Priming with brandy

[ipajay]

I have a gallon of stout (128 fl. oz) in a secondary I want to prime with brandy. Any advice on how much to use?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I don't think brandy is a very good choice for priming. AFAIK, good brandy shouldn't contain much sugar.

 

[Cheeto]

I wouldn't use Brandy to prime a brew.

the sugar chains will not lend enough to the yeast.

The alcohol content of the brandy may also force the yeast in to dormancy.
I think you would be better suited using standard corn sugar.

1 oz should do you well.

 

[ipajay]

if not brandy would there be another liquor suitable? I might try for kicks anyway, I was thinking coffee brandy for half and cherry for the other half.

 

[Cheeto]

if you insist on adding liquor to your brew, I would carb it up first, then add it after the fact.

flavoring the finished product will provide you a better Beer!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

You can fortify the beer with liquor, but priming with it isn't really feasible. It is possible to prime with liqueur (like schnapps), but it is difficult to determine the proper amount. I advise adding liquor/liqueur to taste, allowing any sugar to ferment out for a few days, then prime and bottle as usual.

 

[PT Ray]

That's taken from Papazian correct? Without pulling his books out it seems like he used liqueurs. Brandy is a spirit and don't think there's much of anything to ferment. Seems like he gave a rough guide on how much of a liqueur to use.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

BYO ran an article about priming with liqueur a little while back. I couldn't figure out why you wouldn't just add the liqueur to the fermenter, allow it to ferment, then prime normally. That would remove the guesswork.

 

[david_42]

Brandies are rarely more than 1-1.5% sugar, unlike liquors that can run up to 30%. Although both coffee and cherry sound fine as flavorings, I'd use dextrose for the actual priming.

 

[Edcculus]

Also, you would add so litltle of a spirit for priming, you would probably miss the flavor. It makes a lot more sense to flavor at bottling, and prime with sugar like everyone has been saying. No reason to re-invent the wheel.