Story time - My carbonation "hack" trial and tribulations

[bdg0223]

Hello there, new brewer here with a mere 1 batch under my belt. Doing extract 1gal batches for reference in a siphonless LBMB.

So today I decided to use some fancy new 16oz flip top bottles. I foresaw two issues.

1) I knew my fizz drops wouldn't fit into the bottle.
2) I wanted to get the same level of carb in these 16oz bottles as in my first batch's 12oz capped bottles.

I researched all the sugar cube and priming sugar options to get the right Co2, ran my numbers using different calculators. All that.

And then my frugal instincts kicked in. Why waste those "precious" fizz drops? I could just heat 'em up in a tiny amount of water, get my proportions right (AKA use slightly more fizz drops than 1 per bottle) and just add the simple syrup into the bottles.

Here's where I learned I screwed up.

1) Fizz drops take a lot of time to dissolve in water, even when they're warmed on the stove. Eight fizz drops in 1/4 cup of water took about 25 minutes. I knew my initial calculation of 2tsps of syrup per bottle was thrown out the window due to evaporation.

2) After the water started to cool, I decided I'd sanitize a 1ml pipette to move the syrup from the stovetop to the sanitized bottles.

Well, cooling sugar gets sticky quick and my pipette quickly became inaccurate as the inside began to crystalize. And I just had to guess for the remainder of the bottles.

I tried to slightly undershoot my priming sugar additions so my apartment doesn't become a warzone, but I honestly have no idea exactly how much got into each bottle.

I did however think halfway through "wow this is such a bad idea," that I bottled a few 12oz with a standard fizz drop addition. So not all is lost.

But yikes. I think I'll just keep it simple next time. At least I got a few laughs and a story out of it.

Advice is welcome for priming sugar additions without adding directly to the beer and stirring up trub in the LBMB.

 

[Homebrew Harry]

Hello there, new brewer here with a mere 1 batch under my belt. Doing extract 1gal batches for reference in a siphonless LBMB.

So today I decided to use some fancy new 16oz flip top bottles. I foresaw two issues.

1) I knew my fizz drops wouldn't fit into the bottle.
2) I wanted to get the same level of carb in these 16oz bottles as in my first batch's 12oz capped bottles.

I researched all the sugar cube and priming sugar options to get the right Co2, ran my numbers using different calculators. All that.

And then my frugal instincts kicked in. Why waste those "precious" fizz drops? I could just heat 'em up in a tiny amount of water, get my proportions right (AKA use slightly more fizz drops than 1 per bottle) and just add the simple syrup into the bottles.

Here's where I learned I screwed up.

1) Fizz drops take a lot of time to dissolve in water, even when they're warmed on the stove. Eight fizz drops in 1/4 cup of water took about 25 minutes. I knew my initial calculation of 2tsps of syrup per bottle was thrown out the window due to evaporation.

2) After the water started to cool, I decided I'd sanitize a 1ml pipette to move the syrup from the stovetop to the sanitized bottles.

Well, cooling sugar gets sticky quick and my pipette quickly became inaccurate as the inside began to crystalize. And I just had to guess for the remainder of the bottles.

I tried to slightly undershoot my priming sugar additions so my apartment doesn't become a warzone, but I honestly have no idea exactly how much got into each bottle.

I did however think halfway through "wow this is such a bad idea," that I bottled a few 12oz with a standard fizz drop addition. So not all is lost.

But yikes. I think I'll just keep it simple next time. At least I got a few laughs and a story out of it.

Advice is welcome for priming sugar additions without adding directly to the beer and stirring up trub in the LBMB.

You could sterilize dry sugar in the oven

 

[GoodTruble]

You can just boil regular sugar in water. It dissolves quickly, won't crystallize, and will work just as well.

 

[bdg0223]

You can just boil regular sugar in water. It dissolves quickly, won't crystallize, and will work just as well.

That'll be what I do next time. Should have done it as planned this time. Live and learn I guess!

 

[hotbeer]

For me it's easier to rack the beer into another pot to see what quantity I have then figure the priming sugar amount based on that and how much carbonation I desire that particular beer to have. Then I can dissolve the calculated amount of sugar in a known amount of water and add it to the contents of the pot, gently mix it in and then bottle.

I heat the water and sugar to >170° F then cool it before adding to the beer. Since it's a small amount, it doesn't take long with just a layer of ice under the pot.

One of the other benefits is that I can use many different sugars to prime with. Some to add another flavor or some no additional flavor.

Most every brew manual I've ever read recommends not to bottle prime.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

FWIW, "1 gal brewers unite" has a number of ideas for priming individual bottles when brewing small batches.

I've used one of those techniques exclusively for a number of years.

I wouldn't use the technique if I were brewing 5 gal batches on a regular basis. However, I've found the technique is "good enough" for the occasional 2.5 gal batch that I brew.

Most every brew manual I've ever read recommends not to bottle prime.

What are their reasons for not recommending bottle priming?

 

[hotbeer]

What are their reasons for not recommending bottle priming?

Essentially they boil down to that it's too tedious and in the many times you'll have to make an accurate measurement to add to each bottle you'll make a mistake on one or several.

Of course that doesn't apply if you are using something that is premade to an exact size like Carbonation Drops. But then you don't get to pick how many Vols you want to carbonate your bottles to be.

I just find it simpler to prime in a pot first and use what ever inexpensive sugar I care to use that day.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

as a reminder, OP was brewing / bottling one gallon batches.

Most every brew manual I've ever read recommends not to bottle prime.

What are their reasons for not recommending bottle priming?

Essentially they boil down to that it's too tedious and in the many times you'll have to make an accurate measurement to add to each bottle you'll make a mistake on one or several.

So it looks like a personal definition of "too tedious ".

Personally, with a little "trial and error" early on, I found a solid routine for accurately dosing individual bottles that scales to an occasional 24-pack.

 

[ThenFalcon]

I use this method for priming individual bottles for small batches.

 

[hotbeer]

So it looks like a personal definition of "too tedious ".

Most everything we reply is opinion. So yes to me it is tedious to prime individual bottles. I don't expect everyone to think my way is for them also. I mention my way so that some might decide if they want to consider it or not. Not to proclaim it the "best" way.

For me, it works well for the 9 or 10 bottles I get per brew.

 

[GoodTruble]

I just use a large 60 ml sterilized syringe/plunger with ml marks on it to dose each bottle with calculated amounts. I can do 12 bottles at time and knock out dosing 5 gallon batches in less than 10 minutes.

 

[Rish]

1 1/4 teaspoons of table sugar per 16 ounce bottle will do the trick. Put it in, cap it.

 

[GoodTruble]

1 1/4 teaspoons of table sugar per 16 ounce bottle will do the trick. Put it in, cap it.

I've done that as well, but I found it annoying trying to get the sugar in the bottles cleanly and without spilling sugar.

 

[Rish]

I've done that as well, but I found it annoying trying to get the sugar in the bottles cleanly and without spilling sugar.

Agree. I use a sanitized and dried funnel and that helps. Also, if you want less carbonation, 1 teaspoon may be what you want.

 

[Homebrew Harry]

1 1/4 teaspoons of table sugar per 16 ounce bottle will do the trick. Put it in, cap it.

Can't get any easier than that