making priming solution

[AZbrewer1]

ok getting ready to bottle my first brew in a few days and i am a little confused on the priing solution. i have about 2.75 gallons of brew 9 it's made from pale malt i malted myself and unsulphered molasses) and i plan on using cane sugar to prime with. i know i need to use about 1oz per gallon and i plan on priming in a bottling bucket before racking into bottles. the thing i am confused about is how uch water to boil the priming sugar in to ake the soultin since all i can find is the 2 cups for 5 gallons. any info would be appreciated thanks

 

[McGreen]

Maybe I missed something, but wouldn't it be just over a cup of water then with that math?

 

[Pezman1]

Stick with the two cups of water or more no matter how much sugar you use. This amount of water will help the sugar solution mix into the beer easier.

All that matters is how much sugar. The water is only there to dissolve the sugar into solution and mix it with the beer.

The other purpose of the water is to sanitize/sterilize the sugar, but the amount is irrelevant as far as any sugar calculations go.

I actually use roughly 3 cups in my 5 gallon batches, but being precise with the priming water is simply not necessary.

Pez.

 

[JonM]

If you use 1 cup of water, it'll boil down to thick useless caramel syrup in the blink of an eye. Go with the two cups of water. I do the same thing with my 2.5 gal batches.

 

[ThePearsonFam]

If you use 1 cup of water, it'll boil down to thick useless caramel syrup in the blink of an eye. Go with the two cups of water. I do the same thing with my 2.5 gal batches.

+1 You don't want it thick and syrup-like. It'll not mix well and you'll have inconsistent priming.

 

[TTB-J]

i know i need to use about 1oz per gallon/QUOTE]

That's a rough approximation, go here for the exact amount:

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

I agree with everyone else re: boiling the sugar in 2 cups of water.

 

[ThePearsonFam]

i know i need to use about 1oz per gallon/QUOTE]

That's a rough approximation, go here for the exact amount:

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

I agree with everyone else re: boiling the sugar in 2 cups of water.

great calculator!

 

[AZbrewer1]

ok guys thnaks for the info. i will just use the 2 cups of water and be done with it

 

[kyle6286]

Good timing on this thread. I just bottled my first batch Friday night and used 2 cups per Palmer's instructions. Later, I realized my recipe called for 1 cup so I was a little nervous but this makes me feel better. I actually thought 2 cups was too much initially because it wasn't thick at all after boiling and priming, but I guess that is correct as others have mentioned in this thread. Thanks

 

[bmsteele]

If you use 1 cup of water, it'll boil down to thick useless caramel syrup in the blink of an eye. Go with the two cups of water. I do the same thing with my 2.5 gal batches.

Man how long are y'all boiling your sugar for that it'd get thick?

I use about a cup of water and I'll boil for maybe... 2 minutes?

 

[Pezman1]

Man how long are y'all boiling your sugar for that it'd get thick?

I use about a cup of water and I'll boil for maybe... 2 minutes?

The point is that it is much easier to make mistakes when you use a smaller amount of water than two cups.

Using two cups helps insure the solution mixes into the beer well. Also, two cups will in no way "dilute" your beer. Using two cups helps dilute the sugar/water solution twice as much, so if every drop doesn't get into the bottling bucket, you aren't losing as much sugar. Using two cups won't ruin anything if you forget to take it off the stove in two minutes.

There is just less to go wrong using two cups, and there is absolutely no upside at all into using only one cup of water.


You could probably use a half-cup of water and make it work just fine, but.....why?
Pez.