Stone & Wood Pacific Ale Clone (Version 1) - Tasting Results

We recently attempted a clone of Stone & Wood's highly regarded Pacific Ale - a galaxy hopped Pale Ale using only barley and wheat using this recipe.

Here's how it turned out.

Our version is pictured on the left with the bottled version on the right in the picture above.

Straight off you can see that our version is noticeably darker which we found surprising as when it's on it's own the appearance is very light. Guessing the colour could be lightened further by increasing the amount of flaked wheat and reducing the amount of malted wheat. We'd be going for a mixture of 60% pale malt, 20% wheat malt, and 20% flaked wheat which still keeps in line with the much reported 60/40 split of ale malt to wheat. We're surprised a beer could be this light without the inclusion of pilsner malt!

Aroma wise and unsurprisingly the beers are very similar - since we know for sure that only Galaxy hops are used. The aromas are perhaps a little stronger from our version - and this isn't surprising considering ours is only a few weeks old, and the bottling date printed on the bottle is from several months ago.

Which brings us to the tasting. As mentioned above, the bottle we have is several months old so we're not considering this an entirely fair or equal comparison as it's definitely well past it's prime. We know for certain that a fresh bottle, or a pint of Pacific Ale on tap at the pub is noticeably better. We'd describe the bottle we have as "muted" - not bad by any stretch but certainly lacking a lot of those intense fruity aromas of passionfruit and citrus that Galaxy hops and Stone & Wood's Pacific Ale are renowned for.

The body and mouthfeel on the bottled version was marginally lighter than ours.

The bottled version had a slightly crispier finish, and was perhaps a little drier. Increasing the flaked wheat in the recipe as mentioned above could help ours replicate this a bit better - since flaked wheat is known to give a crisper mouthfeel to that of wheat malt.

Ours is perhaps a little more bitter, however we think that only having late hop additions is the right way to go for this beer. A 30 or 60 minute addition would likely impart too much up front bitterness, unless it was really small, like 5 IBU's or so.

In saying that, we're very happy with how this has turned out - it's a totally crushable and enjoyable summer ale style of beer.

What would we change if we tried it again? As mentioned above, we'd increase the amount of flaked wheat to help get the colour closer to the original and promote that crisp/dry finish. We also think it would be fun to try with a different yeast, particularly Verdant IPA which would really help accentuate and contribute some more fruity flavours.

Another interesting test would be to flip the water chemistry around a little. We went with the "hoppy" profile in Brewfather which has increased sulphate levels and reduced chloride which helps to accentuate the hop flavour and provide a dry finish. A common technique used in aggressively hoppy styles like New England IPA's or Hazy IPA's is to have a high chloride to sulphate ratio to help balance the aggressive hop load which has elevated chloride levels and reduced sulphate levels. This could be worth a shot and then increase the dry hop to over 100g.

It's certainly fun trying to replicate commercial beers - we're not worlds away with this first attempt and we've definitely gained some insight into exactly what goes into making the Stone & Wood Pacific Ale.

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Keg King - King Keg - PET Corny Ball Lock Keg - Hands on Review

There is a well worn path that many homebrewers have been down when it comes to packaging their precious brews. It typically involves starting out with bottling, and fairly quickly realising that washing dozens of bottles for every batch that is brewed is tedious and time consuming - so much so that it probably leads some to give the hobby away all together.

The next step after bottling for those that persevere is typically packaging into kegs - with the 19L ball lock cornelius "corny" style kegs being the most popular option. Kegging is great - it means you generally only have one vessel to clean and sanitise for each batch, and you can serve from a simple picnic tap or go the whole hog and attach beer taps or faucets to your beer fridge or purpose built kegerator for the true draught beer experience at home.

The undisputed problem with diving down the kegging rabbit hole is the setup cost though. Nothing on it's own is particularly expensive, but when you add up the cost of all the components you need to get going it can become out of reach fairly quickly.

Cheap second hand fridges and freezers for kegerator or keezer conversions can be found fairly easily on used marketplaces, but when you add in the additional components like a CO2 gas tank, gas regulator, taps, shanks, beer line, gas line, disconnects, fittings/clamps and of course, kegs, you can see how quickly the costs can accumulate.

Corny kegs when brand new typically retail for around AU$100 - which doesn't seem too bad, but if you want 3 or 4 of them for your new kegerator setup, you can see how once again cost can be come an issue.

There's a fresh new option available now that is challenging the age old adage that stainless steel is the only way to go for homebrewing equipment like kegs and that kegging is too expensive.

The King Keg from Keg King - a name that will undoubtedly cause mass confusion amongst the internet's search engines, is a PET plastic based keg that provides brewers with a much more budget friendly alternative to the traditional stainless steel corny kegs.

King Keg - 20L PET Ball Lock Keg

Our friends at Keg King sent us one to put through it's paces, so that's exactly what we're going to do. In this article we'll be looking at the 20L ball lock version, but there are other models available in different sizes and connection types - more on that later.

Opening the box and we've got our parts package sitting on top of the keg which includes a stick on thermometer, volume markings sticker, lid, screw on collar, gas/liquid ball lock posts, pressure release valve (PRV) and a rigid plastic dip tube.

Included parts with the ball lock version of the King Keg

Taking the keg out of the box, and as you'd expect it's super light - it is made of plastic after all, so can be maneuvered and carried around very easily with just one hand since it only weighs 1kg. It looks an awful lot like Keg King’s Fermenter King Junior too, but with grey/silver plastic instead of the clear/transparent plastic on the Fermenter King Junior.

The gas and ball lock posts need to be assembled which involves inserting the spring and poppet into the post and then screwing it onto one of the threads on the lid. This process would be familiar for anyone who has purchased/put together one of Keg King's fermenters like the Apollo in the past - it's a piece of cake and only takes a couple of minutes with no tools required.

Ball lock post assembly - spring, poppet and post

Likewise, the red PRV also screws into the threaded hole on the lid as a safety net to ensure the maximum rated working pressure of 35PSI is not exceeded within the keg.

The rigid plastic dip tube is then attached to the under side of the liquid ball lock post (the post without the small notches on it). Pro tip - submerge the dip tube in some hot/boiling water to soften it and make it more malleable before trying to slide it onto ball lock post. Failure to do may result in the dip tube cracking/splitting when being stretched.

If you do manage to split the dip tube, it can easily be replaced with a piece of regular beer line, or even a length of silicone tube. You could also use your floating dip tube from your fermenter instead (if you have one) and harvest beer from the top instead of the bottom.

King Keg lid assembly

Once everything is attached, the lid fits into the keg body nice and snug, with the thick red O-ring providing a nice tight seal. Some food grade lubricant is always a good idea on O-rings like this to help prolong their life and stop leaks from occurring as well.

Lastly, the screw collar then screws into place to hold the lid down and we've got a keg ready to go.

King Keg with ball lock lid and collar fitted

The King Keg features moulded/integrated handles at the top around the lid opening that feel plenty strong enough to lug the keg around when full - the relatively thin edges don't have a particularly ergonomic feel, but to move around the garage or in/out of the fridge poses no problem at all.

Side profile view of the King Keg integrated handles

The opening where the lid attaches is quite small - there's no chance an adult arm would be able to reach in for cleaning/scrubbing purposes, so a keg/corny cleaner kit is a good idea, or otherwise just throw some powdered brewery wash (PBW) and water in and give it a good shake. The maximum recommended temperature of any fluid inside the keg is 35°C so warm water is ok to use as long as this temperature is not exceeded.

Compared to a standard cornelius keg, the King Keg is 2.6cm wider in diameter with a total width of 237mm and a total height of 575mm making it a little shorter. It holds an extra litre too with a total capacity of 20L.

King Keg side by side with a corny keg

The main body of the King Keg is a generic grey/silver colour, with a printed stamp stating the maximum working pressure of 45psi and when it's due for it's next pressure testing - ours is good until 2025, meaning it has an expected working life of 3 years from it's manufacture date.

King Keg printed max working pressure and test date

A small black moulded plastic piece forms the base/stand that the King Keg is permanently affixed to - since the bottom of the keg itself is rounded and wouldn't sit level on the ground without it.

Back to the lid and the tolerances here are quite tight - with two ball lock disconnects attached (in our case the Spundy and a gas disconnect), you can see there is only a couple of millimetres of clearance, but it's enough to get them on and off easily without any problems.

King Keg - clearance between the posts with disconnects fitted

Functionality wise, you've essentially got all the same features and uses as a standard cornelius keg. You can purge the keg of oxygen using CO2 (from a gas bottle or from active fermentation) prior to filling, and perform pressure transfers to further eliminate the risk of oxygen being introduced into your beer. You even get the good old condensation forming on the outside during transfers so you can see the fill level - since you're not actually able to see the fluid level inside the keg as they've made it as impermeable to light as possible.

Condensation reveals the fill level when transferring

So, what's the catch then? Keg King state that beverages will last up to 18 months in the King Keg, due to it's unique oxygen scavenger technology in the plastic design that greatly reduces oxygen ingress through the plastic. We've certainly never had a keg last anywhere near 18 months so for us this really isn't an issue, but it's worth considering and being aware of, especially if you like to age some of your darker beers for extended periods of time. The damaging effects of ultra violet (UV) light are also eliminated by the protective coating on the plastic.

Being made of plastic, the King Keg inevitably has a limited life, with a hydrostatic test recommended after 2-3 years of service. When it is time for replacement though, the keg body itself can be replaced (without the lid components) for only AU$15 meaning for less than the cost of a 6-pack of craft beer you can have another 2-3 years of service (or longer) from a brand new keg, and just re-use the lid and collar components from your original King Keg. The keg itself can be recycled as well, helping to reduce landfill waste.

It makes a lot of sense, and even if you replaced the keg body every 2 years, you'd get 8 years of keg service (2 years from your original King Keg purchase + 3 replacement kegs at AU$15 each) before coming close to the cost of a stainless corny keg - and that doesn't include the cost of maintaining and replacing seals on a regular stainless corny keg over this period too.

We previously mentioned there are a couple of varieties available for the King Keg. There's currently a 10L and 20L version available, with options for A-Type and D-Type spears as well as ball lock configurations, meaning whatever setup you're running for connections can be accommodated.

Pricing on the Keg King website is AU$49.95 for the 20L ball lock configuration, with the A-Type and D-Type 20L versions coming in a little cheaper at AU$45.95.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, King Keg's are designed and manufactured here in Australia which is great to see. Keg King even have a YouTube video giving an insight into the manufacturing setup especially to make these kegs. Pretty cool and insightful stuff and well worth a look.

Keg King's YouTube video on the King Keg is well worth a watch

Advancements in manufacturing and technology are certainly helping to bridge the gap in functionality between plastic and stainless steel. With such a vast difference in price (a new ball lock 20L King Keg can be had for less than 50% of the cost of a new stainless cornelius keg), and no real downsides or disadvantages besides the limited lifespan, they're definitely a good alternative, especially if you're just getting your kegging setup underway and need to purchase multiple to get going.

Some care needs to be taken not to split the included dip tube (like we did), but even so, a floating dip tube is worthwhile considering fitting - and if you've got a Keg King fermenter, you probably already have one of these anyway.

The 20L version like the one reviewed here is great for home Kegerator setups. The 10L option looks good as well, and we're hoping a smaller 4-5L option is developed in the future for a "party keg" option to take the equivalent of a couple of 6 packs on the go with you.

Check out Keg King's website for the full range of King Keg's and more.

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Keg King - Apollo Snub Nose Fermenter - Hands on Review

For beginner and experienced homebrewers alike, we believe there is always a place in their brewing equipment inventory for at least one plastic fermenter. They're simple, cheap, reliable and can produce excellent results. But not all plastic fermenters are created equally, with advancements in manufacturing technologies allowing new products to constantly push the boundaries of what is possible. The evolution of plastic fermenters has come a long way in recent years, and are completely different to the old plastic bucket style fermenters with a spigot/tap at the bottom from days of old.

Don't be fooled into thinking that plastic fermenters are inferior to those made with stainless steel either. Although stainless does have some advantages, there are certainly some advantages that PET plastic has over stainless such as it's relative light weight, transparency and cost.

Keg King have developed a range of PET plastic based fermenters, dubbed Apollo, that boast a long list of great features to suit homebrewers of all experience levels. They're also designed and manufactured right here in Australia by Keg King.

In this review we'll be looking at the 30L Apollo Snub Nose fermenter - a closed bottom, conical style, pressure capable, PET plastic based fermenter.

Keg King's Apollo Snub Nose 30L Fermenter

Opening the box and we've got the fermenter body seated on the metal stand, and a bag with all the parts and components required for assembly. The stand is made of stainless steel and is custom designed for the Apollo with a larger top ring supporting the main body and a smaller ring situated lower down to support the snub nose. The two points of contact between the stand and the fermenter body give a rock solid foundation with no movement or risk of it tipping over.

There isn't a way for the fermenter to attach or tether to the stand though, so if you're needing to relocate the fermenter whilst full, you either need to pick it up and carry it by holding the stand itself, or have a second person move the stand to the new location on your behalf whilst you handle the fermenter, since the snub nose shape at the bottom means you can't set the fermenter down on the ground without it tipping over onto its side.

On the Apollo body there are two moulded plastic handles just underneath the lid opening that provide a really solid feel when lifting, and even with the fermenter full there was no noticeable flexing. 

Some assembly is required but is very straightforward, with all the included parts only needing to be attached to the main lid. A poppet and spring need to be installed into the gas and liquid ball lock posts which are then screwed onto the appropriate threads on the lid. The pressure release valve (PRV) housing is then screwed onto the lid (which can be removed and then acts as a dry hopping port), with the PRV then screwing into the housing.

Spring & poppet need to be installed into the ball lock posts

The Apollo comes with two PRV's that are colour coded according to their effective pressures - purple (15psi) and blue (10psi) to ensure a safe working pressure is maintained within the Apollo at all times.

A stainless thermowell is also included that utilises a BSP thread and screws onto the under side of the lid. Once fitted it protrudes into the middle of the wort and allows a temperature probe to be inserted through the top for precise temperature measurement and control during active fermentation.

Lastly, the floating dip tube is assembled by attaching the filter and ball float together, with the filter then attaching to the silicone dip tube. The other end of the dip tube is then attached to the under side of the liquid ball lock post (the post without the small notches in it). The rings used to attach the filter and ball float together can be looped over the thermowell to ensure the floating dip tube remains centered within the fermenter as well.

The Apollo's filter and ball float attached to the silicone dip tube

A couple of tips worth noting is to use some food grade lubricant on the large lid O-ring, as well as the small seal on the PRV to help provide a leak-free seal. Also remember not to over-tighten any of the attachments. No tools should be required for assembly, and when screwing things into place, do them up firmly but not as tight as humanly possible - over-tightening can be just as problematic as under-tightening things.

All up, the lid assembly takes no more than 5 minutes to put together. Keg King have an excellent YouTube video outlining the assembly process as well which is definitely worth a look if you're putting this together for the first time.

A strip sticker with volume markings is also included along with a stick-on thermometer to help determine the temperature of what is inside the fermenter. There's a neat seam down the side of the fermenter that can be used to help align the volume markings sticker so you can get it as straight as possible when affixing.

Keg King's Apollo Snub Nose 30L Fermenter

Now that assembly is done, a quick clean is probably a good idea just in case there are any oils or other substances left over from manufacturing. We always use cold water when cleaning our plastic fermenters, though warm water can be used (up to 50°C) if you wish. We used some powdered brewery wash (PBW) and cold tap water - thrown into the fermenter then shaken vigorously to mix and coat all surfaces before giving a gentle wipe over with a soft dish cloth followed by a rinse with cold water.

A similar process is repeated for sanitising, with 1L of water added along with a small amount of phosphoric acid based no rinse sanitiser to obtain the right dilution before shaking to distribute the sanitising solution on all internal surfaces before emptying again and filling with wort.

The 115mm lid opening provides adequate space when filling, and is big enough for an adult arm to be able to reach in for cleaning all the way to the bottom. We find plastic much easier to clean than stainless since you can more easily see where any build up has occurred so you know where you need to be scrubbing - but we also love the fact that we can see the wort in the fermenter too. We still find it fascinating watching the vigorous action of fermentation once it's underway which to us is probably one of the greatest benefits of clear plastic fermenters like the Apollo.

Speaking of fermentation, did we mention that the Apollo is pressure capable?  Each Apollo fermenter is individually pressure tested as part of the manufacturing process, and is rated for use up to 35psi - more than enough pressure for even the most aggressive of pressure fermentations. 

Pressure fermentations are great and offer brewers the ability to carbonate their beer using the CO2 created by fermentation. It also enables fermentations to be performed faster by allowing higher fermentation temperatures and suppressing the off flavours that are often associated with those higher temperatures. Finally, there is the benefit of oxygen free pressure transfers to all but eliminate the risk of oxidation of your fresh beer as part of the transfer/packaging process - combined with the transparent plastic fermenter body allowing you to watch the progress of your transfer and stop it before any unwanted trub is picked up and transferred from the bottom. These are all benefits that brewers are able to leverage with their Apollo fermenter.

Pressure transfers are a good way of eliminating oxygen ingress during packaging

You can also fit a Spundy Spunding Valve to your Apollo to help regulate the pressure within it during pressure fermentations by attaching it directly to the gas post on the lid.

The snub nose is a key feature of the Apollo, allowing the trub and yeast cake to settle into the bottom of the fermenter. The cone-like shape means it collects nicely and takes up less surface area, allowing more of the fresh beer to be harvested from the top using the floating dip tube. There is a noticeable reduction in the left over trub in our Apollo compared to our experience using other plastic fermenters without the cone/snub nose shape.

The trub and yeast collects nicely in the bottom of the snub nose

An insulating jacket is available as an optional extra to help maintain and stabilise the temperature within the Apollo, and can also shield your precious beer once it's fermented from damaging Ultra-Violet (UV) light. There's also a stainless cooling coil available if you wish to control the temperature of your fermenting wort using a glycol chiller setup.

We previously mentioned the PRV housing can be easily unscrewed and removed to be used as a dry hopping port. A funnel may help to get hops through the relatively small opening, but we expect clogging might be a little problematic. We prefer to dry hop by simply unscrewing the collar and opening the main lid which allows large amounts of hops to quickly be added into the fermenter with minimal fuss and mess. 

Since the only way to get your beer out of the fermenter is through the floating dip tube, a CO2 gas source (ie. pressurised bottle) is required to achieve this. You can capture and leverage some of the CO2 created by fermentation to do this, but it wouldn't be sufficient to move a full 20-25L of beer out of the fermenter.

What could be improved for future revisions of the Apollo? We'd like to see the lid redesigned to feature a 1.5" tri clover port to allow for other attachments to be fitted - things like dry hopping contraptions that can be purged for oxygen-free pressure dry hopping, or a carbonation stone that could be attached to a separate ball lock post then quickly/easily removed. 

A way to tether the fermenter to the stand (or have handles incorporated into the stand) would also be a welcome addition to improve the ergonomics of moving it - particularly when full.

The Apollo Snub Nose comes in 30L and 60L varities, but there is another version - the Apollo Unitank which also comes in 30L and 60L sizes and features an additional collection container at the bottom. This allows for yeast and trub to be removed so you can serve directly from the fermenter for extended periods making it a true uni-tank fermenter.

We think the Apollo Snub Nose is an excellent piece of gear that will more than meet the needs of most homebrewers. The simple design makes it incredibly easy to use, and we love being able to watch how our fermentation is tracking through the transparent plastic. The snub nose feature helps to minimise wastage by reducing the amount of beer that is in contact with the trub once it settles into the cone at the bottom. All this combined with pressure fermenting capabilities means that creating high quality beer or other fermented beverages is well within reach for brewers of nearly all budgets and skill levels. Lastly, being designed and manufactured locally in Australia is a great bonus meaning using one is helping to support local business and industry.

The Apollo Snub Nose 30L model we reviewed here currently retails from Keg King for AU$85, but there is also a bundle available that includes the Spundy which is well worth considering for an extra AU$10.

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BrewZilla - Boiler & Malt Pipe Extensions to Increase Capacity

For those who are using the Generation 3 BrewZilla's - the maximum volume of malt that can be held in the factory malt pipe is somewhat limited - particularly for the 35L versions.

For the Generation 3 65L unit, the maximum malt load is 15.5kg (34.17lbs) with a maximum efficient load of 12kg (26.45lbs)

For the Generation 3 35L unit, the maximum malt load is 9kg (19.84lbs) with a maximum efficient load of 7kg (15.43lbs)

Some may not be aware that a boil extender unit is available for both units to help increase the volume/capacity of the BrewZilla's. These boil extenders simply clamp onto the top of the BrewZilla using the factory clamps and come with a rubber gasket/seal to help prevent any leaks from occurring between the extender and the BrewZilla.

Since they attach using the factory clamps, they are easily removed meaning you can opt to use it or not use it for each particular batch, and are easy to disassemble and clean.

For the 35L BrewZilla, a boil extender will give an additional 12L of usable space taking the total usable volume to 47L (12.4 US Liquid Gallons).

BrewZilla Gen 3 35L Boil Extender
Image Copyright of KegLand

You could even stack two of them together for a total volume of 59L (15.5 US Liquid Gallons).

For the 65L BrewZilla, a single boil extender will add 24L and take the total usable volume to 89L (23.5 US Liquid Gallons) or by stacking two of them together you can reach a total of 113L (29.8 US Liquid Gallons).

BrewZilla Gen 3 65L Boil Extender
Image Copyright of KegLand

KegLand have stated that the heating elements are powerful enough to reach a boil with two extensions fitted - though it would probably depend on the ambient temperature as well. We expect temperature ramp up times would also be fairly long.

If you want to fit a boil extender to your BrewZilla, you can also opt for a large malt pipe to suit which is 195mm taller than the standard malt pipe allowing you to fit more grain along with the additional increased liquid capacity.

Fitting the larger malt pipe with a boil extender on the 35L BrewZilla will raise the efficient maximum from 7kg (15.43lbs) to 10.5kg (23.14lbs) with a total capacity raised from 9kg (19.84lbs) to 13.5kg (29.76lbs)

BrewZilla Gen 3 35L Extended Malt Pipe
Image Copyright of KegLand

For the 65L BrewZilla, the larger malt pipe will raise the efficient maximum from 12kg (26.45lbs) to 18.5kg (40.78lbs) with total capacity raised from 15.5kg (34.17lbs) to 24kg (52.91lbs)

BrewZilla Gen 3 65L Extended Malt Pipe
Image Copyright of KegLand

Here's a table summary outlining the above information;

	BrewZilla Gen 3 - 35L	BrewZilla Gen 3 - 65L
Standard Malt Pipe - Max Grain	9kg (19.84lbs)	15.5kg (34.17lbs)
Standard Malt Pipe - Efficient Max Grain	7kg (15.43lbs)	12kg (26.45lbs)
Boil Extender + Extended Malt Pipe - Max Grain	13.5kg (29.76lbs)	24kg (52.91lbs)
Boil Extender + Extended Malt Pipe - Efficient Max Grain	10.5kg (23.14lbs)	18.5kg (40.78lbs)

As you can see, by fitting a boil extender and larger malt pipe, you're able to achieve an approximate 50% increase in capacity (maximum and efficient maximums).

If you do decide to go for the boil extender and larger malt pipe, you may also wish to purchase the Halo Support Ring - the wire ring located around the top of the BrewZilla units that the malt pipe rests on when in the raised position. Alternatively, you can remove the factory fitted halo support ring and install it onto the boil extender.

You can of course opt for the boil extender on it's own (without the larger malt pipe) - to give a little extra headspace and insurance against boilovers if you're running the BrewZilla to it's capacity.

We think these are some really great optional extras that allow BrewZilla users to scale up their batch sizes without having to purchase an entirely new system. The fact that they're modular and easily removed means brewers have increased flexibility on whether or not they use it for every single batch. Removing them will also aid in cleaning and maneuverability of the BrewZilla when not in use.

We're planning on upgrading our 3.1.1 35L unit with a single boil extender and larger malt pipe in the near future so we can increase our batch sizes, but also so we can brew higher gravity beers with more malt for a regular/single batch size.

Check out the links below to KegLand's website for pricing and other information on the boil extenders, extended malt pipes and malt pipe support rings.

BrewZilla 35L Boil Extender

BrewZilla 65L Boil Extender

BrewZilla 35L Extended Malt Pipe

BrewZilla 65L Extended Malt Pipe

BrewZilla 35L Malt Pipe Support Ring

BrewZilla 65L Malt Pipe Support Ring

We'd also recommend checking out David Heath's YouTube video where he covers these boil extenders in more detail.

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BrewZilla 3.1.1 - Review

How to connect RAPT Pill to Brewfather

If you're using the RAPT Pill or RAPT Temperature Controller, you are able to seamlessly integrate the readings from either or both of these devices directly into Brewfather. This allows for fermentation graphs to be tied/linked directly to a batch within Brewfather which is a neat way to allow fermentation graphs to appear within the batch.

The process for integrating them is really simple and is outlined below;

1. Login to Brewfather (https://web.brewfather.app) then select Settings from the left menu.Under the Power-ups section, enable the slider for RAPT and copy the ID value that appears underneath.
   
   
   
   
2. Login to the RAPT Portal (https://app.rapt.io)
   
   
3. Click your name in the top right corner to open the drop down menu, then select Web Hooks
   
   
   
   
4. Select Create new Web Hook > Brewfather Power-up
   
   
   
   
5. On the Details tab, enter a name for the Webhook (the name is not important - you can call it whatever you like), then paste the ID value you copied from Brewfather in Step 1 into the Integration Id field.
   
   
   
   
6. Select the Devices tab, then enable whatever devices you have available that you wish to integrate into Brewfather. Enabled devices have a tick next to them.
   In the example below we've enabled both our RAPT Temperature Controller and our RAPT Pill.
   
   
   
   
7. Click the Save button at the bottom of the screen to save the settings.
   
   
8. It may take a little time for the sync from RAPT to Brewfather to occur (ours happened within an hour), but once it does Brewfather will notify you (if you have email notifications enabled), and the RAPT devices will appear within the Devices list in Brewfather.
   
   
   
   
9. Note that your RAPT device(s) need to be powered on, connected to the Internet and actively submitting telemetry to the RAPT Portal for the sync process to work.
   
   
10. If you have an active batch within Brewfather, you can then link whatever RAPT devices you wish by clicking the Devices button after selecting the Batch within Brewfather
    
    
    
    
11. You can then attach whatever devices you wish to the batch by clicking the Attach button.
    
    
12. After attaching devices, there is a settings cog and a bar graph icon available for each device.
    
    
    
    
13. You can use the settings cog to configure gravity or temperature offsets for the corresponding device. Note the instructions about using whole numbers and not decimals for gravity offset. For our RAPT Pill, we used -4 as our Pill was reading 0.004 higher at the beginning of our fermentation than our known Original Gravity.
    
    
    
    
14. Use the bar graph icon to enable/disable fields from being displayed/imported into Brewfather. For both devices you can enable/disable readings for Gravity, Temperature & Battery. On our Pill we opted to not show the temperature or battery values in Brewfather.
    
    
    
    
15. Once this has been setup, you will have a nice graph appear in the batch in Brewfather logging whatever fields you have enabled.
    
    
    
    
16. Note that you need an active Premium Brewfather subscription to utilise these features. At around AU$30 per year it's fairly easy to justify given the additional benefits you get.

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Keg King - UltraFill - Counter Pressure Bottle Filler - Review

Most homebrewers begin their brewing journey with starter kits that come with a bunch of bottles for packaging their beer after being fermented. Bottles are cheap, simple, and can be packaged into with minimal additional equipment required, making them an ideal storage solution for those starting out in the hobby of homebrewing.

For those that stick with it, bottling can soon become tedious though - mainly because of the labour and effort required to clean and sanitize dozens of bottles for every batch. This inevitably leads many homebrewers (like us) down the rabbit hole of kegging their beer - which gives plenty of additional benefits over bottling, but perhaps most significantly reduces the cleaning and preparation time involved for packaging. Cleaning a single keg is inevitably faster and easier than cleaning 20+ bottles for every batch of beer that is brewed.

Ironically, once homebrewers have their kegging operation underway, it's soon realised that there isn't a particularly easy way to efficiently get their precious beer from the keg into a bottle - which can be handy for sharing with family and friends, entering into competitions or taking to parties etc.

Sure, you can fill a bottle or growler directly from a tap, but this will often lead to a fair amount of foaming which reduces the level of carbonation, and with no way to reduce oxygen being introduced into the beer during this process, the beer will likely suffer the effects of oxidation and spoil within a matter of days in the bottle.

Keg King's UltraFill Counter Pressure Bottle Filler Box

That's where counter pressure bottle fillers come in. They provide a reliable way for brewers to get their beer packaged from a keg into bottles/growlers by significantly reducing the effects of foaming and oxygen ingress during the bottling process.

The term counter pressure bottle filling can sound a little daunting though. The theory (and process) behind it is relatively simple, and similar to that of general pressure transfers from (pressurised) fermenters to kegs. The bottle is pressurised to be the same or similar pressure to the source keg. Then once the beer transfer line is opened on the bottle filler, a vacuum effect is created by reducing the pressure in the bottle that draws the beer from the keg into the bottle.

Since the beer remains under pressure during the transfer process, the amount of absorbed carbon dioxide (CO2) that comes out of solution is limited which in turn reduces foaming and helps maintain the right level of carbonation within the beer after being bottled. And since the bottle is pressurised with CO2, this also greatly reduces the level of oxygen present in the bottle which helps reduce the risk of oxidation.

Keg King have designed their own counter pressure bottle filler, named the UltraFill which is a versatile little unit to help brewers leverage the benefits of counter pressure filling.

The UltraFill comes assembled as a single unit, constructed almost entirely of stainless steel. Straight out of the box it has a threaded connection to enable it to be screwed directly onto the nozzle of Keg King's range of UltraTap's. Some other counter pressure bottle fillers use a push-in style adapter to insert into the tap nozzle which are more prone to leaks, or simply popping out during use. Having a screw in thread like this means leaks and accidental disconnections are much less likely to occur.

Keg King's UltraFill Counter Pressure Bottle Filler

There are a few other connection options available for the UltraFill, such as UltraTap or InterTap extension kits which allow beer extension lines to be fitted to the respective taps (instead of connecting the UltraFill directly to the tap nozzle), or a Keg Connector kit - all of which allow bottle filling to be accomplished on a table top, or the ground. In this review we'll be using the Keg Connector kit.

The image below illustrates the key components of the UltraFill;

1. Gas ball lock connection
2. Gas On/Off toggle
3. Liquid/beer input - pictured is the thread to connect to UltraTap's.
4. Screw collar
5. Pressure release adjustment
6. Plastic/silicone bung
7. Telescopic filling arm

UltraFill Keg Connector Kit Parts

The Keg Connector kit that we're using has a ball lock housing that attaches to the liquid input (3) of the UltraFill. There's also  a length of beer line, a washer and some stepless clamps to attach the beer line to the ball lock housing and the other end to a liquid disconnect (liquid disconnect is not included). It's relatively straight forward to assemble, though we got caught out after failing to install the included washer when first assembling which resulted in leaking during initial testing. A single page instruction sheet or diagram on the Keg King website wouldn't go astray to help young players piece it together. 

UltraFill Keg Connector Kit Assembly

The inclusion of a gas ball lock connection on the UltraFill housing is a great idea, helping to make the unit as "plug and play" as possible.

The on/off toggle for the gas is well positioned near the gas ball lock post and allows for easy single handed operation of the gas input.

Closeup of the UltraFill gas on/off toggle

An additional screw collar (4) means that the UltraFill can be adjusted and oriented correctly after having whatever is to be attached to main liquid input thread (3) screwed into place. This is a really nice and well thought out feature as it would be extremely difficult to operate if not facing the correct way after being screwed into place.

The pressure release control (5) is tactile and has a nice feel to it, giving precise control over the pressure being released from the bottle. There are also some markings as you unwind it giving an indication of what pressure is currently set which is a nice touch.

Just about any size bottle can be filled using the UltraFill. Since the filling arm is telescopic, it can be extended to reach the bottom of even the largest of bottles, and the tapered shape of the silicone bung (6) means any size bottle opening can be used and sealed for pressurising and filling.

UltraFill Telescopic arm fully extended

After connecting everything together, we were ready to go with filling our first bottles. Here's the step by step process we followed;

Keg King UltraFill Counter Pressure Bottle Filler in action

1. Ensure the ball valve control is in the off/horizontal position and the pressure release control on the UltraFill is fully tightened (turned clockwise).

2. Extend the telescopic arm so it's as long as possible (only required for the first bottle if subsequent bottles to be filled are the same size/length).

3. Insert the telescopic arm into the bottle and lower the UltraFill so the plastic bung is seated securely in the bottle opening. The telescopic arm automatically retracts whilst doing this so it's as close to the bottom of the bottle as possible.

4. Set the gas toggle to the "On" position which will begin building pressure within the bottle. A little bit of downward pressure to keep the UltraFill seated on the bottle is required to ensure pressure is built/maintained. We briefly release the pressure by lifting the UltraFill slightly to "burp" it and help release some of the oxygen from the bottle. This can be done a couple of times, though we only did it once per bottle.

5. After 10-15 seconds, pressure has been built so the transfer can now start. Set the gas toggle to the "Off" position, then open the ball valve by rotating the control arm into the open/vertical position.

6. Depending on how much pressure is in the bottle, and the pressure differential between the bottle and the keg, beer may now start flowing. The flow rate can be controlled by releasing pressure from the bottle using the pressure release valve on the UltraFill (by turning it counter clockwise). Release more pressure to speed up the filling process, though slow and steady is generally recommended to minimise foaming.

7. Once the desired fill level is achieved, shut off the beer flow by rotating the ball valve control back to the off/horizontal position.

8. Gently/carefully remove the UltraFill from the bottle. A little bit of spray/foam may come out of the top of the bottle as the pressure is released.

Repeat the above process for each subsequent bottle. 

Having never used a counter pressure bottle filler before, we were pleasantly surprised at the ease of operation. It perhaps sounds a bit more involved than it actually is, and it was surprisingly easy to operate the controls whilst maintaining a little bit of downward pressure on the bottle to ensure a good seal.

We really liked the Keg Connector kit that allowed us to have bottles placed on a hard surface so we didn't have to hold the bottles and maintain pressure on the UltraFill - though there's no reason to think attaching it to a tap and maintaining upward pressure on the bottle would be overly difficult either. The inclusion of push in fittings instead of stepless clamps, or an optional upgrade to include them and a liquid disconnect on the website for an additional fee might be a good idea too.

There was definitely a reduced amount of foaming compared to our previous bottling method from kegs using a beer gun. Whilst beer guns are still good, the requirement to use them at much lower serving pressures to reduce foaming (around 2-3 psi is typically recommended) means there's a bit more mucking around with lowering keg pressures which has it's own implications (quickly reducing pressure in the keg will lead to foaming in the keg) which then leads to increased foaming when bottling unless you leave the keg to settle again after reducing the pressure.

Counter pressure bottle filling does away with all of this, meaning you can bottle quickly using the same pressure that your keg is at, with minimal fuss and less cleanup since there's less foaming. Less foaming means a reduction in lost carbonation too. And filling into a bottle pressurised with CO2 greatly reduces the risk of unwanted oxidation occurring - meaning your beer will stay fresher for longer after being bottled.

The fact the entire UltraFill unit is made of stainless steel means it's robust and sturdy and can be quickly and easily cleaned and sanitised before and after each use. The pressure control valve can also be fully removed for cleaning should some foam happen to make it back up into the unit during bottling by overfilling.

UltraFill with the pressure control disassembled for cleaning

When it comes to bottling beer from a keg, a counter pressure bottle filler is arguably the best option to use, and Keg King's UltraFill has all the features brewers would need. The ability to directly attach to UltraTap's makes it a must have accessory if you're already using them, but even if you're not, the Keg Connector kit gives the flexibility to work with just about any keg.

Some people have concocted their own counter pressure filling devices using carbonation caps and lengths of silicone hose, which may work but are inevitably finicky and difficult to use, especially if you want to fill different size bottles. There's a lot to be said for purpose built applications such as the UltraFill to make processes as easy and efficient as possible.

The UltraFill is available from Keg King's website and is currently retailing for AU$59.95.

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