Keeping beer fizzy in bottles

[itry]

Hi

I would like some help in this department. i have some large partys im going to cater for this summer. My cousins getting married and they want me to make the beer in bottles on the table as a "favour" . so ill need 120 33ml bottles. I know how to do the bottle fermentation that comes out well. I tried co2 bottling over xmas with mixed results...

my process carbonate in corney keg

Add beer wand to the co2 canister. set at 35psi on the trigger.

add beer gun to the corney set pressure on the corney to 10psi ( also tried this with no gas using the co2 already in the beer)

steralise wand

wand into the empty bottle flood with 35psi of co2

let beer in fill to just under the top ( here in every bottle the wand seriousley foamed and it took a while to get the clear liquid up and the foam out)

Remove wand cap quickley

please feel free to chime in as i really want to get this rite.

 

[Richie_asg1]

I think temperature plays a huge part in the process. The colder you can do it the more CO2 will stay in solution.
Maybe another thing is any nucleation sites on the inside of the glass, so maybe a quick rinse before filling would help.

I hope to progress to this myself one day, and have seen a few people with a silicone bung on the beer gun so most of the process yuou are filling under counterpressure to kep the foaming down. Seems like a bit of a trick to squeeze the bung just enough to let gas out as beer fills.

 

[foxy]

Get your cousin to go halvies in a Tapcooler Counter Pressure Bottle Filler.

 

[cossie.j]

Get your cousin to go halvies in a Tapcooler Counter Pressure Bottle Filler.

i need one of these, what a great method. I’ll have a look if anyone in the U.K. stocks these

 

[steveinUS]

It looks like a nifty gadget. But not one counterpressure filler I’ve ever used is as simple and easy and effective as a Beergun. Carbonate beer well to about 12-15 lbs. and get it very cold. On bottling day sanitize all your bottles and put them in the fridge while still wet inside, for long enough to chill them. Wet interior bottle surfaces will minimize foaming. I used to also fret about chilling the Beergun and lines, but the first fill or two generally takes care of that, so just sanitize it. Bleed pressure off keg and lower regulator pressure to barely 2 lbs. Purge, fill and cap one bottle at a time, giving the side of the bottle a sharp tap with something metal after removing the gun, to prompt a foam-up so you’re capping on foam. Repeat. Depending on how long between bottles, you’ll notice CO2 coming out of the beer while still in the line, so keep a tasting cup handy if you want to purge that bit of foamy beer (for Q.C. purposes) before going to your next bottle. I bottle right on top of our washing machine next to my keg fridge, so I don’t worry about spills. And a bench capper mounted to a heavy cutting board helps reduce time between bottles. So does a second pair of hands if available.

I’m drinking beers that were bottled this way 4-5-6 years ago with great carbonation levels.

 

[Ghillie]

It looks like a nifty gadget. But not one counterpressure filler I’ve ever used is as simple and easy and effective as a Beergun. Carbonate beer well to about 12-15 lbs. and get it very cold. On bottling day sanitize all your bottles and put them in the fridge while still wet inside, for long enough to chill them. Wet interior bottle surfaces will minimize foaming. I used to also fret about chilling the Beergun and lines, but the first fill or two generally takes care of that, so just sanitize it. Bleed pressure off keg and lower regulator pressure to barely 2 lbs. Purge, fill and cap one bottle at a time, giving the side of the bottle a sharp tap with something metal after removing the gun, to prompt a foam-up so you’re capping on foam. Repeat. Depending on how long between bottles, you’ll notice CO2 coming out of the beer while still in the line, so keep a tasting cup handy if you want to purge that bit of foamy beer (for Q.C. purposes) before going to your next bottle. I bottle right on top of our washing machine next to my keg fridge, so I don’t worry about spills. And a bench capper mounted to a heavy cutting board helps reduce time between bottles. So does a second pair of hands if available.

I’m drinking beers that were bottled this way 4-5-6 years ago with great carbonation levels.

The tap cooler is better than the beer gun. Not only that, it’s also easier to use and less intrusive.

I’ve used both

 

[dan125]

+1 for chilling the bottles before filling with the beergun - makes a big difference