Yay or Nay: Boil Water w/ Priming Sugar?

[StrictlyIPAs]

I've heard a few things about how to add priming sugar before bottling:

1. Just dump the sugar in
2. Mix it with cool water and dump in
3. Mix it with warm water dump in and stir
4. combine it with boiling water and dump in when beer is being dumped into bottling bucket
5. boil it for 10 minutes and then pour it in with beer

Any ideas as to which option is the best?

Thanks,

SI

 

[Saccharomyces]

Boil it for 15 minutes and then add. :cross:

 

[StrictlyIPAs]

Sorry for my uber Noobdom, but you mean boil the water with the sugar in it for 15 minutes, right?

Thanks,
SI

 

[hammacks]

Number 4. Boil a sugar solution for around 10-20 minutes. Let cool a little. Carefully pour (or siphon to be extra careful) sugar solution into bottling bucket. Rack beer (via siphon, don't dump) onto sugar solution. Why?

-no nasties (because of boiling)
-no oxygen in sugar solution (because of boiling)
-Siphon outflow will mix the sugar in for you. (less oxidation) I do stir very gently anyway, just to be sure.

If you are dumping your beer, you risk oxidation. Siphon


EDIT: yes, boil water with the sugar in it. Enough water to dissolve the sugar, probably around 2 cups, though I've never actually measured.

 

[flyangler18]

but you mean boil the water with the sugar in it for 15 minutes, right?

Yes, you want to sanitize the sugar and the water before racking your beer on top of it in the bottling bucket.

 

[StrictlyIPAs]

Thank you so much, my next question is: how much water should I add to the sugar solution. I've heard anywhere from 1 to 2.5 cups. Is there a perfect amount, or is the amount of water you're boiling not a big deal?

 

[DrinksWellWithOthers]

I boil the water/sugar solution for 5 minutes. I use a half a pint of water. The second beer I brewed I had a total brain fart and dumped the sugar right into the bottling bucket - still came out fine though.

 

[hammacks]

I just eyeball my amount. If I can't get the sugar to dissolve, I add a little more water. Like I said, it is probably about 2 cups (1 pint) of warm water.

 

[StrictlyIPAs]

I especially like the piece about siphoning it in. I suppose I should siphon it all in on the bottom of my bottling bucket, and then siphon the beer on top of it to ensure it gets mixed together evenly.

Thanks

 

[flyangler18]

I suppose I should siphon it all in on the bottom of my bottling bucket, and then siphon the beer on top of it to ensure it gets mixed together evenly.

No need to siphon the sugar solution. Just dump 'er in! But definitely siphon the beer onto the beer, with the tip of the siphon hose below the surface of the sugar solution. The whirlpooling will help mix and you don't want your beer 'falling' through the air, splashing away. This can lead to stability issues with oxidation and a wet cardboard flavor.

 

[StrictlyIPAs]

Wow, as an uber noob, I'm blown away that letting beer splash a little will lead to a crummy taste. Thanks for the heads-up. I'm kinda pissed at my brew supply guy who said this process was "as easy as baking a cake" because there are so many subtle nuances that one must keep in mind during what will probably be close to 70 steps before I'm enjoying my first sip!

Still gotta keep my head up though.

 

[batches_brew]

I'm kinda pissed at my brew supply guy who said this process was "as easy as baking a cake"

I fairness, it's not that easy to bake a good cake without attention to detail. Unless it's one of those grocery, boxed deals that you mix and bake, but where's the fun in that?

Keep your head up. If you get too antsy, brew some more batches and perfect that technique. It really gets easier each time.

 

[DUCCCC]

15 minutes!?
I only go about 2-3. Let it cool to the point it's no longer burning hot, as I worry about releasing any plastic flavors from the bottling bucket, and rack the beer right in the bucket with the hose to the side to get a good swirl going. I haven't had any problems so far.

Palmer doesn't suggest a length of time, and 15 minutes seems a bit excessive to me, but I've been wrong before.

 

[dr_finklestein]

Wow, as an uber noob, I'm blown away that letting beer splash a little will lead to a crummy taste. Thanks for the heads-up. I'm kinda pissed at my brew supply guy who said this process was "as easy as baking a cake" because there are so many subtle nuances that one must keep in mind during what will probably be close to 70 steps before I'm enjoying my first sip!

Still gotta keep my head up though.

Read as many homebrew books as you can. Some contradict themselves, but you will start to gain a large knowledge base and the "subtle suances" start to become second nature. Lastly, HAVE FUN!

 

[dibby33]

I am a filthy filthy dirty swine.
I use hot water out of the tap, dissolve the sugar, pour into the priming barrel.
I don't even clean the jug!

 

[BadKarma]

I've always used DME for priming. There's always more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[cclloyd]

I also stir the beer / priming sugar mixture with a sanitized spoon / paddle after racking to ensure even distribution of the priming mixture throughout the beer. The racking mixes it somewhat but I had a batch that I forgot to stir and it generated 5 bottle bombs, numerous beers that foamed out immediately upon opening, and several nearly flat beers with minimal carbonation.

 

[fratermus]

15 minutes!?
I only go about 2-3. Let it cool to the point it's no longer burning hot, as I worry about releasing any plastic flavors from the bottling bucket, and rack the beer right in the bucket with the hose to the side to get a good swirl going. I haven't had any problems so far.

Precisely my technique, also.

I will admin that the short boil will not result in sterility, but I bet it kills most of the nasties.

Hmmm, I already can water and wort for starters and culture use. Maybe next canning run I'll pressurecook a couple of jars with water + 3 or 4 oz of priming sugar in them.....

 

[Austinhomebrew]

Actually, the alcohol in the beer will kill the nasties. The point of boiling the sugar (5 minutes will do) is to make the sugar easier for the yeast to eat and start carbonating.

Forrest

 

[Wakadaka]

Sorry to retrieve an old thread, but I was searching as to why to boil for 15 minutes and found this.

Is there any benefit to boiling for 15 minutes instead of 5?

Hate to call you out Forrest, but I have the directions for your Double Chocolate Stout right next to me, and it says 15 minutes? Is that just to be on the safe side?

 

[Yooper]

Sorry to retrieve an old thread, but I was searching as to why to boil for 15 minutes and found this.

Is there any benefit to boiling for 15 minutes instead of 5?

Hate to call you out Forrest, but I have the directions for your Double Chocolate Stout right next to me, and it says 15 minutes? Is that just to be on the safe side?

A couple of minutes will do. But it won't hurt to go longer, especially if your water source is "iffy".

 

[dorian345]

sorry to bring up an old thread, but i was looking to prime around 2.3 gal of beer (9L) and was wondering how much water boiled with sugar i need to mix? is it 1 cup or can it be a little less? not wanting to water down the beer too much, please let me know thanks!

its a Belgian triple 8% brew so not sure if it can be watered down by adding 2 cups of water and sugar


thanks

 

[GrainWhisperer]

The water is just there to make a solution of the sugar, so it can mix up easily with the volume of beer. 2 cups of water won't dilute your beer.

The important part is how much sugar you use. DO NOT use 2 cups of sugar.
Rule of thumb is apx. 3/4 cup of sugar for a 5 gallon batch.

The sugar can be tweaked more or less to style for a particular beer. Do a search for carbonation calculator to get a precise amount of sugar.

http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html

The type of sugar, the temperature you're carbing at, and the volume of beer will all be factors in how much sugar you should use.

 

[dorian345]

The water is just there to make a solution of the sugar, so it can mix up easily with the volume of beer. 2 cups of water won't dilute your beer.

The important part is how much sugar you use. DO NOT use 2 cups of sugar.
Rule of thumb is apx. 3/4 cup of sugar for a 5 gallon batch.

The sugar can be tweaked more or less to style for a particular beer. Do a search for carbonation calculator to get a precise amount of sugar.

http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html

The type of sugar, the temperature you're carbing at, and the volume of beer will all be factors in how much sugar you should use.

Thank you for the link..but im having a hard time deciding what i want to do, the link you gave me and i've seen it before and looked at it, its telling me to use only 1.5 OZ of sugar...the instructions that came with the kit is telling me to use 3 OZ of sugar..wich one do i follow?

looking to bottle tonight so any help would be appreciated

thanks again

 

[Yooper]

Thank you for the link..but im having a hard time deciding what i want to do, the link you gave me and i've seen it before and looked at it, its telling me to use only 1.5 OZ of sugar...the instructions that came with the kit is telling me to use 3 OZ of sugar..wich one do i follow?

looking to bottle tonight so any help would be appreciated

thanks again

Three oz of sugar is alot for a 2.3 gallon batch- I wouldn't use more than 2.5 oz. But Belgians are generally highly carbed, so 3 oz is probably "right" in that sense. I wouldn't do it, though!

 

[dorian345]

Three oz of sugar is alot for a 2.3 gallon batch- I wouldn't use more than 2.5 oz. But Belgians are generally highly carbed, so 3 oz is probably "right" in that sense. I wouldn't do it, though!

You obviously have more experience than me so im going to use 2.5OZ lol just to be on the safe side, i do not want beer bombs! cheers

 

[smyrnaquince]

Actually, the alcohol in the beer will kill the nasties. The point of boiling the sugar (5 minutes will do) is to make the sugar easier for the yeast to eat and start carbonating.

Forrest

As soon as the water boils, it will have hit 212 F (adjusted for altitude). Boiling for 5 minutes won't get it any hotter.

 

[weirdboy]

You obviously have more experience than me so im going to use 2.5OZ lol just to be on the safe side, i do not want beer bombs! cheers

Just to be clear, here. Yooper was talking about weight ounces, not fluid ounces.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

As soon as the water boils, it will have hit 212 F (adjusted for altitude). Boiling for 5 minutes won't get it any hotter.

 

[cdeme123]

Never had a problem either way. I do prefer to boil for 10-20 minutes just to be on the safe side. I use an ice bath to chill it for about another 10 minutes with the lid on to keep unwanted guests out. I usually use about 1.5 cups water for a 5 gallon batch. The only issue I ever had with carbonation is when I used gelatin to clear the beer. It did such a good job I think I removed most of the yeast in suspension as well.

The beer did not carbonate well but it was clearest all grain beer I had ever made. That's a discussion for another forum.

 

[Dynachrome]

I just eyeball my amount. If I can't get the sugar to dissolve, I add a little more water. Like I said, it is probably about 2 cups (1 pint) of warm water.

+1

I use one cup of fairly warm water. The yeast will do their thing.

 

[drkaeppel]

+1 to boiling sugar with water. However, 15 mins is a little excessive, I think. There's no harm in boiling for that long if it gives you peace of mind, but 5 minutes is more than enough to kill off any bugs.

I typically just bring it to a boil, turn off the heat, then cover it until I am ready to put in in the bottling bucket.

 

[rico567]

I boil 5 oz dextrose in a pint of water (I just get it to a boil, I don't pay any particular attention to the time) and throw it in the bottling bucket after the siphon starts. This is simple, has proven to do a very good job of mixing the sugar solution in with the beer.

 

[ImperialAlchemist]

The amount of sugar is a little misleading because you want different a volume of co2 for a different beer, right? I just checked with several online carbonation calculators and they all gave me a pretty consistent number based on the volume of co2 I wanted for my specific style of beer. Hope it turns out right. It's an oatmeal stout and all the carbonation charts called for 1.7-2.3 volumes of co2. I added enough priming sugar for 2 volumes.

 

[rico567]

The amount of sugar is a little misleading because you want different a volume of co2 for a different beer, right? I just checked with several online carbonation calculators and they all gave me a pretty consistent number based on the volume of co2 I wanted for my specific style of beer. Hope it turns out right. It's an oatmeal stout and all the carbonation charts called for 1.7-2.3 volumes of co2. I added enough priming sugar for 2 volumes.

Yeah- I just prime all my beer 5 oz. corn sugar (dextrose) to 5 gal. beer. I know that different styles are supposed to dictate different levels of carbonation, but this works for me.....

 

[ImperialAlchemist]

Yeah- I just prime all my beer 5 oz. corn sugar (dextrose) to 5 gal. beer. I know that different styles are supposed to dictate different levels of carbonation, but this works for me.....

Ah, man... Hope I used enough. 2.18 oz in a 3 gallon batch. By your already tested method I should've used 3 oz. I guess I'll learn something either way.

 

[beowulf]

I usually siphon into my bottling bucket, which has measuring marks. None of my carboys have measuring marks so I wait until I get it to the bottling bucket, measure, then calculate my priming sugar at that time. This way I can be fairly precise. Based on highest ferm temp and bottling bucket volume, I use one of the online calculators to determine amount of priming sugar. I do target CO2 volumes based on style, but it's usually between 2-2.5 volumes....maybe 3 if it's a saison.

Then I measure corn sugar and boil with 1 pint of water for 5-10 minutes (usually while I'm prepping the bottles). Cool the priming mixture a little, then dump into the bottling bucket. I stir the mixture gently in one direction for a few seconds, let it settle then stir gently in the other direction. Take care not to stir too vigorously and create a lot of foam.

As an example, for 2.2 volumes with 5.25 gallons of beer fermented at 67F, I used 3.7 oz of corn sugar. Just bottled an IPA like this today.

I usually use this calculator: http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator/carbonation.html

ImperialAlchemist - I think you're pretty close...depending on your highest sustained fermentation temp, you may end up with a little more than 2 volumes (maybe 2.2 or so), but I think you're in a pretty good range. I wouldn't sweat it...just enjoy in another 3 weeks

 

[gospurs]

Actually, the alcohol in the beer will kill the nasties. The point of boiling the sugar (5 minutes will do) is to make the sugar easier for the yeast to eat and start carbonating.

Forrest

First, it's certainly possible for a beer containing alcohol to be colonized by nasties, as many bugs (acetobacter, lactobacillus, periococcus) can survive just fine in the weakly alcoholic solution that is beer - just ask anyone who's had a Flanders Red or similar.

Second, in what way would a short boiling of the sugar make it easier for the yeast to metabolize it?

 

[smalltownbrewer]

I use a cup of boiling water from the kettle with my priming sugar, so it dissolves and then throw that into the beer, hasn't failed me yet. I usually weigh the sugar out on a scale after I have figured out how much to use with a brew calculator.

 

[unionrdr]

I get 2C of water boiling while I weigh out my priming sugar per style. I let the water boil 10 minutes or so not just to kill nasties,but get the chlorine,etc out of it. Then turn off the heat & stir in sugar. No need to boil it,as pasteurization happens at 162F. Tyhe water is hotter than that,so steeping with a lid on is fine till it cools down & you're ready to go.