Common mistake

[bsruther]

Last night the wife and I bottled our second batch, a custom kit from our LHBS. It tasted great out of the bucket, much better than the first. So we start bottling and after about ten bottles, I realize that I forgot the priming sugar. While I'm gently pouring the beer back into the fermenter, the wife boiled up the sugar. I poured the sugar in after cooling it and stirred it gently, trying to avoid getting air in the beer. The wife was freaking out thinking the beer would be ruined. I told her not to worry, it will still be beer. Is there a chance the beer will have any off flavors from this?

 

[Yooper]

It should be ok, although definitely not ideal! If you were careful pouring and stirring you should be fine.

One thing I did was buy some carb tabs (little sugar/malt extract tablets) that you can use in individual bottles, just in case I forget to put in the priming sugar. I've only used a few, so I guess it wasn't really worth the money- except that I did always have a Plan B.

You may want to have a little checklist that you keep with you bottling gear. Just a little checklist to help you remember each little thing. If your house is like mine, the bottles are in the basement, the sanitizer is in the kitchen (as are the bottle caps, in a drawer), the bottling wand and tree are also in the basement, etc. I'm always running around finding everything on bottling day, as well as on brewday. Believe me, a checklist sounds kind of goofy for only about 5-6 items, but it helps!

 

[Dougan]

You'll be fine. A little oxidation maybe but shouldn't be enough to cause problems.

I recently got some carb tabs as well. I got them so I could bottle a bottle or two before dry hopping so I can compare later. Seems like they carb up right away, but, chunks are left behind from the tabs. After 3 weeks, it seems that they too have disappeared.

 

[Stef1966]

I don't get why some people use such sophisticated methods...

"Boil this amount of minutes, do this at exactly this time... then add the hops but only if the temp is exactly at...???"

Hey it's beer, it's no rocket science?
I never followed any rules except regular cleanliness and i get great comments for my beer, if that means anything, the only thing that matters is that i love my beer.

 

[BierMuncher]

I don't get why some people use such sophisticated methods.....

I don't know that I'd consider priming beer before bottling to be a "sophisticated method".

 

[bsruther]

I'm all about keeping it simple and I agree that it's not rocket science. But air in finished beer seems to be one of those basic nonos.

I'll definitely get some carb tabs for backup, although I doubt the wife will let this mistake happen again. I keep all of my equipment in one room which makes things much easier but, a checklist does sound like a good idea.

The third batch is in the Bierklozzit and it's coming along very nicely. I think it will be the best one yet.

 

[Grinder12000]

"Boil this amount of minutes, do this at exactly this time... then add the hops but only if the temp is exactly at...???"

Actually making award winning beer IS rocket science. Not doing the above will only give you GOOD beer. If all you want is GOOD beer - go with it I strive for award winning beer myself and am very anal.

 

[Mike M]

... The wife was freaking out ...

They do that.

I betcha remember the priming sugar in the future.

 

[Jbrew33]

You should be fine. Let us know how it comes out.

 

[Stef1966]

Actually making award winning beer IS rocket science. Not doing the above will only give you GOOD beer. If all you want is GOOD beer - go with it I strive for award winning beer myself and am very anal.

Exactly, and frankly, i may be dead wrong, but past a certain point, i am positive i wouldn't even be able to taste the difference between a regular home brew like i do, and one of those "award winning beer" you mentioned.

I do not have such a picky palate (i never ditched any beer, even the worse store bought ones) and i only brew beer for myself and the occasional pals at home.

 

[Stef1966]

I don't know that I'd consider priming beer before bottling to be a "sophisticated method".

This is how i do priming:

1-measure the right amount of Dextrose.
2-transfer the beer to bottling bucket.
3- pour the dextrose in (unboiled still in it's powder state) and stir it good.
4- Bottle and forget all about it for at least a week.

This is what i call simple.

 

[llazy_llama]

I don't get why some people use such sophisticated methods...

Neither does Craig. It's what seperates good beer from great beer.

 

[bsruther]

I'm not trying to make award winning beer and I never plan on it. I just want beer that suits me. I've learned from Craig that beer making can be simple but, I've also learned from HBT that many of his methods are totally wrong. This is what's great about having so many brewing resources available.

 

[SumnerH]

This is how i do priming:

1-measure the right amount of Dextrose.
2-transfer the beer to bottling bucket.
3- pour the dextrose in (unboiled still in it's powder state) and stir it good.
4- Bottle and forget all about it for at least a week.

This is what i call simple.

If you're going for simple: Putting the sugar in before you transfer the beer makes stirring easier.

The only other thing most people here are saying to do is boil it in some water, just to make sure it's sanitized and easier to mix in. But the odds of an infection from the sugar are pretty low, so if you think the tiny increased risk is worth the savings in effort from boiling that's fine too.

 

[Stef1966]

If you're going for simple: Putting the sugar in before you transfer the beer makes stirring easier.

Since im racking from my primary towards bottling bucket, i do not want to add the sugar and stir it while it's still sitting on a one inch yeast cake lying at the bottom of my primary and im quite sure you can guess why i dont want to do that...

As far as Craig is concerned, my method differ from his in various points, but we sure share the same "straight to the point" concept.

The day home brewing will become an exactitude science is the day I'll stop doing it.

I brew like i cook, i don't follow methods or recipes, i just sometimes look at some pics in cook books and tell myself: "Yeah... looks tasty, let's try something similar" but going with the main idea, i do my own recipes.

 

[Yooper]

Since im racking from my primary towards bottling bucket, i do not want to add the sugar and stir it while it's still sitting on a one inch yeast cake lying at the bottom of my primary and im quite sure you can guess why i dont want to do that...

Er, no. You put the sugar in the bottling bucket first. Then transfer the beer to the bottling bucket, and it mixes in by itself with just a little bit of "help" from you. That's what he meant.

 

[Stef1966]

Er, no. You put the sugar in the bottling bucket first. Then transfer the beer to the bottling bucket, and it mixes in by itself with just a little bit of "help" from you. That's what he meant.

I shall try that then.