Automatic bottling machine

New computerised isobaric/counter-flow automatic bottling machine with a saturation cycle that can be set to either normal or vacuum cycles

Option to set the number of saturation cycles as required

Isn’t it great fun bottling with this one?😒

• Open CO2
• Close CO2
• Open vent
• Close the vent
• Open CO2
• Close CO2
• Open vent
• Close the vent
• Open CO2
• Open a beer
• Let off a little CO2
• Don’t get distracted as the level rises
• Once you’ve reached the level, finish your beer
• Let the pressure out, otherwise it’ll be a disaster
• You can take the bottle away

Well, you’ve bottled a beer… ONE!

Now repeat the whole thing XXX times

If you have 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 you mustn’t get distracted at any point.

I reckon that this sort of bottling method is one of the reasons why 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’s part of the game too. But when it comes to bottling, doing it with a manual bottling machine is a right pain and you can’t wait to be done; if you’re making 100 litres, bottling 200 bottles by hand is a nightmare, and you can’t always use kegs.

From today, that is no longer the case.

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

With the BacBrewing automatic bottling machine, once you’ve set a few variables, all you need to do is insert and secure the bottle, press Start and wait for the beep to let you know the cycle is complete. Now you can remove the bottle – it’s a piece of cake!

That’s it

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

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

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The CO₂ and beer enter the bottle at the bottom, whilst the air escapes from the top. In this way, the CO₂, which is heavier than air, settles at the bottom, pushing the air towards the top outlet.

All variables are set via the Coolmay professional touchscreen control panel; the computer inside it runs software developed by BacBrewing, which automatically manages all stages of the bottling process.

To view all the pages relating to settings, go to the end of the description

Should any minor adjustments to the values be required, all variables can be set even whilst bottling is in progress.

The control outputs do not drive the drives directly, but are connected to interface relays with 8-ampere 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 precision of one hundredth of a bar on a scale of -1/10 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 reading 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 via the small tube at the rear of the machine, which ends in a stainless-steel tube submerged in a beaker containing a sanitising solution.

Comes with a switching power supply providing a low-voltage 24 V DC output at 3 A, so 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 hoses are inserted are removable to facilitate hose insertion; they are made of hard but flexible rubber to ensure excellent clamping force whilst eliminating any risk of the hoses being cut.

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

The stainless steel tubes are produced by drawing and have no porous edges either internally or externally

An accessory not included but available for purchase separately is the jetting system, comprising 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 tube

Another accessory not included but available for purchase separately is the vacuum kit, comprising a universal socket controlled by the PLC to power the vacuum pump, complete with a mains plug, an anti-interference filter, a connector for the auxiliary control, a connecting hose and a vacuum solenoid valve

Vacuum pump not supplied

There are 2 USB-C ports on the right-hand side of the PLC

They are not used to charge a mobile phone, but to enable remote assistance if required.

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

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

In manual mode, the pressure and level controls are disabled.

On the operator panel, you can see the status of the outputs, the saturation pressure you have set, the negative pressure you have set for vacuum cycles, and the actual bottle pressure.

There are also two piece counters.

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

Pressing the STOP button closes all channels. If you press STOP, you will also need to re-enter the variables

Made to order; production time: 20–25 working days from receipt of order