How do you like your bubbles?

Zymurgrafi · Mar 30, 2007

So, I have mostly always primed my bottles with DME until recently. A) I have been feeling a little cheap B) Iread somewhere that DME leaves more of a ring inside the neck which requires more frequent brushing.

So, I have been using corn sugar. It seems quite different to me and I am wondering if anyone else has noticed this. Beers primed with corn sugar seem to have bigger, more intense co2 bubbles to me. The beer primed with DME the bubbles seem "softer" and over all it is a smoother carbonation.

Is this my imagination? I used less corn sugar (about 3/4 cup) per 5 gallon batch compared to 1 1/4 cup DME. Maybe it is too much?

Thoughts?

kvh · Mar 31, 2007

I'm getting interested in using wort to bottle condition my beer - pull a little in the beginning - freeze or refridgerate it during fermentation, and then boil, cool, and add to the fermented beer right before bottling.

Some breweries use this technique. It's more of a "only my beer ingredients touch my beer" mentality, which I'm quickly warming up to. I have a book with a table of quantities of wort to pull before fermentation depending on style and co2 levels, but it's out on loan - I'll post them soon if no one else does.

Additionally - whatever the volume of sugar that comes in a packet for bottling, I've yet to use a whole one per batch. I guess I prefer my beers a little less fizzy. I'd say that bubble size has much more to do with how long you let them condition or age before drinking, and the temperature you drink them at.

kvh

Beerrific · Mar 31, 2007

kvh said:
I'd say that bubble size has much more to do with how long you let them condition or age before drinking, and the temperature you drink them at.

kvh

Also, I think the temperature that you allow the bottles condition will change the carbonation profile a lot.

IMHO, I can't see primer source changing the bubbles. Could it change the flavor slightly? Sure, but not much.

kvh · Mar 31, 2007

Beerrific said:
Also, I think the temperature that you allow the bottles condition will change the carbonation profile a lot.

IMHO, I can't see primer source changing the bubbles. Could it change the flavor slightly? Sure, but not much.

Definitely - champagne, known for it's tiny bubbles, is conditioned in cellar temps for many months...

kvh

Beerrific · Mar 31, 2007

kvh said:
Definitely - champagne, known for it's tiny bubbles, is conditioned in cellar temps for many months...

kvh

Is that the champagne itself or the yeast that makes the tiny bubbles?

sirsloop · Mar 31, 2007

tiny bubbles more like froth kick butt

Zymurgrafi · Mar 31, 2007

sirsloop said:
tiny bubbles more like froth kick butt

pour me one of those will ya?

:mug:

Rhoobarb · Apr 3, 2007

I have heard and read that DME will give you smaller, tighter bubbles than corn sugar, but I've never seen any scientific evidence to prove it. I only use DME and I voted for 'smooth'.

I, too, will be switching over to kegs and force carbing this summer.

EdWort · Apr 3, 2007

Before I went kegging, I always bottled with DME and had great results. The main reason I used DME was to stay in compliance with The German Reinheitsgebot von 1516. Here's the English translation. The part about ingredients is in bold.

GERMANY"S PURITY LAW
Following is an English translation of the Reinheitsgebot (German Purity Law) adopted in 1516, the oldest provision still enforced to protect the consumer. This is taken from the article "History of German Brewing" by Karl J. Eden, published in 'zymurgy' magazine, Vol. 16, No. 4 Special 1993. "We hereby proclaim and decree, by Authority of our Province, that henceforth in the Duchy of Bavaria, in the country as well as in the cities and marketplaces, the following rules apply to the sale of beer:

"From Michaelmas to Georgi, the price for one Mass [Bavarian Liter 1,069] or one Kopf [bowl-shaped container for fluids, not quite one Mass], is not to exceed one Pfennig Munich value, and

"From Georgi to Michaelmas, the Mass shall not be sold for more than two Pfennig of the same value, the Kopf not more than three Heller [Heller usually one-half Pfennig].

"If this not be adhered to, the punishment stated below shall be administered.

"Should any person brew, or otherwise have, other beer than March beer, it is not to be sold any higher than one Pfennig per Mass.

"Furthermore, we wish to emphasize that in future in all cities, markets and in the country, the only ingredients used for the brewing of beer must be Barley, Hops and Water. Whosoever knowingly disregards or transgresses upon this ordinance, shall be punished by the Court authorities' confiscating such barrels of beer, without fail.

"Should, however, an innkeeper in the country, city or markets buy two or three pails of beer (containing 60 Mass) and sell it again to the common peasantry, he alone shall be permitted to charge one Heller more for the Mass of the Kopf, than mentioned above. Furthermore, should there arise a scarcity and subsequent price increase of the barley (also considering that the times of harvest differ, due to location), WE, the Bavarian Duchy, shall have the right to order curtailments for the good of all concerned."

Using corn sugar, in my opinion, would violate this premise and I adhere to it to this day. No adjuncts, finings, or chemicals in my brews.

Yuri_Rage · Apr 3, 2007

EdWort said:
Using corn sugar, in my opinion, would violate this premise and I adhere to it to this day. No adjuncts, finings, or chemicals in my brews.

Doesn't wheat also violate the Reinheitsgebot?

jeffg · Apr 3, 2007

knights of Gambrinus said:
So, I have been using corn sugar. It seems quite different to me and I am wondering if anyone else has noticed this. Beers primed with corn sugar seem to have bigger, more intense co2 bubbles to me. The beer primed with DME the bubbles seem "softer" and over all it is a smoother carbonation.

Is this my imagination? I used less corn sugar (about 3/4 cup) per 5 gallon batch compared to 1 1/4 cup DME. Maybe it is too much?

Thoughts?

I have not bottled for years but I recall switching from corn sugar to DME and having the exact same revalation you had--smaller tighter bubbles...

EdWort · Apr 3, 2007

Yuri_Rage said:
Doesn't wheat also violate the Reinheitsgebot?

I originally thought so, but I believe the Bavarians changed the law to allow it. Hefeweizens used to be only for the royal folks ya know.

Gotta brew up a few kegs of Hefe for the summer. MmmmGood.

Caplan · Apr 3, 2007

Yuri_Rage said:
Doesn't wheat also violate the Reinheitsgebot?

And yeast did until they had to re-write the law.....

Denny's Evil Concoctions · Apr 3, 2007

That law is no longer valid due to EU regulations. lol. And Germans weren't the only brewers in the world.

Any method of carbonation will result in tiny bubbles if left to condition long enough.

How do you like your bubbles?

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Zymurgrafi

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