Taking off the priming training wheels

[Sky_Blue_Waters]

Just started home brewing a couple months ago. Loving it so far! Its much easier than it seemed at first considering all the equipment needed.

I am going to be bottling my 3rd batch this weekend. Going to get supplies for a set up like Revvy has in the bottling forum sticky (Siphon + bottling wand = huge PITA!)

I used those sugar drops that came with the starter kit for my first 2 bottling sessions.
Does anyone know volumes of CO2 those give?

Using table sugar to prime next batch to ~2.4-2.6 per online calculators and it'd be interesting to compare results.

 

[cactusgarrett]

Unsure of the volume for the CO2 drops, as it's all weight dependent and assumes you bottle in 12 oz bottles. They may be easy, but the more consistent, reliable approach is to bulk prime: dissolve your priming sugar in a pint of sterilzed water and add that to the bottling bucket (with gentle stirring to homogenize).

Check THIS out for the next time:
https://www.northernbrewer.com/pages/priming-sugar-calculator

You may already be there, as you said you're using an online calculator, but i find this the best. The desired volume of carb is style dependent, and the above link actually has a drop down with suggested styles/levels, if you didn't feel like inputting your own.

 

[madscientist451]

I am going to be bottling my 3rd batch this weekend. Going to get supplies for a set up like Revvy has in the bottling forum sticky (Siphon + bottling wand = huge PITA!)

I used those sugar drops that came with the starter kit for my first 2 bottling sessions.
Does anyone know volumes of CO2 those give?

I mostly keg, but I've been using the sugar cube method the last few times I've bottled.
I use one domino dot per bottle.
There's a discussion about this on HBT and on other forums/blogs.
I siphon right from the carboy to the bottle.
I figure skipping the bottling bucket reduces oxidation.
If you use buckets for fermenting, you can ferment in a bucket with a spigot and skip the siphon.
Using a priming calculator, measuring the sugar and mixing everything up is a lot more work, but you can probably dial in your desired carbonation much better doing that.
Get a scale to weigh out your priming sugar.
I just bottled a test batch of saison this morning, using 1 domino dot for a 15 oz Grolsch swing top bottle. It may be a little less carbonated but that's OK with me.

 

[DVCNick]

YMMV and probably does, but in my batch priming sessions I have never been able to get consistent carbonation from bottle to bottle even with stirring. I mean vastly different; some overcarbed, some almost undrinkably flat.

Since getting into kegging, the only bottling I've done is with the sugar drops, and all bottles have been consistent. The drops are going to add up on cost though.

 

[Bubbles2]

I have bottled 30 5 Gal batches and I like it at 4.5 -4.8 oz of sugar to about 8oz h2o boiled 5 minutes, let stand to cool enough to put in sanitized jar until same temp as brew. Add gently, stir minimalish, let stand for about 30 minutes, to resettle any stirred up cake. Any longer on the stand, and I get a bit more foam at bottling. Always a good carb about 2.5ish, For Stout I use about 4 oz of sugar. IF YOU MAKE SURE YOU BREW HAS COME DOWN TO AND FINISHED BREWING. 1010/1008

 

[bracconiere]

Just started home brewing a couple months ago. Loving it so far!

Nothing to add to the topic. i started kegging after the first batch i bottled, 23 years ago!

just thought i'd say, Welcome!

 

[TwistedGray]

Just started home brewing a couple months ago. Loving it so far! Its much easier than it seemed at first considering all the equipment needed.

I am going to be bottling my 3rd batch this weekend. Going to get supplies for a set up like Revvy has in the bottling forum sticky (Siphon + bottling wand = huge PITA!)

I used those sugar drops that came with the starter kit for my first 2 bottling sessions.
Does anyone know volumes of CO2 those give?

Using table sugar to prime next batch to ~2.4-2.6 per online calculators and it'd be interesting to compare results.

I advocate this method as much as I can. I've done all my batches this way - use 1/2tsp table sugar per bottle through a funnel then put beer on top

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I used those sugar drops that came with the starter kit for my first 2 bottling sessions.
Does anyone know volumes of CO2 those give?

I have not quite figured out how much sugar are in those carb drops. They weight around 4.7g, but you only need around 2g to 2.5g of sugar per 12 oz bottle.

My process sounds similar to @madscientist451. I have been using the 2.5g Domino Dots with good luck. They are much cheaper than the carbonation drops. It is hard for me to spend $6 for $1 worth of sugar, and at $6 per batch it puts simple priming sugar in competition with yeast and hops for the 2nd most expensive ingredient in a batch.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

I'm in the bottle from primary camp (although I mostly keg) - it avoids oxidation from bottling buckets. Ferment in a bucket with spigot, then bottle with sugar solution. I use a 60mL syringe to prime each bottle with 5 or 10mL of sugar solution then fill with beer. It's quick, easy and leaves one less vessel to clean. Sugar costs about 10 cents per batch.

Even better (and saving 10 cents!!!) is freezing some wort (speise) when you brew (before adding yeast) then reboiling to sanitise and using it for priming (or using some wort from a new batch). Even better still is adding a bit of yeast to that wort a day or so before bottling so that it starts to ferment, then using the still sweet but beginning to ferment beer (krausen beer) to prime (or using some beer from a newly fermenting batch). A calculator for these methods is here
https://www.brewersfriend.com/gyle-and-krausen-priming-calculator/

 

[Immocles]

I started experimenting with this a couple months back when I stumbled across the leftover napkins and plates and such from our wedding reception. There were two boxes of 100 1/8oz packets of table sugar for coffee shoved in with it all. @TwistedGray method works wonderfully. The online calculators get me pretty close though as far as making a priming solution. I think in my last set of notes, i'd been using about 1.5oz table sugar (or 2oz cane) for my 2.5G batches. Doubled for 5G. It needs a little tweaking, but I'm pretty happy with where its at.

As for carb drops, I ordered some at the beginning of this year from NB. They worked well, but the last few times I've used them, they have been drastically under carbed, with almost no head after 2-3 weeks. A bit better after a month, but that seems excessive to me. Chances are that I didn't store them correctly. I ended up tossing out the last 10 drops or so. Also, those bottles tended to have mysterious floaties.

 

[Sky_Blue_Waters]

I use one domino dot per bottle.

I didn't know what these were and google just showed dominoes until I added sugar to the search

i started kegging after the first batch

Jealous! I've but a lowly 1 gal set up for know, but long term goal is 5 gal kegs! (notice i said kegs not keg)

It is hard for me to spend $6 for $1 worth of sugar

Yup! that's how I felt too

Even better (and saving 10 cents!!!) is freezing some wort (speise) when you brew (before adding yeast) then reboiling to sanitise and using it for priming (or using some wort from a new batch). Even better still is adding a bit of yeast to that wort a day or so before bottling so that it starts to ferment, then using the still sweet but beginning to ferment beer (krausen beer) to prime (or using some beer from a newly fermenting batch). A calculator for these methods is here
https://www.brewersfriend.com/gyle-and-krausen-priming-calculator/

Saw some posts about this this while browsing HBT. Sounds like a cool to try once i have a few more brews under my belt (or in my beer belly over my belt!)

As for carb drops, I ordered some at the beginning of this year from NB. They worked well, but the last few times I've used them, they have been drastically under carbed, with almost no head after 2-3 weeks. A bit better after a month, but that seems excessive to me.

I agree, carb drops worked well, but didn't give as a consistent result as I would have expected. (small sample size as were used on my 1st and 2nd brew)

Thanks for the responses!
Bottled my two hearted 15min boil extract clone Sat 6/8 (i'm calling it half hearted ale).
~0.9-1.0oz table sugar for my 1gal batch, should result in about 2.5 vol CO2 per the calculators i used.
It sure smelled/tasted like the centennial hops! hopefully the carbing works ok

 

[bracconiere]

Jealous! I've but a lowly 1 gal set up for know, but long term goal is 5 gal kegs! (notice i said kegs not keg)

i'd have to admit, i was ~18, and my mom bought me my first kegging system with one keg......i did have to buy the 20lb tank eventually, and 4 of the other kegs, a friend got me up to the 6th for my birthday....

(god bless her soul!)

 

[Big Monk]

After a quick search there are approximately 198 “dots” in the Domino box. The entire package is 453g.

453g/198 dots = ~2.29 g/dot

5 gallons of packaged volume is roughly 640 oz. so for 53 or so bottles at 2.6 volumes, 1 dot contains exactly how much priming sugar that is required. Very convenient.

Volumes of CO2 < 2.6 < Volumes of CO2 may require more or less sugar but as a general rule that's spot on.

 

[TwistedGray]

Blah blah blah ... just use 1/2tsp in each bottle and walla

 

[Big Monk]

Blah blah blah ... just use 1/2tsp in each bottle and walla

Serious question: Are people using volumetric measurements for weight based measures because they have no scale?

I can't see measuring something out as a volume unless you don't own a scale. Really small and effective gram scales are available for < $10 on Amazon.

 

[TwistedGray]

Serious question: Are people using volumetric measurements for weight based measures because they have no scale?

I can't see measuring something out as a volume unless you don't own a scale. Really small and effective gram scales are available for < $10 on Amazon.

I bottle prime rather than batch prime. I put a sugar cube on my scale to see weight and found it has the same volume/weight as half a teaspoon. Plus it is easier to funnel that into bottle than a cone, imo.

 

[Sky_Blue_Waters]

Update: used ~1oz sugar dissolved in water to prime my 1 gal batch. (kitchen scale from target)

beer turned out great! batch priming for first time was a little scary.
"am I going to end up with flat beer???" was question i asked my self for 2 straight weeks.

 

[TwistedGray]

3min18sec to individually bottle priming 5 gallons, fyi, so not that bad for consistent carb'ing.