NOOB question on priming sugar

[goggledone]

My name is Pete. I'm about to bottle my first 5 gal batch and brew my second in a few days.

In the beginning: I bought a William's Home Brewing equipment kit and chose their Amarillo Ale as part of the package. I played with fire, made manly grunts, prayed to the beer gods and all that jazz just over two weeks ago (the kit instructs to wait two weeks).

Used a small chest freezer I already had and a Johnson digital temperature controller I bought for my fermenting chamber since it seems Mobile, Ala., is the hottest spot on the planet in the summers.

Fast forwardto today: It's the 15th day. The kit says to just add the priming sugar (4 oz.) straight to the beer after it's racked into the provided bottling bucket. I've read in several threads on here to mix the priming sugar with 1 or 2 cups of water after boiling it and then put it in the bottom of the bottling bucket and add beer. What is the answer to my predicament? Just throw the sugar into the beer like the instructions say? Or, boil water, let cool and add sugar to that, put in bottling bucket and then add beer?

Sorry that got long and thanks for anyone who answers this.

 

[copper]

Boil and put in your bottling bucket and rack on top of that.

Adding it dry will require stirring which may contribute to later oxidation of your brew in the bottle. Racking on top of a wet mixture will blend in the sugar as it flows from the siphon keeping agitation and additional aeration to a minimum, and will pretty evenly distribute the sugar.

 

[nordoe]

But you may want to let it cool, I do. Just put a lid on the pot, and put it in an ice bath for a little bit. Then follow the instructions of copper.

 

[goggledone]

Thanks, gents. Kit actually instructs adding dry and stirring to mix in. That's what lead me to ask.

Knowledge is power!

 

[tvtoms]

Situate the siphon hose so it makes a nice swirl in the bottom of the bottling bucket. I did that for the first time 9 days ago, it went smoothly, and they're starting to carb up nicely (yes I've snuck a couple.. purely for testing).

 

[goggledone]

Will do tvtom. Just waiting on some starsan to arrive on my front stoop and need to take another gravity measurement to make sure fermentation has stopped (hopefully tonight) and I'll be good to go.

 

[Walker]

FYI: the instructions that come with kits, in general, suck. One thing they always do is rush you into the next step.

Most folks here will tell you that you should let the beer sit for at LEAST 3 weeks before you bottle it, whereas your kit suggests 2 weeks.

You can do it after 2 weeks, but patience really does pay off with brewing.

 

[goggledone]

I have no qualms with waiting 3 weeks. Hell, that's only six days away. It'll also allow me to bottle in the morning and go straight to brewing my next batch after cleaning and sanitizing everything.

 

[frazier]

Yeah, one important priciple is not to trust a timetable. Trust your hydrometer, since the yeast do not always read the same instructions you do.

Another important principle is that slower is better. Difiicult though it may be, I try to wait three weeks before taking my first hydrometer reading. Kit instructions want you to finish the batch in a hurry so as to buy another kit.

And as for the priming sugar, what they said. Boil, cool, and into the bucket. Rack on top, swirl gently to mix. No worries!

 

[Walker]

And as for the priming sugar, what they said. Boil, cool, and into the bucket. Rack on top, swirl gently to mix. No worries!

I wouldn't even bother cooling it. It's a pint of hot sugar water that will immediately have about 40 pints of room temp beer added to it. The temp of that priming solution becomes irrelevant.

 

[BeerJorge]

you can also microwave the sugar with water...

 

[goggledone]

Thanks folks! I was afraid patience would be as important as you all preach! That's OK, though. I'm sure it'll get better after the first batch is drinkable and subsequent batches are fermenting and stock is piling up.

Another somewhat related question: After I bottle the instructions say to keep the bottles at 68-70 degrees for 9 days. I've read advice on here that pretty much reinforces that. After the initial 9 days the instructions say to go to colder temps for a couple weeks. Is that all legitimate advice?

Reason I ask is with the limited space in my fermenting chamber (5 cu ft chest freezer), I can fit one primary fermenter and two cases of bottles safely, so that works out for that 9 day period right after bottling. After that, I've got my mini-fridge and regular fridge to split space (obviously I can't turn down the temp in the fermenting chamber because i'll be fermenting another batch), so I should be OK.

 

[Walker]

Thanks folks! I was afraid patience would be as important as you all preach! That's OK, though. I'm sure it'll get better after the first batch is drinkable and subsequent batches are fermenting and stock is piling up.

Another somewhat related question: After I bottle the instructions say to keep the bottles at 68-70 degrees for 9 days. I've read advice on here that pretty much reinforces that. After the initial 9 days the instructions say to go to colder temps for a couple weeks. Is that all legitimate advice?

Reason I ask is with the limited space in my fermenting chamber (5 cu ft chest freezer), I can fit one primary fermenter and two cases of bottles safely, so that works out for that 9 day period right after bottling. After that, I've got my mini-fridge and regular fridge to split space (obviously I can't turn down the temp in the fermenting chamber because i'll be fermenting another batch), so I should be OK.

9 days seems awfully fast to bottle condition a beer. i don't bottle anymore, but mine always took about 2 weeks at room temp (I just sat them in a closet) to carb up nicely.

 

[goggledone]

Room temp at my house right this moment is 83 degrees at best because of the excessive heat outside (YAY historic homes!). Our A/C doesn't kick off all day and that's the coolest it gets around this time of year. Is it still OK to set them out in a room that's 83 degrees? Or is better to do 2 weeks at 70ish?

 

[Hang Glider]

I left Mobile because of the heat - 11 years ago - It's just as hot up here (SC) but only 3 months of it, not 5-6 ---and 78% humidity, not 98%

back on topic -
Bottle 'em up after 3-4 weeks in the fermenter, then begin your next batch. Bottles should sit close to 70ish- but if the best you've got is 78, that will be okay - you're not going to provide too many esters with the small amount of priming sugar. And you don't have to use up cooler space after your 2-3 weeks in the bottle - leave 'em where they carbonated, they'll be just fine. Just try to find the coolest spot in your house.

Welcome to brewing and HBT!