Priming Sugar - What's your method?

[hefeweizen]

It seems there are a few schools of thought on how to add the priming sugar before/while bottling:

• Add the boiled and cooled sugar solution to the bottom of the bottling bucket and whirlpool the brew in.

• Whirlpool the brew into the bottling bucket and then pour the boiled and cooled sugar solution on top.

• Add a small portion of the boiled sugar solution to each bottle before filling

So for the ever helpful and experienced brewers, what seems to work best for consistent carbing.

Thanks,

Ron

 

[bradsul]

I add the boiled solution to the bottling bucket or keg and just rack the beer on top. I don't bother with cooling it first and I've never had a problem.

 

[Willy Boner]

Same here. I try to remember to give it a gentle swirl with a sanitized spoon to make sure its distributed well. I thought I was getting inconsistant carbonation but that was early in my brewing experiences so I probably was not waiting long enough.

 

[SteveM]

Ditto but I don't bother stirring - the beer flowing out of the siphon tube seems to stir things enough - my beers seem to carbonate equally.

 

[Got Trub?]

+1 on adding boiled solution to empty bucket. Simple and foolproof.

GT

 

[blk94f150]

Let's say that I goofed up and just poured the priming sugar into the beer as I was transferring from the secondary to the bottling bucket. Am I screwed? I poured it in at about 2 gallons of a 5 gallon batch.

Mike

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I boil, then cool, then rack beer on top.

If you poured it in halfway into transferring to the bottling bucket you should be fine.

 

[Ooompa Loompa]

I start boiling it about half way through my bottle sanitiation process. Then I let it sit to cool a little (while I finish sanitizing my bottles), then rack the beer into the bottling bucket, and pour on top, and gently stir for about 30 secs.

 

[Ooompa Loompa]

Let's say that I goofed up and just poured the priming sugar into the beer as I was transferring from the secondary to the bottling bucket. Am I screwed? I poured it in at about 2 gallons of a 5 gallon batch.

Mike

I think you'll be alright. Did you stir it at all? If you did I think your definately alright. But in the future I would dissolve it in boiling water just to be on the safe side.

 

[blk94f150]

No, I didn't stir it at all but there was a pretty good swirl going on naturally from the siphon tube in the bucket. No splashing though as I didn't want it to get oxygenated.

I saved my first bottle and I'm going to hang onto it so I really don't care about the quality of that particular beer. I turned it over and sure enough, there are a good amount of bubbles coming out so I'm going to guess that it's carbonating well.

Mike

 

[SteveM]

I've done the same thing, more or less, a couple of times. You are going to be fine with it.