Bottle priming method

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Bierenliefhebber

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I've been using a method of priming my bottles for a while now that I haven't been able to find mentioned here or in any of the how-to books that I've read, so I thought I'd share it in case anybody else finds it useful, and on the off-chance that nobody's thought of it before.

I don't like like to use a priming vessel, since I feel this aerates the beer unnecessarily and creates an opportunity for infection. Priming bottle-by-bottle, on the other hand, is normally tedious, prone to measurement errors, and risks infection if the sugar added is not sterile. My method presents a procedure for bottle priming that is simple, accurate, and maintains sterility. To summarize, I add a measured amount of sterile sugar solution, of known concentration, to each bottle.

First, I make up a 1:1 volume-volume solution of dextrose. The powdered dextrose that I use weighs 65 g. per 100 ml., but note that this will vary depending on the fineness of the grind, and will be different if you use a different sugar. You'll need to determine the weight of a given volume of the sugar you intend to be using.

If I mix 100 ml of water and 100 ml of my powdered dextrose, the resulting solution after the dextrose dissolves has a volume of 155 ml. This means that the solution contains 4.2 g/l. This solution can now be boiled for a few minutes to sterilize it before using it for priming. Yeast nutrients or heading agent can also be added at this time if desired.

To prime my bottles, I use a plastic, 10-ml, sterile syringe. I can thus measure out a precise volume of sterile priming sugar solution, and squirt it into the bottle, add the uncarbonated beer, and cap it in just a few seconds. As outlined here, 4 ml of solution will add 1.6 grams of sugar which will equal 4.8 g/liter when added to a 33-centiliter bottle. The amount of liquid can easily be adjusted for different sugars, various carbonation levels, or different-sized bottles.

If one wanted to get really fancy, and even quicker, he could even use one of those adjustable autopipettes that they use in analytical labs, but those things, and their disposable tips, don't come cheap.
 
So you bottle straight from the primary? Do you have issues with trub getting into your bottles?
 
The purpose here is simply to be able to bottle directly from either the primary or the secondary fermenter, without having to transfer the green beer into another vessel just to add priming sugar. This avoids the aeration that would be involved in such a transfer, and eliminates one possibility for introducing infective organisms.

But, to answer your question, sometimes I bottle directly from the primary. Other times, I'll transfer the brew to a secondary for a couple of weeks, especially the lighter-colored or low-gravity brews, or all-grainers where there's a lot of mash residue. In either case, the trick seems to be patience, letting the trub settle out and firm up so it doesn't find its way into any but that last, grubby bottle. Also, I don't siphon, but use a fermenter with a tap near the bottom and a stiff plastic filler tube that fits snugly onto the outlet. This doesn't disturb the trub, and minimizes the amount that gets into the beer as it's drawn off.
 
I use a conical with lower tap and bottle directly from that valve. With some practice it has yielded some pretty clear beers.
I have used sugar tabs or teaspoon measured with a funnel. No problems so far but your method assures a better measurement of sugar and I like the idea of steralizing the sugar.
thank you :mug:
 
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