Priming sugar

[Brienmt]

Very new to home brew.
I’ve been buying and using carbonation drops.
I was thinking of going with priming sugar.
what do I need to know about priming sugar?
I assume a certain amount goes into 5 gallon after fermentation abs before bottling.
what kind of sugar is best?
mid there a time limit for after bottling using priming sugar?
I’ve been adding carb drops at bottling and leaving for two weeks.
I’m looking for suggestions on best way to carbonate after fermentation for one 5 gallon batch.

 

[AirLock Sniffer]

What helped me is the bottling charts. Be accurate in your measurements when inputting those numbers into the tables. For example they are usually listed or advertised as 5 gallon batches. Typical yield though in real life might be say 4.5 gallons.

Then they talk about temperature. This affects the amount of dissolved CO2 already in the beer, which needs to be accounted for. The number to use is the highest temperature achieved during fermentation, not the current temperature of the beer. Be sure to weigh the priming sugar (or whatever is used).

Pay careful attention, and relax - Have a Home Brew! Be patient, they will condition and go through a maturation process. A week or two in cold storage after carbonation will noticeably improve your beer. This is your signal to brew more, to keep a pipeline going. Some ready to drink, some getting ready to drink, some getting ready to get ready to drink, some in the fermenter awaiting more bottles.

 

[DuncB]

Airlocks points to the charts ( I think on brewersfriend ) are a good start.

I don't do a lot of bottle conditioning as I counter pressure fill from the keg. But when I did I measured the weight of sugar for the volume of beer ( I thought I had ) to bottle, lets say you think 5 gallons.
Put the sugar in a bowl and then add a known volume of boiling water.
For ease say 500 ml of water.
If you have 50 bottles ( all the same size ) then 10 ml per bottle put in via syringe. If you don't fill all the bottles you won't have over primed. Different size bottle adjust the volume.
Being liquid it gets nicely mixed up when you fill the bottle and so the bits of yeast can get to work nice and easily rather than waiting for the drop to dissolve and mix up.
Then warm place say 25celsius for a week or so and then cool place a week and start drinking.

You can use DME or LME and different sugars to change the character a bit of your beer.

Don't forget to label your bottles!!

 

[z-bob]

I use 1/2 tsp of granulated sugar per 11 or 12 ounce bottle, a whole tsp for 22 oz bombers, or a large sugar cube (126 per pound) for a 500ml or 17 ounce plastic pop bottles.

I really like the tall skinny plastic bottles that Costco uses for flavored sparkling water (I don't like the water so much but it's okay.) And they fit in a 6-pack holder designed for longnecks.

 

[Brienmt]

So standard granulated sugar measured to the correct amount is all that is required?

 

[AirLock Sniffer]

I like to boil the priming solution for a few minutes to ensure no spoilage critters are contained therein. The exact amount required when using table or cane sugar differs slightly than when using corn sugar. A lot of people use cane sugar because it is less expensive than priming (corn) sugar.

 

[Brienmt]

Since I got your attention wondering if there’s a way to tell if a batch went bad in fermentation? Ibe of the batches a wheat beer, shows about four light colored very small patches in the surface. This is the first time I used a see they carboy so it may be normal. Nothing seems to be growing bigger so not sure it’s a problem. I’m bottling that batch in two days so I’ll open the top then. What should I look for if something went wrong? Smell? Taste? Anything else?

 

[D.B.Moody]

This is not a best practices answer, but it's worked for me for over 25 years:
Use 3/4 cup of corn sugar for a 5 gal. batch. If you use table sugar, use 80% of that, not that I know what 80% of 3/4 of a cup is.
Relax.

 

[z-bob]

So standard granulated sugar measured to the correct amount is all that is required?

Yes, unless you just want to use malt extract or corn sugar. Or hold back part of the original wort in the fridge and add it back at bottling time (I've never tried to figure out how to do that, I just know it can be done, especially for German beers)

It's as simple or complicated as you want to make it

 

[TwistedGray]

As was written, 1/2tsp per 12oz bottle and adjust accordingly.

This link - Individual Bottle Priming Instructions with Cane Sugar.

 

[DuncB]

A safe way to hold back the wort is to freeze it in a sterile vessel. Then defrost it and pour out.

Leave enough space for wort expansion when it freezes in the container.

 

[z-bob]

A safe way to hold back the wort is to freeze it in a sterile vessel. Then defrost it and pour out.

Leave enough space for wort expansion when it freezes in the container.

The trick is figuring out how much to hold back for priming. (I think it's called krausening)

 

[DuncB]

Better a bit too much than not enough I suppose. You can work out how much you'll need on your brewday though. Just one more job!