Priming sugar or fizz drops

[Kenmoron]

I started with bottles and added kegging whenever doing a really hoppy beer where I wanted to do a closed transfer. I have used a priming sugar calculator and added to the bucket prior to bottling as well as have used the Domino Dots method. I usually do 2.5-3 gal batches and find myself preferring the Domino Dot method whenever bottling. It really is easy, and there is no estimating and calculating. One major benefit that I see from the Domino Dots is that I can bottle straight from the fermenter so there is minimal agitation and much less risk of oxidation compared to transferring to a bucket and mixing in sugar. There have been a couple of occasions where I misinterpreted how much beer I was going to collect as well, resulting in a little higher amount of sugar added than I should have when doing the bucket method.

Interestingly enough, I ordered my Domino Dots off of Amazon without paying attention to the sugar cube size (had been told that all Dots are the same). I looked back at my previous order and the picture on Amazon of the product had the 4 g/cube size. However, I received the 2.3 g size. Sometimes they need just a little extra help getting into the bottle and makes me wonder if a 4 g cube would even fit. Anyway, I'm beginning to think that the 4 g cube size doesn't exist and that maybe there was a misprint somewhere along the way.

 

[TwistedGray]

Just to be clear.

Okay, that makes more sense...gotcha

 

[ncbrewer]

As a newb to beer but an old hand at country wines, I have not really dealt with deliberate bottle conditioning before, except for knowing about winemaking champagne methods. These bottles had been left a few months unconditioned in 2l plastic water bottles as secondaries before proper bottling. It has been extremely hot weather for a while here in the UK, so it is possible they experienced a secondary fermentation, leaving the yeast hungry.

I think you probably bottled the first time before fermentation was complete. Fermentation finished in the bottles, creating some carbonation. So when you added sugar, it foamed. If that is the case, the beer might over carbonate. Be careful in case of bottle bombs. Hopefully I'm wrong.

 

[kh54s10]

I think you probably bottled the first time before fermentation was complete. Fermentation finished in the bottles, creating some carbonation. So when you added sugar, it foamed. If that is the case, the beer might over carbonate. Be careful in case of bottle bombs. Hopefully I'm wrong.

I had initially thought this, then I saw that they had been in the bottles for a few months. I skipped over the fact that if put in the bottles before fermentation was finished there would be some carbonation of the beer. So yes I think there was some then adding the sugar produced nucleation points and foaming...

 

[Mumathomebrew]

Makes perfect sense. It was a newb first beer, so bottled on the 10th day with no knowledge. Then only bottle primed when needed so the yeast was still hungry even though left in 2l bulk. Thank you both for the top tip. It can happen with hungry wines when I forget to feed them, so have to sugar them in tiny quantities more than once. Makes sense that beer does this too. New beer just finished fermenting won't be as starving so won't do it.

Bottle bombs likely as they were quite well carbonated already last night. I'll put them in boxes with a towel on, but luckily there aren't many left.

 

[GrowleyMonster]

I think a lever type powder flask would work great for bottle priming with sugar. Get a new one so you don't get black powder in your beer. You can trim the length of the nozzle to calibrate how much sugar per charge. It would be waaaaay faster than a teaspoon. With a couple of replacement nozzles you could change the charge per bottle.

Me, I don't use either one. I keg condition in a corny keg usually at 15psi at about 35f. I chill the bottles and also use a back pressure filler and it works fine, no sediment, so I can drink straight from the bottle. Mostly though I don't bottle, just use the keg.

 

[ike8228]

I know this is a little old but I have a follow up question. For the domino dots is it the idea to add 1 per bottle? Is that the equivalent to add the standard give or take priming sugar.? Or can you add maybe two or one and a half for more carb without it being too much? I thought I read on here somewhere but can not find it again about adding something like the dots or drops 1 2 or 3 depending on the style or desired carb level.

I have two 12.5 gallon SS conical fermenters (10 gal batch’s) I want to start using soon and with the ability to bottle directly from the valve, I don’t want to open it up to, most likely inconsistently, adding priming to the vessel. I was hoping to use a method such as the dots or drops to avoid that step. Or is there a better way to add priming solution on top of the beer already in the conical? I also want to limit the amount of oxygen exposure by opening the lid/blow off tube/Tri clamp connection to do so.

 

[VikeMan]

I know this is a little old but I have a follow up question. For the domino dots is it the idea to add 1 per bottle? Is that the equivalent to add the standard give or take priming sugar.? Or can you add maybe two or one and a half for more carb without it being too much? I thought I read on here somewhere but can not find it again about adding something like the dots or drops 1 2 or 3 depending on the style or desired carb level.

Domino dots weigh about 2.3 grams each. You can calculate how much sugar you need, for whatever level of carbonation you want, with any of several online calculators. Here's one...

https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

 

[TwistedGray]

I know this is a little old but I have a follow up question. For the domino dots is it the idea to add 1 per bottle? Is that the equivalent to add the standard give or take priming sugar.? Or can you add maybe two or one and a half for more carb without it being too much? I thought I read on here somewhere but can not find it again about adding something like the dots or drops 1 2 or 3 depending on the style or desired carb level.

I have two 12.5 gallon SS conical fermenters (10 gal batch’s) I want to start using soon and with the ability to bottle directly from the valve, I don’t want to open it up to, most likely inconsistently, adding priming to the vessel. I was hoping to use a method such as the dots or drops to avoid that step. Or is there a better way to add priming solution on top of the beer already in the conical? I also want to limit the amount of oxygen exposure by opening the lid/blow off tube/Tri clamp connection to do so.

1 domino cube is 1/2tsp of sugar, and both are sufficient for a 12oz bottle. FWIW, I use 1tsp white sugar per 12-16oz bottle, and that's always been a fine starting point.

EDIT: HALF A TEASPOON...NOT A FULL TEASPOON

 

[ncbrewer]

1 domino cube is 1tsp of sugar, and both are sufficient for a 12oz bottle. FWIW, I use 1tsp white sugar per 12-16oz bottle, and that's always been a fine starting point.

From the Brewers Friend priming calculator, I get 0.54 tsp when entering 72F and 2.6 volumes for a 12oz bottle. 1 tsp would be way too much - about 4.1 volumes. I don't know why the discrepancy, but it looks like 1 tsp in 12 oz would be dangerous. Maybe there's something I'm missing.

 

[TwistedGray]

From the Brewers Friend priming calculator, I get 0.54 tsp when entering 72F and 2.6 volumes for a 12oz bottle. 1 tsp would be way too much - about 4.1 volumes. I don't know why the discrepancy, but it looks like 1 tsp in 12 oz would be dangerous. Maybe there's something I'm missing.

1/2tsp --- correction! Sorry about that and good on you for correcting my mistake : )