Priming sugar question

[jackb128]

This is my first time doing priming without something from a kit. I'm about ready to bottle a 3 gallon batch of a Belgium White. What type of sugar and how much should I use for priming? Thanks!

 

[twistr25]

Use this calculator, I think it gives all the details you need.

This is what I calculated with it

Corn Sugar: 1.8 oz.
Table Sugar: 1.7 oz.
DME: 3.1 oz.

 

[andy6026]

Does anyone find that some types of sugar are better to use than others for either taste, carbonation, length of conditioning time, etc.? I have all of the above at my disposal for the next batch and am wondering if any of them are strongly preferred. In my 3 previous batches I used table sugar.

 

[rodwha]

I've only used table sugar, as had my friend who has now switched to corn sugar as the few kits he has purchased came with it. He says he can tell a difference. I assumes it was a negligible amount and wouldn't be noticed.

 

[twistr25]

I use corn sugar, and I would think, overall, priming sugar serves a negligible purpose to taste especially given the ratio of sugar to beer. It's just to give the yeast an extra shot of energy to produce CO2

 

[Weizer]

You also want to make sure you input an accurate temperature into the priming sugar calc, as different temperatures call for more or less priming sugar. I've used table sugar, brown sugar, and corn sugar and I really can't tell that much of a difference. As Twistr just said, it's just for the yeast to produce CO2..ideally they would eat it all.

 

[FatsSchindee]

From Palmer's "How to Brew" online (vol 1):

[11.3 What Sugar Should I Prime With?

You can prime your beer with any fermentable that you want. Any sugar: white cane sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, even maple syrup can be used for priming. The darker sugars can contribute a subtle aftertaste (sometimes desired) and are more appropriate for heavier, darker beers. Simple sugars, like corn or cane sugar, are used most often though many brewers use dry malt extract too. Ounce for ounce, cane sugar generates a bit more carbon dioxide than corn sugar, and both pure sugars carbonate more than malt extract, so you will need to take that into account. Honey is difficult to prime with because there is no standard for concentration. The gravity of honey is different jar to jar. To use honey, you will need to dilute it and measure its gravity with a hydrometer. For all sugars in general, you want to add 2-3 gravity points per gallon of beer to prime.

Be aware that malt extract will generate break material when boiled, and that the fermentation of malt extract for priming purposes will often generate a krausen/protein ring around the waterline in the bottle, just like it does in your fermenter. Simple sugars don't have this cosmetic problem and the small amount used for priming will not affect the flavor of the beer.]

I've only ever used corn sugar, so I don't know from experience... But I've heard corn sugar creates smaller bubbles than table sugar.

Also, for a good list of how different priming sugars may affect your beer, see:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/AdvancedBottleConditioning.pdf