Anyone Using Priming Sugar and Force Carb

I searched the posts here and have found many opinions on this but just wanted to try one more time.

I've bought three batches from my LBS and kegged all of them. My LBS said to add the priming sugar to the boil and then after the fermentation period rack to the keg and set CO2 to 10 psi and wait a week or so, or crank the
CO2 up to 30 psi and wait a couple days.

The first batch I used the priming sugar, but the second batch of the same beer I did not use priming and couldn’t really tell a difference but I didn’t have the two samples side by side to compare. My third batch, which is different from the first two, I used the priming sugar.

Is there and advantage or disadvantage to adding the priming sugar to the boil? I'm sure some will say it's useless but why would my lbs store say to do that. They've been in business for 20 years so you would think they know what they are doing. I guess i should just ask them why they recommend that.

Does anyone else add priming sugar to the boil and then add CO2 pressure when racked into their keg?

Priming sugar added to the boil will be fermented out and just add more alcohol to the beer, although the amount will be negligible. Priming sugar works when added right before bottling or kegging where it is air tight and forces the CO2 back into the beer. The carbonation you are getting is all forced CO2.

Are you saying no priming sugar or are you saying there is no real advantage to adding it and no real disadvantage if it's not added?

I am saying that you are not gaining anything from adding priming sugar to the BOIL. I wouldn't waste the money on the sugar. There is no advantage except to possibly make it a small amount drier.

Yes, that is what I am saying... No advantage or disadvantage. Just wasting money on sugar.

Shaneoco1981 said:

I am saying that you are not gaining anything from adding priming sugar to the BOIL. I wouldn't waste the money on the sugar. There is no advantage except to possibly make it a small amount drier.

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The priming sugar came with the kit so it's not really a money issue other then I paid for it so I might as well use it. It does seem useless since the Co2 will carb the beer but since my LBS recommend it I was curious. I'm just going to ask them why they recommend it the next time I visit them.

Thanks!

joesixpack said:

The priming sugar came with the kit so it's not really a money issue other then I paid for it so I might as well use it. It does seem useless since the Co2 will carb the beer but since my LBS recommend it I was curious. I'm just going to ask them why they recommend it the next time I visit them.

Thanks!

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As you said, since you paid for it, you might as well use it. It's useless when carbing since you're force carbing, so you might as well use it in the boil. It'll increase the ABV a negligible amount- maybe .25% ABV added to the alcohol content.

Can you buy a fresh made kit, and save $1 or $2 and not buy the priming sugar? The online brewstores I shop from, austinhomebrew.com, northernbrewer.com, and brewmasterswarehouse.com don't make you buy priming sugar you don't need.

The priming sugar is meant to be boiled and added to the beer right before you bottle it. Since you keg and force carbonation, it is not an issue. Save the sugar for a batch you intend to bottle. You will not be buying those kits for long as you can find all kinds of recipes and things like that online. Save it.

That's probably what they meant when they say boil it (the sugar), then cool it and add it to the beer before bottling (or kegging in your case, but you would have to allow the yeast to eat the sugar 2-3 weeks in the keg before pressurizing it with CO2). You may have heard them wrong. It sounds like a misunderstanding or miscommunication to me.