Bottle priming

Just curious how much water some people use when making up their priming sugars for bottling?

I usually do three gallons. Just kidding. You just need 1 cup, enough that the sugar can dissolve.

reverendj1 said:

I usually do three gallons. Just kidding. You just need 1 cup, enough that the sugar can dissolve.

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Gonna say damn!! I've been using 2 cups but I always felt like that was too much.

i do 1:1 sugar and water

I suppose I need to change my procedure then huh. Wonder if the 2 cups diluted it too much. I haven't had a problem but I just want to have the right amounts for the beer.

It doesn't really matter. As long as the sugar is dissolved in the water. 2 cups is fine too. If you use more you are just slightly watering down your beer, but hey, that just means you made more beer.

dumsboa09 said:

I suppose I need to change my procedure then huh. Wonder if the 2 cups diluted it too much. I haven't had a problem but I just want to have the right amounts for the beer.

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i would say this is pretty insignificant.

are you trying to address a specific problem?

2 cups wont hurt and neither will the 1:1. However, there is no required amount since the only reason for the water is to get the sugar into solution and to sanitize it. That means all you need is enough to do these two things. I always measure my sugar and put it into a sanitized container (usually a pyrex measuring cup) and then get the water to a good rolling boil and add just enough to the sugar to fully dissolve--adding any more does nothing since what you are looking for is a simple syrup and this is achieved as soon as the sugar dissolves. Once I'm ready to add the solution to the bottling bucket, I don't bother cooling it but simply rack some beer into the bucket and pour the solution in while the rest of the beer is racking. Give a good (though not vigorous) stir with a sanitized spoon and then bottle.

2 cups/ five gallons is the standard amount used. I'm sure there's plenty of folks who use less....But the reference amount in just about every book/website is 2 cups.

progmac said:

i would say this is pretty insignificant.

are you trying to address a specific problem?

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Not at all. When I first started I see the same amount for bottle priming and my starter in a growler. Now I've since moved on to making calculated starters on a stir plate and figured my bottle priming water had to be off too. Not really anything clear on the interwebs. So here I am asking my peers. I appreciate the insight as well.

I use 2 cups of water as well, bottles carb fine.

2 cups for 5-6 gallons. Sometimes I get sidetracked sometimes and the extra water helps keep it from boiling too low, at least so far.

Revvy said:

2 cups/ five gallons is the standard amount used. I'm sure there's plenty of folks who use less....But the reference amount in just about every book/website is 2 cups.

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While that sounds like a little on the thin side people have to remember getting the sugar dissolved is not the ONLY function to worry about. Too thin and you have a syrup that won't pour as well and you will leave some in the pan. You also want it to readily distribute throughout the beer. If you check the gravity of the solution you probably aren't really watering down your beer with that amount either.

After all your responses, I decided to change my ways and start doing 2 cups again. It makes sense that it would help it mix better. Not that I had any problems with 1 cup, but it's always better to err on the side of caution with homebrew.

reverendj1 said:

After all your responses, I decided to change my ways and start doing 2 cups again. It makes sense that it would help it mix better. Not that I had any problems with 1 cup, but it's always better to err on the side of caution with homebrew.

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Just bottled yesterday and only used a cup of water as opposed to the 2 cups. We shall see.