Batch prime or carb drops

Bottling my first brew today. Should I batch prime or use carb drops per bottle. I'll be bottling directly from my fast fermenter

 

Batch priming is the way to go. Carb drops are ok but I find them inconsistent at best, though they will do in a pinch.

 

If you're talking about the "for beer" carb drops (fizz drops or whatever) then I would opt for batch priming. As long as you don't agitate your wort when mixing, it is probably the best way. Agitating adds unwanted o2.

I saw a suggestion of using Domino sugar "dots" instead of fizz drops and I gave it a try to excellent results. The NB fizz drops barely carbonated my previous two batches, but the sugar cubes gave me really well-carbonated beer.

Batch priming is best when you put the boiled and cooled sugar water in your bottling bucket, then siphon in the wort. Since you're not doing that, you have to get the sugar mixed into your wort somehow which could lead to extra o2 getting in there.

 

My first extract beer was batch primed with table sugar. It carbonated, but left me with little to no foam retention.
My following beers were done using leftover Carbo-drops. I used 22oz. bottles and two drops per bottle. Good carbonation, but the drops are more expensive than table sugar. After all my Carbo-drops are gone I'll be switching over to Domino sugar cubes.
I like foam to some degree but after a year or so, I've learned foam retention is more or less related to protein and hop oil content more than the type of sugar used in my beer.

 

Yep, thanks to Flars I've been using Domino Dot sugar cubes. But be sure to get the box with 198 cubes. They fit in the mouth of the bottle and offer perfect head and head retention.

 

I agree that carb drops are not the best. I've used them once. Likely won't use them again (unless I'm kegging and want to bottle off a small portion). I used them in a raspberry saison (1.000) and it definitely carbed it. But it was almost too fizzy, almost a champagne-like carbonation. It worked fine with something fruity like a raspberry saison. But thank God I didn't try it in an IPA or something hoppy. Don't think I would have enjoyed that.

 

I'll be bottling my DIPA in another week or so and being a NB kit it has their priming drops. Based on what I'm reading here, I'll probably opt for the Domino Dots instead.

Being that this is the Beginner section I'll ask the "noob" question: Are you guys just hand dropping one cube into each 12oz bottle direct from the box? Assuming you've sanitized your hands of course but any other steps?

 

Yep. Of course I'm trying to get them in there as gently as possible to keep from getting any more o2 in there then I'm already getting while bottling.

 

Why not put them in the bottles prior to adding the beer if you're worried about O2?

 

That's what I did when I used them. Grab a bottle, drop a cube in, fill, next...

 

LOL duh.

 

NB priming drops will work for an IPA. The yeast doesn't know or care how the little bit of priming sugar got there. If you got 'em with the kit I would use 'em.


There are a bunch of factors that determine mouth feel/body/carbonation/head retention. Priming sugar is somewhat down the list.