Priming sugar in primary?

[8rnw8]

I'm trying to minimize oxidation in an IPA as I've had trouble getting the aroma I want despite huge fresh pellet dry hop additions.

I'm using a PET wide mouth with a spigot as a primary fermenter and I don't use a secondary. Is there a way to add the priming sugar into the primary, maybe just barely stirring to minimize oxidation, and bottle right from the primary spigot so I can skip the transfer to bottle bucket?

I searched for previous answers to this, but couldn't find an answer or technique suggestions.

 

[doug293cz]

It will be nearly impossible to get good mixing of the priming sugar solution without also stirring up significant amounts of trub from the bottom of the fermenter. If you are ok with the extra trub, then your suggestion may work for you. Most brewers wouldn't accept the excess trub in their bottles.

Brew on

 

[8rnw8]

Yeah, don't really want the extra trub. Was thinking I could add the priming sugar water, stir gently, let it settle an hour, then bottle.

Trying to avoid all the oxygen introduced in transferring to bottling bucket, while still using bottles instead of a keg, and I don't have a way to purge the bucket.

 

[Sadu]

I have done this method a few times as you suggest, before I got a bottling bucket. But those were extract batches where the trub is very tightly packed. I think in a dryhopped allgrain IPA the trub would be looser and a lot more would end up in the beer.

Would priming drops do the job for you?

 

[slym2none]

I use 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of sugar per 12oz bottle- just put the sugar in each bottle. It's a small bit of extra work, but your beers are always carbed consistently, no guessing on if you have 4.8 or 5.3 gallons of beer and what that does to your priming sugar equations, none of that.

Just don't try to put priming sugar in the primary, please.

 

[8rnw8]

Priming drops might work, or I hadn't considered adding to the bottles individually. Both great ideas!

 

[petrolSpice]

I'm on the same path as you, single vessel no transfer brewing. I use 2.5g sugar cubes which are nearly perfect sized for 12oz bottles. Usually ends up at 2.5-2.8 vol of co2. They fit pretty well into the bottles, some need a little push to go in.

For 22oz bottles I'll use 2 cubes, which is a little much. Just did this yesterday so time will tell if these are overcarbed. For 16 Oz bottles i used 1 cube and 1/8 tsp of corn sugar.

I'm hoping to dial in the process a bit better and just measure the sugar with a tsp and use a funnel to pour it in.

I just started using the cubes a week ago, so I still haven't opened a bottle to see how it worked. You can find them on Amazon, brand is Domino.

 

[8rnw8]

@petrolSpice interesting. Thanks for sharing! Can you report back with how this method worked for you?

 

[wilserbrewer]

It will be nearly impossible to get good mixing of the priming sugar solution without also stirring up significant amounts of trub from the bottom of the fermenter. Brew on

I have added priming solution to the primary without rousing the yeast cake. Add priming solution, stir very gently so as not to disturb yeast cake, then wait an hour before bottling.

The two solutions will mix together based on the diffusion principle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion

Try it with water and food coloring if curious.

Copied from the article..."For example, Pliny the Elder had previously described" I didn't know Pliny was a physicist lol

 

[8rnw8]

Interesting. I knew that was true with food coloring, but assumed the sugar water might end up in higher concentration at the bottom of the fermenter.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Well then try it with sugar water w food coloring and plain water. Just swirl the fermenter gently with a drinking straw, ya don't need an outboard motor to mix priming sugar....the two solutions want to equilibrate through diffusion based upon differences, Gravity included.

Every post you will find says not to do it, that the yeast cake will get stirred up....nonsense from those that have never tried it, or never tried it carefully and patiently.

If bold and greedy you can also grab a few handfuls of sugar packets from DD or 7-11, I forget but think they are proper size for flip top pints.

A small funnel and a measuring spoon works also, can't recall I think it's 3/4t per 12 oz bottle, consult a priming sugar calculator.

 

[8rnw8]

Thanks for the response. I'm curious about trying adding it directly to bottles, although that seems far more tedious.

I guess my fear about adding it to primary without stirring stems from a friend who was adding lactic acid and priming sugar to the bottling bucket. He got called a way for a few hours, and ended up with some bottles that were very tart and carbonated, and some that were very flat, and not carbonated. It doesn't make sense to me though, because I though, as you suggest, that eventually everything would be mixed even if it for some reason hadn't when he transferred the beer on top of it?

 

[slym2none]

Well then try it with sugar water w food coloring and plain water. Just swirl the fermenter gently with a drinking straw, ya don't need an outboard motor to mix priming sugar....the two solutions want to equilibrate through diffusion based upon differences, Gravity included.

Every post you will find says not to do it, that the yeast cake will get stirred up....nonsense from those that have never tried it, or never tried it carefully and patiently.

If bold and greedy you can also grab a few handfuls of sugar packets from DD or 7-11, I forget but think they are proper size for flip top pints.

A small funnel and a measuring spoon works also, can't recall I think it's 3/4t per 12 oz bottle, consult a priming sugar calculator.

1/2 tsp per 12oz bottle will get you closer to 2.2 vols CO², 3/4 tsp is around 2.8 vols.

 

[kh54s10]

I might try the solution in primary and letting it sit for a while. But, I don't like the idea of running a nice beer through a spigot that has been harboring contaminates while the fermentation was taking place.

Priming each bottle individually seems like an awful lot of work for a questionable amount of quality gain.

Measuring sugar by the teaspoon is pretty inaccurate. YMMV.

 

[Felix2Fingerz]

Here is something in another direction you might want to consider if trying to eliminate oxidization. Hops, whole or pellets, are loaded with oxygen and will add to the oxidization of your beer when dry hopping. I have recently heard to reduce the this, add your dry hops before your beer has completed fermentation, about day 3 of fermentation if you have pitched the proper amount of yeast. Just wish I could remember where I heard that. Maybe on one of the experimental brewing podcasts with Denny and Drew.

 

[jddevinn]

By chance are you cold crashing before bottling?

Bottle conditioning gives you a little leeway during transfer due to the additional little bit of fermentation. I think you'll be fine adding the sugar directly to the fermenter and waiting an hour or so.

 

[TheHopfather]

You could weigh the priming sugar out per bottle, seems like an awful lot of work though. A beer bottle is 330mL, if you plug that into a priming sugar calculator, assuming the warmest your beer got was 20C (68F), you would need 2.2g of table sugar to hit 2.5 vols.

I've never weighed a sugar cube, but if what @petrolSpice says is accurate and they weigh 2.5g each, you'd be looking at about 2.75 vols per bottle. That seems like a less labor intensive way to go.

 

[petrolSpice]

@petrolSpice interesting. Thanks for sharing! Can you report back with how this method worked for you?

It works well for 12 oz bottles. I will try a 22 oz bottle tonight.

I like the idea of stirring in priming sugar gently and letting it sit. If you cold crash you wouldn't have to worry too much about the yeast eating the sugar before bottling. You could even stir it in the night before and let it sit overnight.

 

[Jwin]

Priming in the bottles is the way to go.
Carb drips are fairly cheap.

 

[8rnw8]

Priming in the bottles is the way to go.
Carb drips are fairly cheap.

Carb drips??? What is this???

 

[Jwin]

Drops, sorry

http://labelpeelers.com/brewers-bes...HUXFy8teGN0rx_WZvj3F4KvkEdEBZtAhQphoCZyHw_wcB

 

[Jwin]

The BSG braided ones tend to be much cheaper

 

[8rnw8]

Ah, got it. Any risk of infection with adding non-boiled sugar directly to sanitized bottles?

 

[petrolSpice]

Two 2.5g sugar cubes in a 22oz bottle worked well. In fact, I was surprised it wasn't more carbonated.

The drops are similar but you need 3-5 per 12oz bottle, which means one bag lasts 1-2 5 gallon batches. The Domino sugar cubes are far cheaper, albeit less convenient for "dialing in" the carbonation.

Bacteria tends not to grow on pure sugar. Just keep them in a sealed container. I put mine in a mason jar.