Carbonation

[Davick57]

Hi everyone!!!! When I carbonate my beer I add half tsp of corn sugar to each bottle. Some one at my brew shop told me an easier way. He said to add corn sugar and water then add your brew. Then you bottle. This way I don't have to add corn sugar to the bottles and every bottle will be evenly carbonated? Is this correct? If so what is the process ?(how much water, how much sugar ). Help on this would be great !!!! Thanks

 

[jro238]

Yep. This works very well for most people.

Just boil enough water to dissolve your sugar (not sure of exact volume since I haven't bottled in a few years), let it cool down a bit then add it to your bottling bucket with the beer.

edit: I would suggest you use a priming calculator online to figure out how much sugar for your desired carbonation level.

 

[Davick57]

Ok. I think all I add is a cup of sugar than once I add the brew I stir it very slow and for a very short time. I would say I'm making about 23 gallons of beer so I'm hoping 1 cup is enough. I really don't wanna screw this batch up. I'm just wondering if I should do it the way I always have. Unless this is just a very easy and guaranteed process

 

[Yooper]

Ok. I think all I add is a cup of sugar than once I add the brew I stir it very slow and for a very short time. I would say I'm making about 23 gallons of beer so I'm hoping 1 cup is enough. I really don't wanna screw this batch up. I'm just wondering if I should do it the way I always have. Unless this is just a very easy and guaranteed process

No. You dissolve the sugar (if you have a scale, weigh it- it's much more accurate) in 2 cups of water and boil that on the stove for a few minutes. Pour that into a bottling bucket, and then rack (siphon) the beer into that, so that the tip of the tubing is in the bottom of the bucket in a circle, and then the beer fills from the bottom, swirling to mix the beer and priming solution for you.

Never add sugar to a beer and stir! First, it won't mix well. Secondly, you'll oxidize the beer by stirring. Lastly, you'll stir up all that crud on the bottom of the fermenter that you spent weeks encouraging to settle out.

 

[doornumber3]

Definitely dissolve it in 3/4 cup of water and chill it and then add to your bottling bucket. Without question weighing it is the way to go. I used to over carb everything and then started weighing it and its perfect. Use the on line calculators to see how much you should do.

 

[Hello]

Ok. I think all I add is a cup of sugar than once I add the brew I stir it very slow and for a very short time. I would say I'm making about 23 gallons of beer so I'm hoping 1 cup is enough. I really don't wanna screw this batch up. I'm just wondering if I should do it the way I always have. Unless this is just a very easy and guaranteed process

Don't guess, use a calculator.
1 cup of sugar to 23 gallons doesn't seem right at all.

http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator/carbonation.html?10529930#tag

 

[jro238]

It looks like you are using corn sugar, so according to the brewers friend priming sugar calculator for 23 gallons of beer:

If you want your beer carbed to 2.3 volumes (I'm just guessing a normal carbonation level for most styles here) and using a beer temperature of 70F you would need 18.9oz (according to northern brewer this is in the area of 2.5 cups).

Definitely don't guess with priming sugar when dealing with 23 gallons of beer. That is a whole lot of exploding bottles or sad, flat beer that you could have on your hands...

 

[Davick57]

Thanks everyone !!

 

[BigFloyd]

The 18.9 ounce number that jro238 gave you is WEIGHT, not volume. If you want to prime accurately, always weigh the priming sugar.

As a general rule of thumb, 0.8 ounces of corn sugar per gallon of beer will give you in the neighborhood of 2.3-2.5 volumes of CO2. If using table sugar, reduce that to 0.75 ounces/gallon.