Bottling Question

Hey all,

My friend and I are bottling a batch today and we aren't sure of the exact amount of beer in the carboy. When we transfer it to the bottling bucket we will be able to find the amount because of the measurements on the bucket. Therefore, we will know how much corn sugar to add. Can we add the corn sugar to the beer or is it supposed to be added to the bottling bucket first?

What I do is dissolve the sugar in two cups of boiling water, let it cool, then add it to the bottling bucket and rack the beer into the sugar solution - put the end of the tube right at the bottom of the bucket and the beer thoroughly mixes into the sugar solution without any additional stirring. If you are racking the beer first then adding the sugar solution, you'll need to stir it to make sure its evenly distributed throughout the beer. The risk with that is that you will add oxygen while stirring, leading potentially to oxidized beer. If you plan on drinking the beer relatively soon, though, oxidation isn't a huge issue because at low levels, oxidation flavors develop over time.

If your batch is around 5 gallons, I wouldn't worry about being too precise about adjusting the amount of sugar to match the volume of beer. Unless you have a particular issue with needing your carbonation to match a particular style. But absent that concern, if you want just regular/normal carbonation, I'd just use the standard amount if I was around 5 gallons.

Sure.
Good call until you get some markings on your carboy.

You will want to stir slow and a lot.
Let it set until it's still and then stir slowly again.

I usually siphon off a couple bottles worth, adding them back on top.
Stir one last time.

Lay your sanitized lid on the bucket between stirs and bottling.

'da Kid

Yeah, I'd say unless you have a lot of trub/cold break, bank on 5 gallon's worth & prime accordingly. Generally 1oz dextrose per gallon of beer. Or use a priming calculator if you have one. Dissolve the sugar in 2C of boiled water as stated. Cover & cool, add to the bottling bucket of beer & stir well but gently as stated.

The10mmKid said:

Good call until you get some markings on your carboy.

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Excellent advice for the future.

Fill up a glass carboy (if you use them) with 1 gallon of water at a time and mark each level with black electrical tape.
My 6.5 gallon carboy is marked at 3,5,6 and 6.5 increments
5 gallon at 2.5, 5 and 5.5 gallon increments.

I have done the same thing with ale pails and bottling buckets. In my experience because these buckets are assembly line produced, the default markings are not always trustworthy.
My bottling bucket is slightly off at 1 gallon and almost 2 qts off at the 5 gallon marking.

I marked my 6 gallon better bottle at 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 gallon intervals with a black permanent marker.

How much cane sugar for 4 gallons of beer?

4ozs @ 1 ounce per gallon would be average.

I had this issue myself in the past. I estimated the volume using a simple volume equation and measuring the height from the trub to the surface. It is alot nicer having the beer racked on the sugar solution.

brewkinger said:

My bottling bucket is slightly off at 1 gallon and almost 2 qts off at the 5 gallon marking.

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Same here.....if I fill to the 5 gallon mark on the bucket, it's quite a bit less than 5 actual gallons of actual liquid IN the bucket....

Mine must be pretty accurate, since I get 53-56-12oz bottles from a 5 gallon batch?