[JockyBrewer]

Need to know a couple of things to help you:

1. I'm assuming you are bottling from corny kegs?
2. Are all the bottles you are filling PET bottles with a screw thread, or glass?

Beer guns, counter pressure fillers etc really just reduce the amount of foaming you get when filling a bottle from keg. e.g. If I tried to fill a bottle from a tap off my keg it would probably end up 1/3 foam.

If you're only filling PET bottles then you can do the same thing with a carbonation cap, which is way cheaper and easier.
- Put it on the bottle
- Connect to gas to pressurise the bottle
- Replace gas with liquid connection from the keg
- Gently unscrew carbonation cap until liquid starts to flow.

Another cheap alternative is 2 metres of 3/16" beer line and a party tap:

 

[Omega]

1. Yes, I fill from corny keg
2. Yes, currently I fill plastic PET bottles with screw tops, though I plan doing glass bottles in the future too

Thank you for the video - I have exactly the same party tap and will start putting it into the fridge to reduce the foaming. I think I do exactly as the guy on the video, but I get quite a lot of foam even after 2 bottles...

 

[JockyBrewer]

1. Yes, I fill from corny keg
2. Yes, currently I fill plastic PET bottles with screw tops, though I plan doing glass bottles in the future too

Thank you for the video - I have exactly the same party tap and will start putting it into the fridge to reduce the foaming. I think I do exactly as the guy on the video, but I get quite a lot of foam even after 2 bottles...

(That's me on the video)

When using that method you need up to 2 metres of 3/16" beer line. This provides a lot of line resistance/pressure that stops foaming. It also helps to cool down the line and tap, and slightly wet the bottles. Ideally cool the bottles too.

For PET bottles carbonation caps are by far the cheapest/easiest filling method.

If you want to fill both glass and PET and you're doing 20 bottles at a time then a beer gun is probably worth it. Just for one or two bottles it requires a bit of setup though. It'll also require a few goes to get the hang of using it properly without too much mess.

 

[Omega]

It looks like my party tap meets all the requirements - it is longer than 2 metres and 3/16"

 

[Sadfield]

The problem with carbonation caps is you need to get them back, or swap them once filled.

The advantage of beer guns is that they fill from the bottom, with less contact with air. You can improve on @JockyBrewer party tap method by adding a tube, depth of your bottle to the outlet of the party tap.



This can be improved further by adding a rubber stopper to the tube which can be used to add a slight top pressure when filling by venting as described earlier with carbonation caps.

 

[xozzx]

I used a Last straw counter pressure bottle filler for a few years- it worked most of the time but was quite fiddly and messy so I avoided bottling as much as possible. I bought a boel itap a few months ago, it is a fair bit more expensive but totally worth it.... makes bottling a pleasure and almost eliminates any mess. If you are happy to pay a bit more I highly recommend it, you do need to buy a different adapter to fill PET bottles tho and they are fairly difficult to find now as the company is Russian owned.

 

[Rwilts]

I have successfully used a T piece carbonation cap, same was as described by @JockyBrewer but with a pet bottle top on the side inlet, allows pressure to be released and the flow to start pretty accurately.

 

[Omega]

The problem with carbonation caps is you need to get them back, or swap them once filled.

The advantage of beer guns is that they fill from the bottom, with less contact with air. You can improve on @JockyBrewer party tap method by adding a tube, depth of your bottle to the outlet of the party tap.



This can be improved

Liked the video, I think I will do as shown

 

[LeeH]

Forget the beer gun, the iTap or Ali express copy is far far better.

 

[JockyBrewer]

The problem with carbonation caps is you need to get them back, or swap them once filled.

Not really - once you have filled the bottle you can remove the carbonation cap, squeeze out the (little) remaining air and replace it with the bottle's regular cap.

The advantage of beer guns is that they fill from the bottom, with less contact with air. You can improve on @JockyBrewer party tap method by adding a tube, depth of your bottle to the outlet of the party tap.

Stick a bit of 3/8" beer line into the tap and off you go.

I have successfully used a T piece carbonation cap, same was as described by @JockyBrewer but with a pet bottle top on the side inlet, allows pressure to be released and the flow to start pretty accurately.

That's a cool idea I hadn't thought of. I've used a T piece in the past, but putting the PRV from a spunding valve on the side so it works as a counter pressure filler and automatically releases pressure.

 

[Sadfield]

Not really - once you have filled the bottle you can remove the carbonation cap, squeeze out the (little) remaining air and replace it with the bottle's regular cap.

The problem with carbonation caps is you need to get them back, or swap them once filled.

Same.

Stick a bit of 3/8" beer line into the tap and off you go.

by adding a tube, depth of your bottle to the outlet of the party tap.

Weirdly, also what I said.