single priming bottles

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

faxe

Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
19
Reaction score
0
Hi,

I am almost ready to bottle and want to single prime (last time I bulk primed, why not try it this way this time) my beer. I am just looking to hear different techniques for doing this. For example, should I boil the sugar in water and then add the boiled solution to the bottle, or should I simply add a teaspoon to each?
 

ArcaneXor

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2007
Messages
4,502
Reaction score
127
Hi,

I am almost ready to bottle and want to single prime (last time I bulk primed, why not try it this way this time) my beer. I am just looking to hear different techniques for doing this. For example, should I boil the sugar in water and then add the boiled solution to the bottle, or should I simply add a teaspoon to each?

I would recommend not trying this, unless you are using Munton's Carb Tabs, Coopers Carb Drops, or similar products that add a known quantity of sugar to the beer.
Otherwise, you are likely to end up with inconsistent carbonation. You also increase the risk for bottle bombs substantially by priming individual bottles.
 

Bobby_M

Vendor and Brewer
HBT Sponsor
Joined
Aug 3, 2006
Messages
26,817
Reaction score
7,142
Location
Whitehouse Station
Granulated sugar provides a lot of nucleation points so if you do that, you'd better vacuum degass your beer before bottling. It's really not worth the trouble of measuring out that much sugar (which would be 3/4 teaspoon per 12oz).
 

ifishsum

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2008
Messages
1,447
Reaction score
10
Location
Portland OR
It is a pain in the neck, but it works fine. If you're able to batch prime I would do that instead but if you really want to bottle prime, be sure you carefully and consistently measure the sugar (3/4 teaspoon per 12 oz bottle as Bobby said). When I did it I used a small sanitized funnel and put the sugar in the bottle first then filled the bottle with beer. I had no problems with foaming up but after capping you want to gently roll the bottles for a minute or two to be sure the sugar dissolves completely.

I used sugar from a new container to minimize contamination risk.
 

Latest posts

Top