Priming sugar question

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Hebby5

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I forgot to pick up the priming sugar when I purchased all my ingredients at the home brew store for my current batch of beer. I can run down there tomorrow but wanted to know if I could get it at the supermarket. What kind of sugar is it anyway? I think it supposed to be corn sugar but that is going by memory.

Thoughts??

Thanks in advance.

Chris

Ps. It's for a Belgian Witbier that I hope to bottle tomorrow or Monday.
 
Yes corn sugar is 'priming sugar' but you can use cane sugar, DME, and I've even heard of people using honey but the nice thing about corn sugar and I think cane sugar is that it is 100% fermentable so it imparts no flavor on the beer.
 
You are not going to find corn sugar at the supermarket. White cane sugar will work fine. If your 5 Gal recipe calls for 3/4 cup of corn sugar use 2/3 cup table sugar. There are a lot of things you can use but table sugar is probably your best bet. Do a google search or search this site and you will get all the specifics you need.
 
How much water do i use? Both calculators do a great job at telling how much cane sugar or corn sugar to use but not sure on the water amount. I've seen 2 cups of water w/ sugar boiled for 10 minutes somewhere but will keep digging.

Anyone?? Thoughts?
 
You just want enough water to dissolve the sugar. I usually just grab some bottled water and use about half of a small bottle.
 
I use 2 cups o'water and 4.5 to 5.0 ounces of corn sugar for 5 gallons. I prefer to weigh for better consistency.
I boil (simmer) the water/sugar mixture for about 10 mins then just add it to my beer. I don't worry about cooling it off since 16oz of hot water will have a negligible effect on 5 gallons of beer. I do stir very slow for about 5 minutes in order to mix everything well!
 
I use between 3.8-4.0 oz of cane sugar or 4.0 to 4.2oz of corn sugar for my beers. Side by side, I can't taste the diff between corn and cane sugar when used for priming. It's an old myth that's been debunked years ago.

I usually use about 2 cups of water as well to dissolve the sugar, then bring to a boil for a few minutes, add to my bottling bucket then rack my beer on top of it. Give it a slight whirl right before I start bottling and I've always gotten consistent carbonation.
 
If you're talking a big addition like you might do with some belgian beers or big beers, then type of sugar can make a big difference. With amounts as small as priming for a 5 gallon batch... not so much. Though there are differences that have to be accounted for in how much you use.
 
It's been been about 10 days from bottling while using cane sugar instead of corn sugar. The Beglian Witbier tasted great. Lots of carbonation but no head. In fact, it maybe a little too fizzy but the beer tasted good over all. My ABV is 5.6%. I know it needs to age more but had to try one last night.

Thoughts? I am thinking about sticking wit corn sugar for priming in the future.

Chris


Thoughts f
 
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