bottle priming

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joiner_8

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I have asked this question b4 but i was looking through facebook posts and it was mentioned not to use normal sugar for priming as the brew take longer to carbonate, is that correct going to be bottle priming my juicy ipa soon
 
Not so far as I am aware, table sugar is just fine for carbonation. I use dextrose but you need more of that for the same volume of CO2. I don't believe one is better than the other, I have just got in the habit of using it.
 
Not so far as I am aware, table sugar is just fine for carbonation. I use dextrose but you need more of that for the same volume of CO2. I don't believe one is better than the other, I have just got in the habit of using it.
Thanks so would a level tspf if table sugar be OK for a 500ml bottle and a heaped tspf of dextrose sugar
 
Thanks so would a level tspf if table sugar be OK for a 500ml bottle and a heaped tspf of dextrose sugar
It depends on the style of beer and how carbonated you want it, but for 500mls with a peak fermentation temp. of 20C then 3 grams would be about right. However I would encourage you to drop into a bottling bucket and batch prime the lot with a sugar solution made with the appropriate quantity for the volume of beer.
 
So if I was batch priming how much sugar for 23 ltrs of juicy ipa
 
dissolve it in 100mls boiling water in a sanitised container, cover with cling film if you need to wait or transfer it. Pour it into the bottling bucket and then siphon the beer from the FV to the bucket. Job done. Keep the bottles at room temperature for 2 weeks to carbonate. If you use one PET bottle then you will be able to feel it harden up as it carbonates over time
 
I'm going do an experiment and maybe only batch prime 5 ltrs and bottle prime the rest with carb drops and priming sugar its worth a try
 
Thanks so would a level tspf if table sugar be OK for a 500ml bottle and a heaped tspf of dextrose sugar
Hi
The quantity of priming sugar depends how much fizz you want. 5g/500Ml will produce a gentle fizz while 8g a satisfying fizz when opening the bottle and pleasant bubble. Much more than that and you run the risk of blowing bottle tops.
When you have decanted your batch ready for bottling and add the sugar to the batch. That way you get a consistent carbonation.
I always use caster sugar and have not experienced any issues. Just make sure the fermentation is complete.
Ian
 
8g per 500ml is guaranteed to be overcarbed in my experience. That equates to approx 4.75 vols at 20degC, which is excessive and will result in an overcarbonated beer.

For an IPA I would stick to 2 vols - brewing software will tell you how much sugar to use for the vol CO2 your require.

From experience the most I have ever used is 6g dextrose per 500ml in a wheat beer and they were so lively they needed to be chilled to near zero for a couple of days and were a PITA to pour.

Even 5g is too much for my tastes. 2g is plenty for me in most styles, pushing to 2.5g for wheat beers and some lagers.
 
Agree with the above couple of posts. A while back I was talking about increasing my priming sugar. I now accept that that was wrong. In fact, I am already at the upper band of what's advisable, I think (3 g per 500 ml bottle), dependent on beer type.

As a rule of thumb, I would say a teaspoonful of sugar per bottle is too much. Start with half that, say. But better to measure the sugar more accurately, either by batch priming as suggested upthread, or by syringing a fixed amount of sugar solution into each bottle. That way, you can be confident of the same amount of sugar in each bottle. Like so many things about home brewing, I think optimum priming is perhaps best determined by a process of trial and error for your particular set-up and the type of bee you are brewing.
 
I use half a teaspoon per bottle in pale ales and 80-100g in a 23l keg. I prefer a draught ale level of fizz rather than a lager type level.
 
I used to keep meticulous records but my brew volumes vary because I never pour in the same amount of water. I just lob 'some' sugar in, for a smaller brew 60g, for a full 21l (though I don't do them much these days) 80g. I very much subscribe to the theories expounded by the famous Indian Chef, Bungitinabukket. Curry cookery is also a hobby of mine alongside brewing (of course), photography, my train set and truly appalling golf!
 
My trusted method is the smaller side of a childs calpol spoon as much as you can fit I've done the mj juicy and it was perfectly carbed with ordinary table sugar
 
Evening All
I am about to Batch Prime for the first time as I'm bottling into different size bottles, 660, 620 and 500ml glass bottles.
The kit recommends 1/2 teaspoon (2g) per pint bottle therefore 20 teaspoons, so 80g into 40 pints of Youngs Harvest Pilsner.
The Brewers Friend Priming Calculator says I should use 123.7g Table Sugar (I'm using Tate & Lyle) for 2.2 volume Co2, at 21C.
Which is right?
Also how much boiling water should I dissolve the sugar in?
 
I think that for a pilsner, the 2.2 vols co2 figure is more correct. 80g in 40 pints is more like English bitter territory. Go with 120 ish, maybe more. I've gone as high as 180g for a weissbier or IPA and the bottles will hold that fine , but 120 will be reasonable for a lager.
 
Evening All
I am about to Batch Prime for the first time as I'm bottling into different size bottles, 660, 620 and 500ml glass bottles.
The kit recommends 1/2 teaspoon (2g) per pint bottle therefore 20 teaspoons, so 80g into 40 pints of Youngs Harvest Pilsner.
The Brewers Friend Priming Calculator says I should use 123.7g Table Sugar (I'm using Tate & Lyle) for 2.2 volume Co2, at 21C.
Which is right?
Also how much boiling water should I dissolve the sugar in?
I find 80g to be a bit low. 120g sounds about right - I usually weigh the sugar into a jug then stir on just enough boiling water to dissolve it. About a cup full is normally enough. You'll need to give it time to defuse thought the beer. I get round that by putting the sugar into the bottling vessel before I transfer the beer that way I can give it a stir before bottling without disturbing the trub
 
I agree, I think for a pilsner, 80 g sounds a bit low. I would go 120 g (3 g per bottle) as an upper bound for lagers, and a little less for ales. I use a syringe, so what I'd do is, say I had 40 bottles, I'd make enough sugar solution for 50 doses to be on the safe side. So 50 doses = 3g x 50 doses = 150 grams. Each dose in my syringe is 5ml (switching to volume rather than weight now), so 5ml x 50 doses =250 ml total syrup. So I weigh out 150 g of sugar in a measuring jug, and fill it with warm water up to the 250 ml mark, and stir until dissolved. Then I fire 5 ml of solution into each bottle. If I do a later brew, it is easy to replicate that with 10% more or less sugar as desired if I feel I need to make an adjustment.
 
Thanks for the feedback fellas. 120g it is then, in 250ml water into the bottling bucket before transferring from the fv.
Will bottle in the morning after the fun of sterilising the bottles etc.
 

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