Co2 primers? How do you do it?

[colhep67]

So I have been thinking a lot lately about adding my own co2 layer after adding yeast to my beer. Now I have personally never had a bad batch (knocking on wood) but I only have 5 beers under my belt.

Now my question is, how do you guys add a co2 layer? I have been looking at whip cream makers and just leaving it empty, putting a co2 cartridge in and blowing the co2 in my bucket. Also would it be a good idea to spray some co2 in the neck of my bottles when bottling to prevent oxidation and even in my bottling bucket before siphoning the beer into it?

 

[Yooper]

Adding co2 to the bottling bucket isn't a bad idea, and could be useful if you're having oxidation issues, but you don't want to add it to the fermenter with the yeast. C02 is actually poisonous to yeast, and often meadmakers will degas the mead in the early stages to keep it from stopping fermentation. Normally, the excess co2 produced during fermentation is vented through the airlock so it's not a problem, but I wouldn't add any.

Some people do purge their finished fermentations with co2 and that could be helpful if extended aging is required in a vessel instead of bottling the beer.

 

[colhep67]

So the whip cream thing would be good?

 

[colhep67]

At least for bottling?