Priming sugar

Hello there i have a question im brewing beer and bottling it in 22 ounce bottles and im going to be using the carbonation drops from coopers. I have a feeling im not going to have enough for all 3o bottles. How much priming sugar would i need for the rest of the bootles if i run out of the carbonation drops?
Also if i have to use priming sugar what kind do i use corn sugar or table sugar for priming the bottles.

I believe it's around 1/10th of a gram per 12oz bottle, so go from there. You'll want to use corn sugar.

k thx what would happen if i use table sugar instead?
Also could i use cane sugar instead as well?

Corn suger produces a better final product, less flavor additions and, to me at least, a finer carbonation. Table suger can add slight cider/apple like favors, but to most people, these are not the end of their beer. I would just get the corn suger, or find more drops. Just my 2¢

Myself, I'm not a fan of the drops. I find that after a long primary (I usually primary for at least 3-4 weeks), there's not enough yeast still in suspension to fully dissolve those tablets. I only carbonated one beer with them though. That one beer was a porter, and everytime I open one, I find chunks of the tablet floating in it.

Suthrncomfrt1884 said:

I believe it's around 1/10th of a gram per 12oz bottle, so go from there. You'll want to use corn sugar.

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Not to split hairs, but I think you mean 1/10th of an ounce. ~5oz. for 5 gallons and ~10 12oz. bottles per gallon.

Personally, it's a lot less of a headache to boil the corn sugar and add it all at once to the fermenter before bottling. Especially since you're dealing with 22oz. bottles and a inadequate supply of drops.

k thank you i wont use table sugar but now what about cane sugar, like the raw sugar cane.
i left in the primary for two weeks and its been in the secondary for a week and a half now. Im about to bottle the beer.

Corn sugar is a simple sugar and will ferment very clean. Raw sugar will have some unfermentables and will add trace flavors and extra body. That doesn't mean you can't use it, but corn sugar will give you a very clean and consistent amount of carbonation.

I have been using cane/table sugar for a long time with no troubles with off flavors. The amount used for priming is relatively negligible, so there's little chance anyone could actually detect the difference between corn and cane being used in that capacity. However, you should use a bit less cane than you would corn for the same level of carbonation.

The thing I like about using cane sugar is that it's cheap and simplifies my life since I use it for cooking, etc. In addition to brewing.

What's wrong with using sucrose for bottling? Were talking about mere oz here. Also, if you think that its not 100 % fermentable, I know some pretty dry belgian ales that would seem to disagree.

thank you all for your input i am merly asking because i want to use the carbonation drops that i bought but now i am worryed because theres little yeast left in the beer. Most of all the yeast that was left over was thrown out when i racked it to the secondary carboy.
i do not know if the drops will dissolve if i use them now instead of using cane sugar since the beer looks like theres little to no yeast while setting in the secondary.

Also if i decide to use cane sugar instead of the drops how much should i use, a teaspoon, tablespoon or what?

flaminpi3 said:

Not to split hairs, but I think you mean 1/10th of an ounce. ~5oz. for 5 gallons and ~10 12oz. bottles per gallon.

Personally, it's a lot less of a headache to boil the corn sugar and add it all at once to the fermenter before bottling. Especially since you're dealing with 22oz. bottles and a inadequate supply of drops.

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good catch. I wasn't thinking clearly.

insnekamkze86 said:

k thx what would happen if i use table sugar instead?
Also could i use cane sugar instead as well?

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You can use table sugar for priming, there won't be any differance in taste. Table sugar is cane sugar (in USA/Canada).
Oh yeah, you want to use ~ 1 oz. of sugar / 1 gal of brew.

okay if i do have enough drops should i use them still or use a sugar instead?
i know i seem like im asking the same question over and over and im sorry but i dont want to mess up the beer. Last time i brewed i didnt rack to a secondary and use the drops and came out fine execept that i used 10 pounds of cane sugar in the batch and not raw cane sugar.

To be honest I've never used drops. I always bulk prime my beer, stir it gently, and let it sit for 15 minutes or so before bottling, to be sure that the carbonation is the same for each bottle. I don't really trust the drops as I feel they can ferment inconsistently if they don't dissolve as expected.

I had a couple in my last batch that didnt fully dissolve but the rest did. If the drops dont dissolve like there suppose to what will happen to the beer?

insnekamkze86 said:

I had a couple in my last batch that didnt fully dissolve but the rest did. If the drops dont dissolve like there suppose to what will happen to the beer?

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Nothing. It's just extra sugar that'll float around in your beer.

k thanks im going to bottle it tonite when i get off wk with the drops

I have notice that on the bottom of the bottles there is a light flim of residue from where the drops where that mixed into the beer while being inside the bottle. When i bottled them i shook them up so the drops would mix with the beer, now should i shake them again since theres a film showing that the drops have mixed with the beer?