adding sugar before the bottling

[beeronious]

so i was wondering (im preparing for my 1st home brew batch) do you have to add sugar to the beer before u bottle if, and if so why ?
i know that it is because of the carbonation, but i spend last summer working in a micro brewery and we were adding nothing to the beer before bottling or keging it.

and can you use any kind of sugar, like the regular one for cooking or it has to be something special for this ?

and one last thing
can u substitute sugar with honey for example ?


and keep on :rockin:

Beerly yours,
Beeronious

 

[RM-MN]

Your microbrewery probably force carbonated the beer before bottling so you didn't need to add priming sugar and wouldn't get the "dregs" in the bottom of the bottle. Your beer should be completely fermented out before you bottle so you will need the priming sugar to carbonate yours. You can use the corn sugar that the home brew shops sell or table sugar will also work but need a different amount. Honey would be the last choice for me but it can work.

 

[beeronious]

thanks for the reply ! again !
and now i have a follow up question ...
why should the beer be fully fermented before bottling ?

 

[Yooper]

thanks for the reply ! again !
and now i have a follow up question ...
why should the beer be fully fermented before bottling ?

If you bottle a beer that isn't done fermenting, it will finish in the bottle and the pressure will build up from the c02 being formed in the bottle. Then, the bottles will blow up.

 

[beeronious]

and we dont want that, do we ?

so one last question.

the only reason bottling bucket is used is so that you can mix the sugar properly ? or do u even have to use one ?

 

[RM-MN]

When your beer is fully fermented in your fermenting bucket there will be a layer of yeast and trub on the bottom. You don't want all that in your bottles so you carefully rack it to another vessel (bottling bucket) to mix in the priming sugar so you don't stir up all the yeast and trub trying to mix the sugar in the fermenter. The bottling bucket then helps you get cleaner beer. Usually the bottling bucket will have a spigot near the bottom that makes bottling easier than using a siphon too.

 

[jflongo]

and we dont want that, do we ?

so one last question.

the only reason bottling bucket is used is so that you can mix the sugar properly ? or do u even have to use one ?

There are a couple of reasons to use a bottling bucket.

1. To batch prime your beer for bottling with sugar
2. To make bottling easier by hooking up a hose and bottling wand to the spigot.
3. As a backup fermenter if all of your other buckets/carboys are in use and you need another

 

[beeronious]

tnx for the much needed explanation guys !!

you all :rockin: