Abstract: The present disclosure involves the filling of beer into containers with a minimum of air/oxygen pickup by forming a layer of displacement gas (normally CO.sub.2) in the bottom of the container, discharging beer into the displacement gas adjacent to the bottom and maintaining the layer of displacement gas above the beer as the beer level rises in the container to push the air out of the top of the container through a vent valve or vent restriction and closing the container with little or no foaming of the beer to drive the air out of the headspace above the beer.