How to carbonate one bottle ?

[abbot555]

I made a Porter. Going to primary ferment it for a week then add cherries for another week, until fermentation is complete. But wanted to know how to carbonate one or two bottles. Its my own recipie but I wanted to know how my basic porter recipie comes out. So when I transfer to the secondary I figured I would bottle a few and try them out. But dont know how much sugar to add or how ?

Ideas?

 

[TheGeek]

The math on carbing single bottles should be linear in comparison to you entire batch. However your easiest option is to pick up a pack of carb tabs from your LHBS.

 

[passedpawn]

I've carbed 12oz. bottles with a teaspoon of corn sugar. Worked fine.

 

[abbot555]

The math on carbing single bottles should be linear in comparison to you entire batch. However your easiest option is to pick up a pack of carb tabs from your LHBS.

These tabs, you just drop one in the bottle?

I've carbed 12oz. bottles with a teaspoon of corn sugar. Worked fine.

Any water or anything to dissolve the corn sugar? Or just dropped it in the bottle , fill with beer then cap?

 

[jdp]

yep. thats it with the tabs. The corn sugar...I boil it for a bit in water then dump it into the bottling bucket to make sure it is sanitary, I don't really know about just dropping it in. I have never just done one bottle. Someone else will pipe up I am sure.

 

[OsbornBrewing]

I have always used a scant teaspoon, as in not a heaping teaspoon, I make sure it is not quite full.

No water, just drop in the bottle. I use a small sheet of wax paper, measure the sugar, pour on the wax paper, make a funnel shape with the paper by folding in half without creasing and pour into the bottle. This way the sugar goes down into the bottle. When I tried to pour out of the teaspoon I got a bunch of sugar on the neck, and didn't like it. Then pour the beer in the bottle, that way you dissolve as much of the sugar as possible.

 

[HatchetJack]

I always bottle up a few 12 oz bottles. Plastic funnel, 1/2 tsp for bigger
beers or 3/4 tsp for lighter type beers. Let it carb at room temp. for 2
weeks then chill. Works great.

 

[billvon]

II figured I would bottle a few and try them out.

If that's your goal, perhaps use a Liquid Bread Carbonator and a Pepsi bottle and carb it manually. (You also need some kind of CO2 system.) It's much faster than bottle conditioning. It's what I use for quick tests.

 

[abbot555]

I have always used a scant teaspoon, as in not a heaping teaspoon, I make sure it is not quite full.

No water, just drop in the bottle. I use a small sheet of wax paper, measure the sugar, pour on the wax paper, make a funnel shape with the paper by folding in half without creasing and pour into the bottle. This way the sugar goes down into the bottle. When I tried to pour out of the teaspoon I got a bunch of sugar on the neck, and didn't like it. Then pour the beer in the bottle, that way you dissolve as much of the sugar as possible.

How much corn sugar do you use? Just wondering, the tsp range is seeming to vary.

 

[kwaidonjin]

How much corn sugar do you use? Just wondering, the tsp range is seeming to vary.

I used 1 and a half teaspoons for 1 liter bottles, worked great.

 

[passedpawn]

1 level teaspoon, no water. I wouldn't do this for long term storage, but for a few that you will drink in a few weeks it's worked great for me.

 

[andysim]

+1 on a teaspoon. Better to be a little less than a tsp than more.

 

[Hang Glider]

A bag of carb tabs is nice to have on hand, though. I bought one bag a couple of years ago - they still work. Keep the bag sanitary!

 

[mrk305]

I use the Munton's carb tabs, also. I usually use 4 in a 12 oz bottle. Some people use Cooper's drops, 1 drop in a 12 oz bottle, but I have not tried the drops yet.

 

[OsbornBrewing]

How much corn sugar do you use? Just wondering, the tsp range is seeming to vary.

That was corn sugar. I haven't had good results with a level teaspoon, or 1/2 teaspoon. So, I just scoop out with a teaspoon and make sure it's not quite full.

 

[944play]

If you want to get serious, pick up a gram scale from your friendly neighborhood head shop and use a priming sugar calculator of your choice. I like this one because it has many common units and standard sugars to choose from.

If you want quick and easy, use Cooper's Carbonation Drops. I can't recommend the Munton's product because they leave ugly white floaties in the beer.