Please Share Your Priming Sugar Method

[Mexibilly]

Haven't had any luck with good carbonation after 3 batches. I have some bottles better than others after 19 days on the latest, but none carbonated well.
I'm boiling 5oz priming sugar for maybe 8 minutes, cooling in the freezer for 10 minutes or so, adding to my bottling bucket and racking on top.
The only changes I can see making are to boil the water for 5, add the sugar, stir, don't cool, add half, rack half, add the other half, rack the rest and gently stir with a paddle to distribute...

 

[fimpster]

My method is similar to yours. Boil sugar in a pint of water for 10 minutes. Place the pot in a sink of cold water, I don't even use ice since its such a small volume. It cools in around 5 minutes. Its even quicker than the freezer due to the higher thermal conductivity of water over the air in a freezer. Pour into a bottling bucket and rack on top. My racking hose is long enough to curl halfway around the bottom of the bucket and that both helps to prevent splashing (aeration), but also ensures the priming sugar is well mixed with the beer without having to stir with a spoon eliminating another possible opportunity for aeration or contamination.

 

[doug293cz]

Haven't had any luck with good carbonation after 3 batches. I have some bottles better than others after 19 days on the latest, but none carbonated well.
I'm boiling 5oz priming sugar for maybe 8 minutes, cooling in the freezer for 10 minutes or so, adding to my bottling bucket and racking on top.
The only changes I can see making are to boil the water for 5, add the sugar, stir, don't cool, add half, rack half, add the other half, rack the rest and gently stir with a paddle to distribute...

When you rack on top of the priming solution, do you have the siphon output oriented so that it creates a whirlpool type flow in the bottling bucket? I do this, and have pretty consistent results. You can also stir gently while or after racking. Just be sure to avoid entraining air in the beer by excessive agitation.

Brew on

 

[Bobcatbrewing42]

Nineteen days is not enough time to finish carbonation and conditioning. I do at least 30 for full flavor development. Is it warm enough in your bottle conditioning place? I find that 68 degrees is optimal, about 63 or so slows the carbonation down.

 

[adamranders]

I dont even cool the priming solution. I mix corn sugar (amount based on style) with heating water in pot, boil for a few minutes. Dump that into clean & sanitised botteling bucket and rack into it making sure it mixes well while racking without splashing. Never have had a problem using hot priming solution, figure by time a gallon or so has been racked the temp is brought down to an acceptable range.

 

[aprichman]

Nineteen days is not enough time to finish carbonation and conditioning. I do at least 30 for full flavor development. Is it warm enough in your bottle conditioning place? I find that 68 degrees is optimal, about 63 or so slows the carbonation down.

I completely agree with this. My house is ~65F and even after 14-21 days carbonation can be pretty weak at times.

My best carbonation comes from beers that have been sitting at room temperature for ~4-5 weeks and then get ~1 week in the fridge. If I can end up waiting that long my carbonation levels look close to what I am used to seeing from commercial breweries. Of course the hardest part is waiting 6 weeks to enjoy your beer after you bottle it!

I'm planning on building a small "carbonation chamber" by lining a box with some aluminum foil, covering it with a blanket, and sticking a 40W light bulb in there to warm things up to ~75F. Hopefully that will cut my time down to 2-3 weeks + 1 week in the fridge.

Cheers

 

[fimpster]

I dont even cool the priming solution. I mix corn sugar (amount based on style) with heating water in pot, boil for a few minutes. Dump that into clean & sanitised carboy(glass) and rack into it making sure it mixes well while racking without splashing. Never have had a problem using hot priming solution, figure by time a gallon or so has been racked the temp is brought down to an acceptable range.

So, are you bottling from a carboy??

 

[dobes]

I don't chill mine just dump it into the bucket. I rack using an auto siphon with about 3 ft of hose and on the end is an old racking cane that broke at the bend.(put a clean cut on it)

I start with the bucket tilted to keep the end of the cane under the priming solution then once enough is in the bucket to keep it covered I set it straight up then center the cane as much as I can in the center bucket.

I get consistent carbonation like this. I started using the racking cane cause I always had trouble keeping the end of the hose from curling and shooting the beer upward(I store my hoses curled). And I usually cold crash before bottling so the hose stays pretty rigid.

I also usually bottle right from my primary and about 1\4 of the way through drop my auto siphon down into the cake for a second to grab a shot of yeast.

I know I may be a doing things a bit excessive but it works for me.

 

[Chadwick]

I do it much like dobes does. The only problem I've had is if I've allowed the primary to sit for a really long time before bottling, it takes months to carb up. A really long time being 3 months or more. lol.

 

[adamranders]

So, are you bottling from a carboy??

Ha, no. was posting while trying to talk to SWMBO and got my thoughts mixed up. Botteling bucket not carboy.

 

[Owly055]

I also NEVER cool my priming solution...... I rack into a glass container with a spigot, and add priming solution that consists of table sugar and gelatin........it goes in boiling hot. I then cold crash for a week before bottling using the spigot and a hose. Temp is important for bottle conditioning.........I set my bottles on a heat pad to "encourage" them this time of year.

H.W.

 

[fuelish]

I just boil X amount of sugar in a bit of water, dump it into the bottlin' bucket, rack onto it stirring very gently several times throughout the transfer using my sanitized paddle, stir gently after all is transferred, and bottle...I see no point in cooling down such a small amount of boiling water as it spreads thin (i.e. not deep) in the bottom of the bucket, and it only takes a very small amount of beer/wine/mead to have it cooled down

 

[Mexibilly]

68 degrees +/- all day every day

 

[Mexibilly]

My information source, Engineering Manager and Amazing Brewer according to the employees of our LHBS, told me that when I transferred to my bottling bucket I probably didn't pick up enough yeast to carbonate.
I do specifically recall making an effort to transfer as clean as possible. I'm taking his opinion on to the next batch, bottle in March, and will of course compare carbonation.
No yeast, no bubbles...

 

[dkevinb]

Nineteen days is not enough time to finish carbonation and conditioning. I do at least 30 for full flavor development. Is it warm enough in your bottle conditioning place? I find that 68 degrees is optimal, about 63 or so slows the carbonation down.

Interesting. I bottle in amber PET bottles and they're always rock hard in less than a week at 68-72F. I let them sit a total of 2-3 weeks before refrigerating. They're all mid-gravity ales.

As far as my technique, I use a priming calculator to determine the amount of sugar (I just use table sugar) and boil that for a couple of minutes in two cups of water. I cover the pot and set it aside to cool a little while I get everything else ready to go. Then I dump that into the bottling bucket, rack the beer on top, and use the center part of the autosiphon to give it a gentle swirl. The only bottle I've ever had not carb was because I didn't cap it tight enough.

 

[masskrug]

I put 5 oz of sugar in a Pyrex container, boil some water in a tea pot, dump it into the Pyrex container and stir, dump it into the bottling bucket and rack.

 

[DoD_Ales]

Start with 2 cups water, bring to boil covered for 5 minutes, take off heat and add dextrose measured by weight according to NB priming calculator for desired style. Return to heat covered and boil for additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, all bottles are stored after cleaning with hot water. While priming solution is cooling, bottles are fully sanitized in StarSan ad placed on a sanitized bottle tree.

Pour into bottling bucket, rack beer into bottling bucket using tube submerged into priming solution to avoid aeration. Gently fold priming solution into beer, lifting from bottom without breaking surface with spoon. Allow covered bucket to sit for 15 minutes to allow any sediment to settle. Autosiphon with bottling wand to fill bottles, placing caps on top immediately, and crimping after every 6 bottles.

Store at room temperature for 2 weeks resisting the urge to open. Store at cellar temp for 1 week before sampling. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before opening.

Fairly conservative, but works for me.


I have never had problems with contamination oxidation using this routine

 

[MaltedBayerl]

I rack to my sanitized bottling bucket to see how much I end up with. I start the autosiphon midway down, then set it on the bottom, which does suck up some yeast for a few seconds.
Then I use any online priming sugar calculator to figure out how much sugar to add. I usually use plain white table sugar but brown sugar has also worked fine and possibly adds a little flavor.
I weigh the sugar out on a scale or estimate the .39 cups, or whatever it is, while I heat an estimated cup or two or water in a small pot. I mix in the sugar and boil for as long as I'm patient (0-10 minutes, usually closer to 0). I cool it in a shallow pan of water for a couple minutes. I switch the water out once or twice. I wipe off the condensation from the outside of the pot and gently pour it into the beer.
I sanitize a big stainless steel spoon that I have and gently stir for maybe 30 seconds. Then I get everything all ready and bottle. It probably rests for ten minutes before I actually start filling bottles. No problems so far.