carbonating sugar

[panfishrfun]

I don't have a scale, and I was wondering if anyone knew how many cups 2 or 4 oz. of priming sugar equaled.

 

[RMitch]

4oz should be a little over half a cup.

1 cup = 7.05 oz

 

[hudsonj6]

I found a website that says it's 7 ounces to a cup of granulated sugar, so if you're using dextrose probably a little less.

 

[Elshupacabra]

It depends on what kind of sugar you're using.

 

[RMitch]

How much dextrose for a 5-gall batch?

 

[FensterBos]

I've read and follow 5 ounce of priming sugar per 5 gallon batch (e.g. 1 oz. per gallon).

 

[panfishrfun]

Thanks guys, I use corn sugar, so I assume that's what you're saying is 7 oz to a cup

 

[minerkj]

I have found that dextrose is actually much lighter than granulated sugar. Using a digital scale, I found one cup of dextrose to be 135-136g or 4.76-4.8 ounces per cup (compared to granulated at 184g or 6.5 ounces per cup)

To answer the OP:
2 ounces of dextrose would be about 0.418 cups or 1/3C + 1Tbsp + 1tsp
4 ounces of dextrose would be about 0.836 Cup or 3/4C + 1 Tbsp + 1tsp + 1/8tsp

As a side note, my LHBS beer kits call for 3/4C of dextrose for priming a 5 gallon batch, which is very close the 4 ounces above.

 

[aggiejay06]

Whatever you choose...be conservative. I've got 2 different bottled batches that I ended up using too much sugar in...they gush and they have a strong, overcarbonated bite that masks the great flavors the beers had a week after bottling, before full carbonation set in.

 

[Sacreddog717]

http://tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html

 

[ayoungrad]

The issue with converting weight to volume is that it depends on the degree of compaction. If you put any pressure on the sugar as you fill a cup, you can fit more sugar in the same volume.

This is really only an issue if you have a specific amount of carbonation in mind.

As aggiejay06 mentions, the only real issue other than not achieving the exact carbonation level you want is way overdoing it and getting bottle bombs.

So be conservative when you measure - don't use any pressure when you measure the volume.

 

[aggiejay06]

Compaction definitely something to take into account. Might be a good idea to get a kitchen scale. I'm going to get one myself. I've gone without to this point (6 batches), and now that I'm feeling the sting of way overcarbonating 2 batches of beer, I think it's well worth the $20-$30 to be sure you put the right amount in. Why put all that precious work and all that precious beer at risk?

It will end up being extremely useful for weighing grain and hops down the line, too.