Priming sugar or fizz drops

[James2008]

What's best?

 

[mongoose33]

The difference is that with fizz drops, you're limited to whatever amount of sugar they have. With priming sugar you can control the degree of carbonation. You do have to make sure the priming sugar is well mixed in the bottling bucket, if not you're going to get all kinds of varying carbonation.

I think it's kind of six-of-one and a half-dozen of another.

 

[James2008]

I brewed a pumpkin ale would fizz drops give me enough carb for this style beer? I know different beers vary in carb depending on style.

 

[Immocles]

My experiences with fizz drops is that they seemed to take longer to carb up, and left floaties in the bottles.

 

[CodeSection]

I only brew 10 gallon batches and bottle everything. I would never, ever use the fizz drops.

Two reasons to use corn sugar for priming: 1) you can control the carbonation you are trying to achieve (drops do not allow that and are limited to the carbonation level that can be achieved) and 2) costs. As can be seen with the following links, corn sugar is a fraction of the cost of drops (60 drops costing $5.99 vs 5oz of corn sugar costing $1.49). https://www.morebeer.com/products/carbonation-drops-60-pieces.html

https://www.morebeer.com/products/corn-sugar-dextrose.html

If you are going to regularly bottle, use corn sugar and a priming sugar calculator like https://www.northernbrewer.com/pages/priming-sugar-calculator

 

[Leezer]

I use Domino Dots sugar cubes. Kind of a one size fits all approach, but I like the simplicity and the level of carbonation they provide. And I’m not sure why but it seems like lighter styles come out more carbed than my stouts.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

I never thought I would give up batch priming, but lately I've been using Domino Dots also. Crazy expensive if you buy them through Amazon, but about a penny a Dot at my local supermarket. 2.31 grams of table sugar per Dot by my measure, and this weight is amazingly consistent from Dot to Dot. Perfect for many styles in conjunction with 12 Oz. bottles.

Being old school I never thought I would ever use table sugar over corn sugar for priming, but I can't tell any difference in the end.

 

[James2008]

Interesting. I usually use priming solution bc I can physically measure out the sugar myself.
Anyone know exactly how many grams of sugar there is exactly in NB Fizz Drops?

 

[kh54s10]

I used priming tabs ONCE. Luckily for only half a batch. What a PITA to drop one in each bottle and make sure you don't double up on any or skip any. Weigh some corn sugar, boil in enough water for it all to dissolve. Add to bottling bucket as wort is swirling around. I rarely do any stirring. Then fill the bottles. Easy Peasy.

 

[TwistedGray]

Skip the dots and skip the batch priming. Bottle prime with table sugar, extremely simple and cheap. It's 1/2tsp per 12oz, adjust based on bottle size.

 

[whovous]

I get widely varying amounts of carbonation from fizz drops. They sure are convenient though!

 

[Jag75]

Skip the dots and skip the batch priming. Bottle prime with table sugar, extremely simple and cheap. It's 1/2tsp per 12oz, adjust based on bottle size.

I would think dots would be easier then measuring out that much. 5 gallon about 46-48 times . 10 gallon heck no . However I'm not sure many people who do 10 gallon dont have a keg set up.

 

[TwistedGray]

I would think dots would be easier then measuring out that much. 5 gallon about 46-48 times . 10 gallon heck no . However I'm not sure many people who do 10 gallon dont have a keg set up.

Takes me less than 3min the last time I timed myself, and I'm and not that fast. It was a 5 gallon batch...all 12oz bottles.

 

[CodeSection]

...I'm not sure many people who do 10 gallon dont have a keg set up.

Yep, I'm in the minority for sure. In my case, I give away roughly 95% of what I brew to clients, family, friends, neighbors, employees and wife's employees. I can't give away kegs. Though, one client said he would buy his own mini keg. I politely told him I wasn't setup for kegging and had no plans to do so.

 

[Jag75]

Takes me less than 3min the last time I timed myself, and I'm and not that fast. It was a 5 gallon batch...all 12oz bottles.

That's pretty dang good timing there .

 

[kh54s10]

Skip the dots and skip the batch priming. Bottle prime with table sugar, extremely simple and cheap. It's 1/2tsp per 12oz, adjust based on bottle size.

I find fizz drops extremely tedious. Yes, it doesn't take long, but what a PITA. Measuring by tsp is not very accurate and I can't imagine scoop decide which bottle hasn't already been primed, pour, scoop, find pour 50+ times when I can just add the sugar to the bucket then just fill each bottle with beer.

YDDV (your mileage definitely does vary!)

 

[TwistedGray]

That's pretty dang good timing there .

Pretty much to debate the quoted post below. Actually I didn't know how long it took, and I was curious after plenty of people questioned it taking a long time. To be fair, and clear, I usually do 1-3 gallon batches, so we're talking a small quantity of bottles to process. I only did a 5 gallon again because of the BOC2019 trade.

Since may suggest that it's tedious or time consuming or that you're going to make some kind of mistake doubling up a bottle with sugar. After hundreds of bottle primed beers, I never once made that mistake. We're not talking rocket science...brewing science, sure

I find fizz drops extremely tedious. Yes, it doesn't take long, but what a PITA. Measuring by tsp is not very accurate and I can't imagine scoop decide which bottle hasn't already been primed, pour, scoop, find pour 50+ times when I can just add the sugar to the bucket then just fill each bottle with beer.

YDDV (your mileage definitely does vary!)

Teaspoon measuring is far more accurate than batch priming; there are more than enough posts and threads on here to substantiate my claim.

Maybe there is some confusion as to the process. You funnel the sugar in first then the beer then of course cap; therefore, when it doubt lean over and look in the bottle. It'll be second nature whether or not you have the correct volume of sugar or accidentally doubled it up.

Again, I'm not sure how complacent you'd have to be to actually make that mistake, but I do see how it's possible.

Andddddddddddddd as you gracefully said, your mileage may vary

Cheers!!

 

[Immocles]

+1 on the 1/2 tsp. It’s my goto method now on small, one gallon batches and cider. Still batch prime on my standard 2.5g, though, since I’ll be using the bottling bucket anyway.

 

[davidabcd]

What's best?
I don't know. After reading, all methods are the best. Depends on the person's preference.
I started batch priming because that's what the kit instructions said to do. It's easy enough and the result is fine. I measure the sugar on a scale and check out a priming calculator to get in the ballpark of the style carbonation-wise.

 

[kh54s10]

Teaspoon measuring is far more accurate than batch priming; there are more than enough posts and threads on here to substantiate my claim.

It'll be second nature whether or not you have the correct volume of sugar or accidentally doubled it up.

Again, I'm not sure how complacent you'd have to be to actually make that mistake, but I do see how it's possible.

Andddddddddddddd as you gracefully said, your mileage may vary

Cheers!!

Threads and posts... Fact or opinion??? When talking a teaspoon is that level? heaped? just under the rim of the spoon. A little difference in the amount in the spoon is actually a big difference in the amount dosed.

And if 1/2 teaspoon give you 3 volumes, if you double up that gives you 6 and a bottle bomb..... If you skip one you have wasted a beer.

Again YMDDV. And so does mine.

 

[Jag75]

When doing the 1/2 tsp method or dots at least theres no transfering to a bottle bucket.

 

[kh54s10]

When doing the 1/2 tsp method or dots at least theres no transfering to a bottle bucket.

There would be in my case. I guess I could attach a wand to my autosiphon, but that doesn't sound like a great idea.

 

[Leezer]

I used to autosiphon right into the bottles since I do 1G or 2 G batches, but it can be kind of a PITA so now I transfer to bottle bucket even though I use the dots.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

I only switched to Domino Dots when I switched to a fermentation tank with a discharge valve near the bottom so I would not need to rack to a secondary and/or a bottling vessel. Now (provided that trub and yeast sediment is below the discharge valve) I go directly from the fermenter to the bottles.

 

[ncbrewer]

I like the idea of boiling a priming solution - it just gives you less chance of contamination. Handling the sugar or dots could lead to contamination. Judging from the posts in this thread and others, it doesn't seem to happen often - it just bothers me.

 

[TwistedGray]

My Anvil fermenter has a spigot so I usually go from fermenter to bottle; however, I will still use a bottling bucket from time to time depending on what I was fermenting in.

I agree that my method is not 100% accurate as I'm not weighing each 1/2tsp out, but a few grains of sugar more or less into each bottle is still more accurate that a dissolved solution of an equal amount of sugar spread out over a 5 gallon batch of liquid (in my educated albeit ignorant opinion).

For the batch primers, how do you ensure that you get 100% distribution of your sugar solution throughout the entire 5 gallon batch? Is there a way for you to measure that your solution is 100% mixed into the beer, and how do you guarantee that there is not setting or uneven distribution throughout the bottling process?

If the argument against using 1/2tsp per bottle is that each 1/2tsp is going to be variable then you have to admit that your method is also variable. In fact, how is it not more variable? I cannot imagine a situation where the batch priming is less variable than my measured approach.

 

[davidabcd]

If you put the warm/cool priming solution in the bottling bucket and then have the siphon hose leaning against the bucket wall, it creates a flow that mixes the priming solution with the five gallons of beer. That's a lot of mixing. It would be like stirring a glass that just had sugar added to it. It dissolves and disperses throughout.

Empirically, all the bottles are carbonated equally, everything else being constant.

 

[TwistedGray]

If you put the warm/cool priming solution in the bottling bucket and then have the siphon hose leaning against the bucket wall, it creates a flow that mixes the priming solution with the five gallons of beer. That's a lot of mixing. It would be like stirring a glass that just had sugar added to it. It dissolves and disperses throughout.

Empirically, all the bottles are carbonated equally, everything else being constant.

But how are you measuring that? I can measure a 1/2tsp of sugar with a 1/2tsp measuring spoon.

 

[ncbrewer]

For the batch primers, how do you ensure that you get 100% distribution of your sugar solution throughout the entire 5 gallon batch?

Like most batch primers, I gently pour the priming solution into the bottom of the bottling bucket - then rack into it with the tube on the bottom, at the outer edge, tangent to the bucket side. I follow with some gentle stirring, including vertical, but I've skipped the stirring on several batches with no noticeable affect. The only way I judge the distribution is by the carbonation in the beer. It always seems consistent.

 

[lump42]

Like most batch primers, I gently pour the priming solution into the bottom of the bottling bucket - then rack into it with the tube on the bottom, at the outer edge, tangent to the bucket side. I follow with some gentle stirring, including vertical, but I've skipped the stirring on several batches with no noticeable affect. The only way I judge the distribution is by the carbonation in the beer. It always seems consistent.

Exact process I did when I bottle a batch, Mostly now I keg a beer and add sugar to the keg to carbonate, then bottle off the keg. Or I'm doing small batches (2 gal or less) and I just use the carbonation drops. I prefer the drops (hard candy type) over the little tabs. The tabs are harder to handle with fat, clumsy fingers fingers. Both carbonate fine, in the same amount of time as batch priming takes.