Adding priming sugar if not bottling....

Should I add my priming sugar to my barrel just before I add my beer if I don't intend on bottling it? I intend on just leaving it in the barrel and then just using the barrel's tap to dispense it. Is this the right way to go about it?

It's a good way to keep CO2 on the barrel & prevent oxidation.

I assume you are talking about a corny keg? I dont understand, you dont have a co2 system or something? Your barrel has a "tap"? I'm lost, could you please explain more

this it the barrel i have - http://www.easybrew.co.uk/product_d...c2&PHPSESSID=5d9d1f3efb7974411e625d16ac4150c2
- and this is the priming sugar - http://www.easybrew.co.uk/product_d...c2&PHPSESSID=5d9d1f3efb7974411e625d16ac4150c2 how do i use this stuff? i'm not really sure....

tom

if priming a keg with sugar, you don't use as much as you do when you bottle. I believe it's .33 cup of corn sugar. Do a search for 1982 Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, it's Papazian's recipe and I put the exact measurement in that recipe. I don't keg so take all of this with a grain of salt.

While I think you can prime with sugar in that ball, you'll probably still need to apply pressure to serve the beer out of the spigot without letting the beer go flat towards the middle to end of the batch. As you serve, the pressure that built up during priming will push some beer out, but as it comes out of solution, the beer goes flat. You'll probably need some kind of CO2 cylinder, even if they're the disposable kind.

I agree w/ bobby. I looked at that product page, and it says that there's an inlet valve---which makes me think that you could attach a CO2 tank to it.

Echo the pressure attachment. They are there for something. Priming sugar, I'd use the same as for bottling. I've read the debate on using less sugar, but not one really good explaination. Also, since your going to have to have some pressure to serve it, the only thing that more priming sugar will do is create more CO2 pressure, and that would be a good thing in your situation. Prime on!!!

thanks guys, i do indeed have a CO2 canister that I can use, thanks for the suggestions about when to use it - ".....go flat towards the middle to end of the batch..." how long do you guys suggest i let the brew sit in the keg for after adding it to the priming sugar before it's ready to consume? am i likely to get much additional krausen?

I assume it will take about the same amount of time as if it were being bottle conditioned; 1-3 weeks. I think you'd be able to wait about a week after you prime, add the serving CO2 pressure and see if you like th e carb level. If not, I assume waiting a little longer would still add more carbonation even though you have serving pressure on it. I'm guessing, so I'd wait for an answer on this. Another thought is the possibility of overpressuring that container by applying serving pressure before all the natural carbonation has occured. What do ya'll think?

that thought had crossed my mind - i've not done this before so i have no feel about how much natural carbonation will occur. i'm also a bit unsure about how much CO2 to add.

I am in the same situation with a lager in pressure barrel and a CO2 cyclinder. The guy at the brew shop said to literally only give it a one second burst of CO2 and that will add plenty! I'm not sure about adding it while the barrel is full though, if anyone can answer that? (I may ring the brew shop up and ask him, if so I'll put the answer here)

Ok he said to only put extra CO2 in once you have started drinking it and the pressure is going down for serving. There is a pressure release valve but he says you should never have so much pressure in it that it has to set the valve off. So I think I'll drink 6 to 10 pints then top it up with a 1 second burst.

What's the capacity of the barrel?

I use minikegs (5 liter) and prime with 2-3 tsps per keg.

If it's 5 gal and CO2 is used I would use only 1/3 cup of priming sugar.

The one I have holds about 28 liters so I put around 2oz of sugar in.

19 liters is 5 gals...a general guideline is about 1 oz of priming sugar per 1 gal of brew...you are way underprimed, but if you add CO2 then that would compensate somewhat.