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Stevorino · 04-02-2008, 02:40 PM

Is there a difference between Priming Sugar, Dry malt extract, corn sugar, table sugar, etc for priming bottles for carbonation? I've got a sierra nevada pale ale clone and I'm trying to decide what to prime w/...I've always used Priming sugar in the past.

**FlyingHorse** · 04-02-2008, 02:49 PM

Priming sugar = corn sugar

You can use any of the others, but the amount will vary as they have different concentrations of fermentable sugars.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter11-3.html

Stevorino · 04-02-2008, 03:06 PM

Will using one vs. the other affect flavor?

cheezydemon · 04-02-2008, 03:09 PM

Yes but barely. In the end I would say that it makes absolutely no real difference.

I once primed with hershey's kisses, that made a little difference.

**TexLaw** · 04-02-2008, 03:50 PM

The main difference in how malt extract and dextrose work are that the carbonation may take a little longer with DME than with dextrose. However, I always found that DME gave a slightly better quality carbonation. It just seemed a little smoother. I do not know how else to put it.

With the amount you add, you should see no flavor difference.

TL

nl724 · 04-02-2008, 03:51 PM

I was just curious if anyone out there had bottled with honey, maple syrup, and more specifically, molasses. I am looking to use some molasses at bottling time to add complexity to a porter, but I am not confident in the amount that I should use. I have read mixed reviews.

**FlyingHorse** · 04-02-2008, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nl724

I was just curious if anyone out there had bottled with honey, maple syrup, and more specifically, molasses. I am looking to use some molasses at bottling time to add complexity to a porter, but I am not confident in the amount that I should use. I have read mixed reviews.

Others will chime in who've done it successfully, but the most commonly mentioned problem with any of those is that the sugar content can vary pretty widely, and it's not easy to tell how much sugar you're adding. Better off using the molasses in secondary and letting it ferment out, then priming with dextrose or DME.

Kaiser · 04-02-2008, 11:43 PM

Note that the corn sugar that doesn't clump is actually dextrose monohydrate which is 91% dextrose and 9% water. I found this here when researching priming for a wiki article.

Kai

foonder · 04-03-2008, 04:18 AM

Have you guys had any experience using Munton's Carb Tabs? I used plain ol' sugar up until about a half dozen brews ago. It says 3 for medium, 4 for normal, and 5 tabs for high carbonation (per 12 ounce bottle). I've used mostly 4 tabs per bottle on 8%-9%+ ABV beers and gotten good carbonation levels. I just brewed a batch that's just around / below 8% (an oatmeal brown ale), I used 4 tabs, and for some reason, after a month, it's almost flat. It has barely any carbonation. Would you guys recommend saving it for another month and trying it, or maybe cracking each bottle open and sprinkling some sugar in? I doubt the yeast got tired, I almost always put 2 of the Wyeast big packs in, which is more than enough. The beer tastes fine, so I don't think it was infected by anything.

menschmaschine · 04-03-2008, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foonder

Have you guys had any experience using Munton's Carb Tabs? I used plain ol' sugar up until about a half dozen brews ago. It says 3 for medium, 4 for normal, and 5 tabs for high carbonation (per 12 ounce bottle). I've used mostly 4 tabs per bottle on 8%-9%+ ABV beers and gotten good carbonation levels. I just brewed a batch that's just around / below 8% (an oatmeal brown ale), I used 4 tabs, and for some reason, after a month, it's almost flat. It has barely any carbonation. Would you guys recommend saving it for another month and trying it, or maybe cracking each bottle open and sprinkling some sugar in? I doubt the yeast got tired, I almost always put 2 of the Wyeast big packs in, which is more than enough. The beer tastes fine, so I don't think it was infected by anything.

I'd swirl them around, make sure they're stored in a warmer environment. (Top of the fridge, e.g.) Sometimes they don't dissolve all the way. Check them again in a week. If something's not happening, there's only one possibility left...yeast.

I've used the carb tabs. Wasn't real happy with them. They're a combination of dextrose, dme, and possibly something else. They left a ring around the neck and didn't dissolve all the way... leaving a white floating chip or two in the beer glass. However, they did carbonate, so they did their job. The other problem was the time it took to use a sanitized pair of tweazers (yes I'm anal about sanitation) to drop the required number into each bottle (4 cases). It is much easier to use dextrose.