Extract kits and corn sugar quantities

[beekeeperman]

How come they can't bother to send the proper amount of priming sugar for the beer type ?
With Midwest supplies it is always 5 ounces no matter what type of beer, too much for ales and not enough for bavarian hefeweizen.
They seem to be able to get the grain and malt quantities right usually.

Are we all suppose to have ounce/gram scales ?

Does one size fit all close enough ?

How do you measure .60 cups accurately ? Does it really matter to be that accurate ?

 

[flars]

They send 5 ounces because that is about the maximum for a highly carbonated 5 gallon batch of beer. You use the amount of it you need to achieve the carbonation level that you want for the beer you brewed, whether it is a highly carbed saison or low carbed stout.
It is very difficult to measure the priming sugar by volume. Weight is a much better to determine the amount you want to use. A $20 digital scale is a good investment. The scale will be very useful in the kitchen also. When baking bread the weight of the flour used is more accurate than volume.
Northern Brewer has a calculator which shows volume and weight for the various sugars which can be used for bulk priming.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/

 

[DaNewf]

I'll second flars's (flars' ?) recommendation for a digital scale. I use mine for weighing all kinds of stuff: priming sugar, lactose, cocoa powder, hops, various other prepackaged ingredients... sometimes I even bust it out for non-brewing activities but that always makes me a little nervous since I like to keep my brewing gear separate from general household items (brewing OCD? maybe).

 

[kaconga]

How come they can't bother to send the proper amount of priming sugar for the beer type ?
With Midwest supplies it is always 5 ounces no matter what type of beer, too much for ales and not enough for bavarian hefeweizen.
They seem to be able to get the grain and malt quantities right usually.

Are we all suppose to have ounce/gram scales ?

Does one size fit all close enough ?

How do you measure .60 cups accurately ? Does it really matter to be that accurate ?

I like all my beers to be pretty much carbonated the same. I know hefe is supposed to be more and english bitter less but I like em fizzy. Though anymore I don't use the corn sugar for priming, I just boil up whatever I have on hand that is fermentable and use it. Typically cane sugar, but I have used honey and other sugars too. Those guys at the hbs can't box us in if we don't let them....:fro:

 

[podz]

Are we all suppose to have ounce/gram scales ?

How do you measure .60 cups accurately ? Does it really matter to be that accurate ?

Man, I hate these US style "cups" measurements. US weight system sucks pretty badly as well, for example the smallest number most people deal in or reference is 1/4 ounce which is 7 grams. There's a hell of a big difference between 2 grams and 6 grams when it comes to anything that is chemically important (yeast, sugar, hops, etc).

I would say that a homebrewer who doesn't own a scale capable of measuring grams isnt a very serious homebrewer.

You accurately measure 0.6 cups of corn sugar by first weighing an entire cup (make sure to tare your cup before filling it), and then multiplying the cup weight by 0.6. And then you make a note of it or remember it how much does one cup of corn sugar weigh (which will be very different weight than one cup of granulated sugar). It's a two minute exercise.

 

[beekeeperman]

Thanks everyone
Found a dietetic scale for a buck at a yard sale.
Guess that will be better than a measuring cup .

Still new to this homebrewing , bottling batch #5 today.

 

[unionrdr]

I bought a digital scale at Walmart for $20. It measures up to 10lbs in pounds, kilograms, grams & ounces. I use it for grains, hops, priming sugar, etc. Handy & quick. I use two different priming calculators depending on the style of beer.
This one from NB;
http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/
And from tasty brew;
http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html