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DIY Beer Gun

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7 years 1 month ago #2346 by MTbottle
DIY Beer Gun was created by MTbottle
I thought I had seen a video by Gash for a DIY beer gun, but I guess I was dreaming or something .... I haven't been able to find it on the U-tube channel. Does anyone have any ideas for one that doesn't cost a ton of money and require a welder/lathe/brake, etc.?

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7 years 1 month ago #2347 by Gash
Replied by Gash on topic DIY Beer Gun
I had troubles sourcing parts to make a decent beer gun, it was cheaper in the end to buy one unfortunately.

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7 years 1 month ago - 7 years 1 month ago #2349 by MTbottle
Replied by MTbottle on topic DIY Beer Gun
That's OK, I found some threads on HBT, and the cheapest I found was Biermuncher's design.
We no need no stinking beer gun...
Just uses a picnic tap, racking cane, and plug - just right for me ATM. Thanks!
Last edit: 7 years 1 month ago by MTbottle.

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7 years 1 month ago #2350 by Gash
Replied by Gash on topic DIY Beer Gun
Yeah thats ok that one, but for any storage for a length of time, or for competition you can't beat a beer gun. that can put CO2 into the bottle first. That one is fine for filling up a growler to take to a party etc! Cheers!
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7 years 1 month ago #2355 by MTbottle
Replied by MTbottle on topic DIY Beer Gun
Ahhhh, I hadn't thought about that, although, I think someone mentioned how to overcome that in one of the replies, I'll have to check that out a bit more before I get too involved - thanks! Right now, those beer guns are way above my pay grade - considering that I don't get paid ;>)! (too old)

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7 years 1 month ago #2356 by Gash
Replied by Gash on topic DIY Beer Gun
You fill the bottle and make sure the bottle is foaming when you cap so there is no trapped oxygen, that's the theory, although it fails in the fact the oxygen has already entered the beer just through splashing etc, and its going to happen in both methods just less so with the gun. Might not be noticeable for months in a darker beer but could be noticed within weeks with a lager. Give it go for sure! Last month I bottled 3 just from the tap, they sat in the fridge for a couple weeks before I got around to drinking them, they were still drinkable but not at their best. Cheers mate!

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7 years 1 month ago - 7 years 1 month ago #2358 by MTbottle
Replied by MTbottle on topic DIY Beer Gun
OK Gash, so that brings up a question ..... I presently use either a bottling bucket OR just at an autosiphon straight from the secondary fermenter, both filling the bottles with a bottling wand. The way you seem to describe it, both of those options will also contain the oxygen from the splashing, etc., I can see no difference IMHO. So it looks to me that no matter whether I fill from a keg or fill directly from the fermentor/bottling bucket, I'm damned if I do, and I'm damned if I don't ;>)! Is there any way at all that I can bottle without having to worry about the oxygen contamination? Some of the Brit beers that I brew require 4-18 months of bottle conditioning - the way you seem to describe the oxygen contamination, I'd lose all of my brews for the long aging runs - so far, the longest one I've aged has been 5 months, but it was still as good to me as when I tried an earlier one at 2 months!
NOTE: I'm not disputing your expertise, I'm just trying to get a handle on this ..... (AND, I may have to use the picnic tap for now, until I can get a gun!), but I do appreciate all input and advice!

"You fill the bottle and make sure the bottle is foaming when you cap so there is no trapped oxygen, that's the theory, although it fails in the fact the oxygen has already entered the beer just through splashing etc, and its going to happen in both methods just less so with the gun." I do have to note that in several of the posts, it was noted that you MUST have a valve or something to make sure that the filling is done at a verrrry slow pace to prevent the splashing and oxygen, etc. Do you think that this slow-down process might address your concerns about the difference between the picnic tap and the beer gun?

If it's six of one and a half-dozen of the other, I may just stick with the present operation of bottling, and forget bottling from kegs! That may just mean buying a couple of those smaller kegs for kegging AFTER I bottle a few bottles of some brews, and using my 5 gal kegs for specific brews!
Last edit: 7 years 1 month ago by MTbottle.

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7 years 1 month ago #2359 by Gash
Replied by Gash on topic DIY Beer Gun
Beerguns are designed for bottling carbonated beer from a keg, so that's what I thought you were doing. Oxygen, although still good too reduce as much as possible, isn't so bad in uncarbed beer because it ferments again. The link to the forum is also about bottling carbonated beer. If you want something for just bottling just put a hose from your fermenter tap to the bottling wand, line the bottles up and fill them all in no time without having to juggle bottles. Sorry for the confusion but beerguns are for carbed beer, even though yes you could use them at bottling time but not needed.! :)
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7 years 1 month ago #2362 by MTbottle
Replied by MTbottle on topic DIY Beer Gun
Yeah, I thought I was thinking ahead .... I try to research as much as I can, get input from others, etc., I've got 5 or 6 kegs and have been considering doing fermentation in them rather than have to use the glass fermenters, so If I could use the gas to push the beer from primary to secondary and then bottle from there, that was going to require a beergun or the DIY equivalent of one .... that's why I was questioning you .... sorry to confuse you, at my age I act first and think later! My CO2 gauges are old and one is busted, so I have been looking to buy some used ones on eBay (bought both tonite) and also am bidding on a universal fill gauge for a couple of paintball tanks I bought cheap a couple of summers ago (when I want to go mobile with a keg), just need to get a picnic tap (that was part of the interest in the DIY bottle filler), and I could be ready if summer ever gets here ;>). I found a video that shows what you need to make your gauges fit the paintball uni-fill, so I can take the old gauges and hook it up to the unifill, and buy a new set of gauges for the kegs. No adapters, conversions, etc. every time I want to use one or the other!

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7 years 1 month ago #2363 by Gash
Replied by Gash on topic DIY Beer Gun
Its hard when starting, until you get the time to try everything and it's impossible to tell what is right and what is wrong by reading forums etc.. There lots of way to do things.. The populous way which a lot of the time isn't the best, for example racking to secondary, you can ask 500 US brewers and 490 of them will say when ferment is finished, but the best time to do it is before ferment is finished so any oxygen picked up can hopefully be scrubbed by the yeast and what CO2 that produces will fill the headspace of the secondary. Even John Palmers first book said to wait, but he's just about to release the updated version which says to secondary and dry hop before ferment is finished. Then you have the people that try and copy everything a full scale commercial brewery does, such as having to move the beer off the yeast cake quick to prevent Autolysis, off flavour, but its caused by the massive weight of thousands of litres of beer on top of the yeast, its doesnt happen in homebrewing. Another reason people think they have to secondary. Secondaries arent necessary unless you are doing a secondary ferment or adding something strange into your beer that you dont want to mix with yeast. Then there's the cheap skate that tries to cut every corner and says you don't need to buy any decent equipment etc. Thats where you have to be just a touch careful, while I think of it, with paintball equipment, inspect thoroughly, paint ball tanks can have oil in them, and while 100s of people will say they have no issue, its something to think about, yes CO2 is CO2, but they way its stored is different. Weld shops and paintball shops don't need to get there tanks inspected for purity where as food grade suppliers do.

I try and takes things from all camps, I make all the equipment I can, I don't buy expensive trinkets that aren't needed unless I talk the wife into a Christmas present hahaha and I try and keep things simple.

I could go on for hours hahaha.

Cheers mate!

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