Quick Priming Question

Blkhwkdr · Jul 15, 2011

I'm getting ready to bottle my 2nd batch. My first batch I used the carbonation drops. My 2nd kit came with priming sugar for 5 gallons. My question is, does it matter what size bottles I use to get the correct carbonation for each one? I'm assuming it doesn't because it mixes into the entire 5 gallon batch. Is this correct?

GodsStepBrother · Jul 15, 2011

Yeah as long as you boil the priming sugar in some water and add that to the bottom of your bottling bucket you are golden. Try and set the siphon hose at an angle at the bottom of the bucket so the beer mixes well with the priming sugar.

It usually does take longer to carb up bigger quantities of beer. So give your big bombers a little extra time to fully carb up.

unionrdr · Jul 15, 2011

Yes. Just get a small saucepan with 2C (.5L) of water steamy hot on the stove for a short while. Boil it if that seems better to you. I find that getting it nice & steamy saves water volume,& still gets rid of nasties.
Then,I take it off the heat to stir in the priming sugar. Stir till it clears again. Then I chill it in a small ice water bath to get the temp down. Then use a piece of tubing to rack the beer into the bottling bucket a few inches. Then,slowly pour in the priming solution right at the surface of the swirling beer. No oxygenation that way.
Then stir lightly,so as not aerate it. Then bottle.

Blkhwkdr · Jul 15, 2011

Thanks for the replies. This adds another question for me. I'm using a Cooper fermenter. Is it wrong to just pour it in and then use a sanitized spoon to "lightly" mix it into the brew? I bottled the first straight out of the fermenter on my first one and planned on doing the same for this 2nd bottling.

Blkhwkdr · Jul 15, 2011

I answered my own question. Search function, dummy. I just ordered a bottling bucket, hose and a filler.

unionrdr · Jul 15, 2011

Yeah,def get the bottling bucket. But what sort of filler? Do you mean a bottling wand? I have the cooper's micro brew fermenter,& used to use cooper's carb drops. Then,I decided to see if this bulk priming thing was any better.
Boy,was that a good call. The bottling bucket/small diameter spigot/spout with a scale & priming calculator is def the way to go. Now,using all different kinds of sugar in 2C boiling water is easier & fun.