Soon its prime time....

[KellariKalja]

I started a Coopers Pilsener last week. Now I'm waiting for primary fermentation to be complete.

I used the original recipe and added 500g of Spray malt and about 425g of dextrose. I underfilled to 20L and got the temp down right away to about 18.5-19 C. (the original recipe says to fill to 23L).

Here's the question:
I'll be bottling into .5 liter bottles and I'm going to bottle individually.
So, how much priming sugar/dextrose should I use per bottle so that
I get the right amount of carbonation?

The recipe says 8g per litre (approximately 6g of sugar to a level metric teaspoon).
But I'm having a hard time figuring out how much per bottle...it can't just be 4g per litre then...right?


Thanks for the help

 

[boo boo]

Best is to measure your total amount of sugar and disolve it in hot water and add the mix to your bottling bucket. Mix well without getting too much air in there and bottle as normal. You should then have an even amount of priming sugar in each bottle.

 

[KellariKalja]

Thanks for the reply boo boo...

But then how to measure the total amount of sugar....?
(In my special case of underfilling)
And I do not have a seperate bottling bucket. I was going to siphon
the beer from the primary fermentation bucket.

I have read that batch priming is the way to go, but without the
bottling bucket, how possible is it? And is it a worthwhile way to get the
optimal amount of priming sugar?

There is a chance I could get another bucket, but not a bottling one.


Thanks

 

[boo boo]

Ah, got you. When I was doing bottling and not bulk priming, I used to use 1/2 tsp of cane sugar per 341ml bottle to give a real good fizz. You could try adding a little less than that to start, and if it isn't as much as you need, next time you could add more.

 

[KellariKalja]

Okay, but if I did want to try batch priming....is it possible without another bucket?
and any tips for a first timer?

 

[Malticulous]

Here is a calculator.
http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator/carbonation.html?13690992#tag

It shows for a beer stabilized at ~20C you need 3.3 grams per .5L for 2.5 volumes of CO2.

 

[WPen]

Just buy another bucket so that you can prime the entire batch at once. Considering they are relatively cheap that's definitely the way to go.

 

[KellariKalja]

Hey all,

Thanks for the advice and calculator.
Seems pretty straightforward but is there anything specific that I need
to watch out for when batch priming?..For example, the less Oxygen
in the beer the better, so pouring the liquid dextrose in gently and
stirring slowly...any other tips?

But what about the added water dissolves the dextrose? Does this have
any effect on the beer?
And should I cool the mixture before adding it to the beer?


Thanks

 

[KellariKalja]

One quick question concerning the calculator.

Is the Coopers Pilsener considered a bohemian style pils or an American style?
It's from Australia so.....