Beer gun bottle filler

I usually keg most of my beer, but do like to have some bottled beer around at different times, but want to get away from the sediment in bottles. Is a beer gun something that would be worth using, or are they a PITA?

I also keg, all I do to bottle is turn down the pressure to 3 to 4 psi release the pressure in the keg and use a picnic tap it takes about half hour for a case.

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Same hear except I use a picnic tap with a piece of tubing stuffed in it so I can fill from the bottom. I set the pressure to almost nothing. Pretty simple I’m sure you can find a YouTube video, that’s how I learned

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And as mueller brew does, cold tub of sanitizer with the bottles in it, take them out as you fill! I thought that was a nifty idea! Sneezles61

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I keep some frozen water bottles around and put them in the sanitizer to keep it cold. Got that idea from someone on here also. I always end up with a bunch of partial filled kegs since I can’t drink all the beer I make so bottling is a great way to free up kegs and always have an assortment for giving or roadies

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Thanks for the replys guys. I have tried tubing on the picnic tap before, but didn’t dial down the pressure enough maybe. I’m all about saving money but not afraid to spend either if the end product is worth it. I plan to stick with the way you guys are doing it. Thanks for saving me some money :smile:

I was almost about to make a new topic similar to this so I guess I’ll just chime in on this one…

Instead of a picnic tap, could you just turn down the pressure to 3 or 4 psi and replace the picnic tap with a bottling wand? Or better, have a designated line with a bottling wand on it so when you needed to fill bottles, you could just take you right picnic tap line off the keg and replace it with the bottling wand line?

Yes that will work didn’t think of that. Thanks

I’ve done this; it works, but the bottling wand doesn’t fit in tight enough to avoid drips and I have had it come off entirely and make a mess. Got a beer gun too, but almost never use it.
I realized that if I want to bottle some beer, I am doing it to have some which I will tuck away for the future, and beer keeps better if you bottle condition it. The yeast will consume any O2 present when they carbonate the beer, and they do a better job of it than any CO2 purge of the bottle you are capable of doing at home.
But if eliminating sediment at the bottom of the bottle is more important to you than long-term stability, then the key to good filling is very low keg pressure combined with bottles that are as cold as you can make them. That applies to using a beer gun or filling directly from the tap.

I assume when using a picnic tap and tube you can just fill completely to the top of the bottle leaving virtually no headspace and let oxygen absorbing caps take care any leftover o2?

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Just a comment on top of your question. I am new to this hobby well over a year now. So I know all other comments here trump me. I have never carb in a bottle. I am useing a gun I bought from a company out of California (I preferred that one over others sorry NB) anyway the first batch after I carb it at 8 psi at 31 deg. I turned the regulator down to 3 psi and had nothing but trouble with foam. I came so close to throwing the thing away the first day. I called the company and they told me to increase the pressure back up to the carb pressure and I have never had a problem since. So for what ever this is worth.

You have to figure how much the space the tube takes up and whats inside it too… Very tricky!!:blush: Sneezles61

I fill with the tube against the bottom until the beer/foam starts to come out then I pull it and let the foam fill the head space then cap on the foam

Do you notice any degredation in carbonation after long term storage?

No but I make sure it’s fully carbonated for a good three weeks. You might lose it if you bottle after quick carbonating

Well to clarify I’ve not noticed after about s year. If I were going to do something that needed to age years you probably would bottle condition

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That could work, if you live someplace where you can buy oxygen absorbing caps. :frowning: