Automatic bottling machine

In week 27-29 (from 29 June to 19 July), the new model will be unveiled, featuring all the changes which you can view by clicking on the image above

New automatic isobaric/counter-flow bottling machine

Isn’t it great fun to bottle with this?😒

• Open CO2
• Close CO2
• Open vent
• Close vent
• Open CO2
• Close CO2
• Open vent
• Close vent
• Open CO2
• Open beer
• Release a little CO2
• Don’t get distracted whilst the level rises
• Once the level is reached, close the beer
• Release the pressure, otherwise it’ll be a disaster
• You can remove the bottle

Right, you’ve bottled one beer… ONE!

Now repeat the whole process XXX times.

If you’ve got 50 litres of beer and half-litre bottles, you’ll have to do it another 99 times without making a single mistake – otherwise there’ll be beer everywhere – and without ever letting your concentration slip.

I reckon that a bottling method like this is one of the reasons why so many people give up on homebrewing. Because let’s face it, brewing beer is brilliant; washing and sanitising everything to make beer is a bit less so, but you know you’ll have fun so you put up with it – it’s all part of the brewing process. Washing everything at the end of the brewing process is even less fun because the fun is over, but that too is part of the game. But when you have to bottle it, doing so with a manual bottler is a right pain and you can’t wait to finish; if you’re making 100 litres, bottling 200 bottles by hand is a nightmare, and you can’t always use kegs.

From today, that’s no longer the case.

At least the bottling stage, which often takes place after a day’s work, is no longer a chore.

With the BacBrewing automatic bottler, once you’ve set the variables, you simply need to insert and secure the bottle, press Start and wait for the beep that tells you the cycle is finished. Now you can remove the bottle – it’s child’s play!

That's all

No mechanical parts come into contact with the beer; there are no valves or taps to dismantle and clean.

The beer, CO2 and vent flows are opened and closed simply by squeezing the relevant silicone tubes, which are very easy to clean and sanitise or, if desired, replace.

CO₂ and beer enter the bottle at the bottom, whilst venting takes place at the top. In this way, the CO₂, which is heavier than air, settles at the bottom, forcing the air upwards.

The difference between the saturation pressure and the actual pressure in the bottle during the saturation phase must be minimal to prevent CO2 and air from mixing.

This adjustment is achieved by decreasing or increasing the discharge rate using the handwheel located below the pressure sensor.

Tests have shown that during the saturation phase, with a setting of 1.5 bar and an actual reading of 1.4 bar, a volume of 0.4 litres of CO2 is introduced into the bottle in 10 seconds; consequently, carbon dioxide consumption is also minimised.

All parameters are set via the Coolmay professional touchscreen control panel; the built-in computer manages the entire process.

Should any minor adjustments to the settings be required, all parameters can also be adjusted whilst bottling is in progress.

A converter is available for those who use psi rather than bar

The control outputs do not drive the actuators directly, but are connected to interface relays with 8-amp contacts, which are mounted internally on a PCB specifically designed and manufactured by BacBrewing.

The pressure is measured by a digital stainless steel sensor with a resolution of one hundredth of a bar, with a range of 0–5 bar

The beer level is measured using a special sensor located on the outside of the bottle; there is no contact with the beer.

Adjustable bottle height, adjustable level indicator height.

The flow rate of the discharge is adjusted using the control knob located beneath the pressure sensor, thereby regulating the bottling speed.

During venting, the CO₂ is discharged through the small tube at the rear of the machine, which ends in a stainless steel tube immersed in a beaker containing a sanitising solution.

On the front of the operator panel, you can see the pressure setting, the actual pressure in the bottle, the duration set for saturation, and the status of the saturation time countdown; there are also two piece counters.

One is a partial counter that resets every time the machine is switched on, and the other is a total counter that resets only when the reset button is held down for 3 seconds; this allows you, for example, to keep a record of annual production.

The following languages are pre-installed: Italian, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish and Norwegian

Complete with a switching power supply for a 24 VDC low-voltage power supply, meaning there is no dangerous voltage.

The tubes are clamped using micro-actuators fitted with sensors to indicate whether the piston rod is extended or retracted. The wedges into which the beer, CO₂ and vent tubes are inserted can be removed to facilitate tube insertion; they are made of hard but flexible rubber to ensure excellent clamping force whilst eliminating any risk of the tubes being cut.

Option to operate manually by controlling the beer, CO₂ and vent channels independently.

In manual mode, pressure and level controls are disabled.

Adjustable depth of the tubes entering the bottle; the stainless steel tubes pass through a conical FDA-approved silicone stopper, which, when compressed against the bottle neck, ensures a secure pressure seal, making the assembly airtight.

The tubes are drawn, with no porous edges either internally or externally.

CO₂ enters from below, and the vent is at the top. In this way, the CO₂ (which is heavier than air) settles, forcing the air upwards

The jetting kit is not included but can be purchased separately; it consists of a micro-solenoid valve that draws pressure from the CO₂ inlet channel.

Pressing the button causes the solenoid valve to open for the duration you have set in the variables, injecting CO₂ into the bottle via a flexible needle

Beer and CO₂ inlet via 3/8-inch (9.35 mm) John Guest fittings

Operating cycle

Once you have set the parameters, simply press Start; from this point onwards, you won’t need to do anything – everything happens automatically, with the computer managing all the stages for you.

Relax and enjoy the bottling process

-START-

The CO₂ line and the vent line open for the set duration

Once this time has elapsed, the vent closes.

Once the pressure you have set is reached, the CO2 line closes and the beer line opens

After the set delay time, the vent opens, the pressure inside the bottle decreases and the beer flows in.

You can use the valve to adjust the venting speed and thus the bottling speed.

Once the level is reached, the beer flow stops; when the pressure reaches 0, the vent closes and a buzzer signals the end of the cycle.

The partial and total counters increase by one.

Remove the bottle and insert a new one. Press Start and a new cycle begins.

Click here for a short video

Click below to watch the full video.

Please note, the video is 1 hour and 12 minutes long.

I’m not interested in making 30-second ‘like-bait’ reels. My videos are designed to explain technical material in a specific and detailed manner, so they can’t be short, full of cuts and sped-up sections.

All the information must be clearly explained so that the customer fully understands the machine’s functions and grasps all the concepts behind the bottling machine.

(I’m looking into having subtitles added)

You’ll feel as though you’re right there with me, bottling.

I apologise in advance if it isn’t a ‘cool’ video, but I know how to make bottling machines not videos, and I’m no actor!

Made to order; production time: 10–15 working days from receipt of order