Sweetened Lime Juice For Priming?

After doing lots of reading and tossing around ideas for adding lime flavor to an ale post-ferm, I took a chance and racked my 5 gal batch onto a 12 oz. bottle of Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice (I didn't read anywhere to do this -- my idea). The beer has a definite lime flavor I'm happy with without it being overpowering. The HFCS will likely cause some 2nd ferm action, so I'm going to let it ride for 3 weeks before bottling. Then I got to wondering if the Rose's could be used as a priming solution at bottling to create a one-shot lime flavor and carbing. And how would you calculate the amount needed? Anyone ever done this?

How many calories are in 2 fluid ounces? The one time I made apfelwein, I used FAJC for priming sugar. It has 120 calories in 2 fluid ounces, and I figured out that 6mL per 12oz bottle would prime so the finished product would have ~2.5 volumes of CO². The carbonation came out nicely.

I wouldnt try it. You can estimate the amount fo sugar from teh nutrition facts, but you have no way of knowing what %age of that sugar will be digestible by yeast

I've done this before with pasteurized pineapple juice, 1qt for a keg. This over carbed it a little, so I just vented the pressure over a couple days to get it where it needed to be. But this was a keg and not bottles...

I would be a little hesitant with something like Rose's...are there a lot of preservatives in there? But I would also imagine you'd get a straight up strong lime flavor from it though. I guess you could experiment and do a couple bottles for different levels of juice and then see what that gets you.

m00ps said:

I wouldnt try it. You can estimate the amount fo sugar from teh nutrition facts, but you have no way of knowing what %age of that sugar will be digestible by yeast

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It's sweetened with HFCS. I thought that was 100% fermentable.

It does have small amounts of sodium metabisulfates in it for preservatives. Maybe that would mess things up? I really don't know...

slym2none said:

How many calories are in 2 fluid ounces? The one time I made apfelwein, I used FAJC for priming sugar. It has 120 calories in 2 fluid ounces, and I figured out that 6mL per 12oz bottle would prime so the finished product would have ~2.5 volumes of CO². The carbonation came out nicely.

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Here's the deal...

Serv. size: 1 tbsp.
Serv. per container: 71
Sugar per serving: 2 grams
Calories per serving: 10

12 oz bottle = 71 serv. X 10 cal per serv. = 710 calories total per bottle
divided by 6 = 118 calories in 2 oz.

Very similar to your above results. Was the vol. you calculated for a 5 gal batch?

My 6mL is for one 12 oz bottle. If batch-priming, just figure out app. how many bottles you are going to end up with and do the math to upscale.

Pardons, I am purely a bottle-primer of small batches. I batch-primed once, it turned out under-carbed, and I didn't think it was really more work/a PITA to individually prime each bottle, so that's how I still do it.

slym2none said:

My 6mL is for one 12 oz bottle. If batch-priming, just figure out app. how many bottles you are going to end up with and do the math to upscale.

Pardons, I am purely a bottle-primer of small batches. I batch-primed once, it turned out under-carbed, and I didn't think it was really more work/a PITA to individually prime each bottle, so that's how I still do it.

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Gotcha, thanks. Just for the record, I don't expect to be priming anything with Rose's lime juice in the near future, but it's good to know. I know the fructose in the HFCS will ferm out OK, but I'm thinking the glucose might be stressing the remaining yeast a little --- today it has a slightly eggy smell in the airlock. Thinking it'll be OK.

slym2none said:

My 6mL is for one 12 oz bottle. If batch-priming, just figure out app. how many bottles you are going to end up with and do the math to upscale.

Pardons, I am purely a bottle-primer of small batches. I batch-primed once, it turned out under-carbed, and I didn't think it was really more work/a PITA to individually prime each bottle, so that's how I still do it.

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Thanks for hanging in there with me on this.

A couple quick questions. It appears the yeast have eaten the sugar in the lime juice addition; visual activity has ceased and the 'eggy' smell has all but dissipated. Should I do another FG reading to make sure it's back to where it was post-ferm?

Also, I think this beer will have a tendency to be on the dry side with the corn sugar and rice syrup solids in the boil and now the HFCS addition. Do I prime to desired vol's CO2 (2.2-2.3), or back it down for fear of over-drying?

Another FG reading? I guess if it settles your mind, but I wouldn't.

I would think 2.2 or vols. of CO² would be fine. 2.5 & up might be too dry-feeling for this.

@GHBWNY - please read!

I just looked at my notes, and I only used 4mL of FAJC for each 12 oz bottle, not 6!!! Very important!!! So sorry for giving the wrong info!!!!!

slym2none said:

@GHBWNY - please read!

I just looked at my notes, and I only used 4mL of FAJC for each 12 oz bottle, not 6!!! Very important!!! So sorry for giving the wrong info!!!!!

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Thanks, no problem. Priming is at least a week away. C-C'ing now, doing a post-secondary FG and if there is no change from primary post-ferm FG, I'll prime for ~2.2 - 2.3. Here's hoping.