Bottling in 1 liter bottles

[richvlloyd]

Can anyone tell me how much corn sugar I need to add to each bottle?

 

[llazy_llama]

For the 1,000,000th time, don't add sugar directly to the bottle. Calculate how much sugar you need for your entire batch, boil that with a bit of water, then pour the sugar water into your bottling bucket before racking your beer into it. For most 5 gallon recipes, 3/4 cup of corn sugar and 1 cup of water is recommended.

 

[richvlloyd]

alright thanks. It's my first batch and that's what the lady at the homebrew store told me to do. Does it matter that my fermenter is my bottling bucket?

 

[llazy_llama]

Umm... yeah, a bit. To be honest, I had that same sort of thing with my first batch. The reason we say to add the priming sugar to the bucket and then siphon in your beer on top of that, is because that mixes it up very well without introducing oxygen to the finished beer. Too much oxygen at this point can cause off flavors. If you don't have a separate bottling bucket, you'll have to pour in the sugar water mixture and stir it gently but thoroughly. You want to be careful not to mix up that trub at the bottom, or your beer will have more of a yeast taste then you likely want (don't know what style of beer we're talking about though).

Is this bucket you're fermenting in your only fermenter? If you have another bucket or carboy handy, you could rack into that, clean the hell out of the bucket, add your sugar to the bucket, then rack the beer back into it. If not, you're going to have to take your chances. Adding sugar directly to the bottles is probably the #1 culprit behind bottle bombs. It's almost impossible to get the exact amount needed into each bottle.

All in all, I think it's just a case of LHBS employee giving some bad advice all around. Troll around here for a while, and your next batch will come out much better. But, like I mentioned earlier, I did the same thing in my first batch and it came out fine.

 

[richvlloyd]

Thanks a ton. I'll try to add it very gently.

 

[Schlenkerla]

For the 1,000,000th time, don't add sugar directly to the bottle. Calculate how much sugar you need for your entire batch, boil that with a bit of water, then pour the sugar water into your bottling bucket before racking your beer into it. For most 5 gallon recipes, 3/4 cup of corn sugar and 1 cup of water is recommended.

This is a good website to use.

The Beer Recipator - Carbonation

llazy_llama - is for the most part correct as was the LHBS.

For what its worth, a one liter bottle needs 2.5 teaspoons.

The bulk priming method is generally the best route to go. Its also the most commonly accepted method. I think the beer primes better and is more consistently bottle to bottle. I have done it both ways and have never had a problem with either way.

Another reason for bulk priming is cleanliness. Boiling water and sugar ensures the best aging condition for your beer. (Thinking long storage especially big beers)

I don't think its very easy to get infections from adding sugar to a bottle no more that it is from dry hopping.

If you bulk prime stir thoroughly and gently as you siphon to a bottling bucket. I assume you have that. When you do this don't whip it, just give a good gentle stir.

If you decide to add sugar to the bottle cap them then give them a good easy rocking-shake to blend the sugar. Repeat this after a day or two until its totally dissolved.

 

[llazy_llama]

He's using his bottling bucket as his fermenter, that's where the problem comes from.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Adding sugar directly to the bottles is probably the #1 culprit behind bottle bombs. It's almost impossible to get the exact amount needed into each bottle.

Gotta disagree with this statement. Its usually from bottling too early.

I bottle primed for over a year w/o bottle bombs. More than 24 batches.

Most new brewers don't check the FG and are too eager to bottle/drink the beer.

 

[Schlenkerla]

He's using his bottling bucket as his fermenter, that's where the problem comes from.

I agree - That's definitely no good.

 

[GunnerMan]

I like to brew on the cheap so other than my fermenter buckets and boiling pots I use standard hardware store supplies.

Do yourself a favor and go get a 5 gallon bucket from your hardware store, the plastic should be number 5 I believe. (usually white) with lid. (5 gallon bucks actually almost hold 7 gallons) so now you have a dedicated bottling bucket. Trust me you want to do this to keep as much trub out as possible because a yestie beer is a nasty beer.

I installed a spigot on my bucket and attached a short hose to it, that is my bottling device.