BEVERAGE PACKAGING APPARATUS AND A BEVERAGE PACKAGING METHOD

摘要

There is provided a bottle beverage packaging apparatus and method in which an open topped bottle 20 having a primary chamber charged with beverage 21 containing gas in solution is enclosed together with a closure 8 in a pressure chamber 25 which may be formed against a shoulder of the bottle. The chamber 25 is pressurised with nitrogen gas to pressurise the primary chamber and a secondary chamber 14 in the closure 8 through an aperture 15 of the chamber 14 prior to the closure 8 being displaced by a closure locator 5 to seal the open top of the bottle in the pressurised chamber 25. A projection 11A from the secondary chamber 14 extends into the beverage 20 to locate the aperture 15 beneath the surface thereof. Following sealing of the bottle the chamber 25 is depressurised and opened for removal of the sealed package. The chamber 25 may be formed by a tubular shroud 2 carried by a rotating carousel. The secondary chamber 14 may be formed in a hollow insert separate from the closure 8. There is also provided a beverage package in which the closure which may be fitted by the apparatus and system includes a manually openable vent that reduces a headspace pressure in the sealed package to atmospheric pressure for gas to be injected into the beverage through the aperture 15 for froth development prior to removal of the closure from the bottle.