# Bulk Priming - 180grams = How Many Cups?



## pete_etheridge (8/11/12)

Hi guys,
I have decided to bulk prime (as opposed to carb drops) as I now have all sizes of bottles and agree that it is so much easier to bulk prime. 
I have looked up heaps of threads and it seems that 180grams of sugar tends to be a happy/safe amount to bulk prime with in a regular 23 litre batch. However, I don't have kitchen scales and was just wondering if any of you bulk prime guru's know what level of a cup it is. 
Also, if I use dextrose instead, would 200grams be a safe amount to use for general homebrewing (pale ales/cervezas) and what level of a cup is that? (I'm not out to win any awards, I just want to make beer B) )
Thanks lads


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## DU99 (8/11/12)

0.76082 cups or 3/4 cup


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## jaypes (8/11/12)

depends on your carb requirements, you are spot on with 180gm per 23L based on a level of 2.9 - depending on the pale ale you make some require more than others

there are many carbonation calcs online, bre mate also has one included


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## GuyQLD (8/11/12)

Dextrose by weight is rumoured (for lack of a better word) to required 15% more by weight than sucrose in the limited literature I was able to find one night. So 200g would be pretty comparable to 180g of sugar, I'm sure the extra 2g wont hurt. No idea how many cups it is though. Can't help you there. Maybe there's an online calc out there?

Just did a quick google - you're screwed or require better google-fu than I have after work.

Edit: Or is it 10%? I can't remember. The online calc I use it seems to be about 10g more at 2.9vol of CO2. Either way, 200g would be bloody close.


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## MaltyHops (8/11/12)

Velcro said:


> ... However, I don't have kitchen scales and was just wondering if any of you bulk prime guru's know what level of a cup it is.



Another way to do this is get a 250g bag of white sugar and
see how many level tablespoons it takes to spoon away the
250g of sugar then divide 250 by the number to give you the
weight per spoon.

Suppose it took 17 spoons then eah spoon would be 250/17
= about 15g and you would then need 180/15 = about 12
level spoons worth.

Important thing is to use the same spoon and keep it level
and would need to recheck if using that might have different
grain size. Getting a scale would be easiest.


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## dammag (8/11/12)

200 gm of dextrose is 1/5 of a kilo bag. This gives you an idea. It is more than you think.


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## tonyt (8/11/12)

Careful Velcro, 
A couple of months ago, i used 160 gms for 23 L batch ( kegged) and got ice cream! It was way over carbed! If i bulk prime again i wouldn't use more than 100 gms.
Cheers


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## m3taL (8/11/12)

:icon_offtopic: -- K-Fart have Kitchen scales for around $14 they keep up with my wifes $90 set that im not allowed to use since i dropped the last one in the shed n smashed it :beerbang: :unsure: :blink:


edit - typo


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## Charst (8/11/12)

tonyt said:


> Careful Velcro,
> A couple of months ago, i used 160 gms for 23 L batch ( kegged) and got ice cream! It was way over carbed! If i bulk prime again i wouldn't use more than 100 gms.
> Cheers




I regularly used 130gms of white sugar for a 19 litre batch to get 2.5 volumes C02, storing the beer at 18 degrees post bottling. 

@ Velco, If you dont have an app you regularly use find as many priming sugar calcs as you can on the net, enter your parameters and then average the results of them.

If I were bottlng a 23 litres, which is about 20% more than my usual, id use 155gms.

but again compare every calculator you can, make a decision (say on the on the safer side) and learn from there.


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## Bidtfaun (8/11/12)

I get reliable results with around 130-140 gms for 23-24 litres for 2.4 vols in the Czech Pils I do-just make sure you ensure it is thoroughly mixed without allowing any air into the beer-no splashing or you could oxidize your beer.


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## Charst (8/11/12)

jameyliddelow said:


> :icon_offtopic: -- K-Fart have Kitchen scales for around $14 they keep up with my wifes $90 set that im not allowed to use since i dropped the last one in the shed n smashed it :beerbang: :unsure: :blink:
> 
> 
> edit - typo



I recently brought a set of scales from kFart and to test i poured 1 litre water into the bowl that came with them and it weighed 956g.

so either the scales were out or my kitchen measuring cup was.


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## m3taL (8/11/12)

Charst said:


> I recently brought a set of scales from kFart and to test i poured 1 litre water into the bowl that came with them and it weighed 956g.
> 
> so either the scales were out or my kitchen measuring cup was.



Shonky Stuff....... I tested mine against the missus and on 4 items they were on the money..... (20g, 400g, 700g, and 1200g) there a 1500g scale never tried the 1lt of water....


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## crd0902 (8/11/12)

tonyt said:


> Careful Velcro,
> A couple of months ago, i used 160 gms for 23 L batch ( kegged) and got ice cream! It was way over carbed! If i bulk prime again i wouldn't use more than 100 gms.
> Cheers



I'm no expert but when kegging you halve the priming sugar. I use 4gm per litre and it still comes out rather highly carbed. I bulk prime all my kegs now with about 80 gm dextrose with no probs.Chris


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## Yob (8/11/12)

Just for a different number.. using dextrose.. with a ferment that reached 20'c.. I used 125g and at about 2.2 volumes I thought it was a nice level.

I did go as low as 100g Dex for a 23lt batch but thought it was a bit light.. 125g is perfect for an ale.. 200 is way too much IMO

:icon_cheers:


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## yum beer (8/11/12)

1 cup of dex.....almost perfect. about 160gm.


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## maldridge (8/11/12)

Just use this, can't go wrong:

http://www.aussiehomebrewing.com/AlcoholCh...Calculator.html

200g for a 23L batch is quite highly carbed in my limited experience. Still seems like a lot.

I recently made a golden ale, 25L batch, and bulk primed with around 145g - which gave a nice carb level of around 2.2 co2 per vol. 

As for your troubles physically measuring your sugar? **** knows.


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## pete_etheridge (12/11/12)

Thanks for all the feedback guys - I'll let you know what I ended up doing to solve the situation when I make a rush decision on bottling day! Ha! 
Slightly off topic though - what is your opinion on the 'Desired volume of CO2' in the bulk priming calculator (http://webspace.webring.com/people/ms/sirleslie/AlcoholChart/PrimingCalculator.html) and how do you decide what your desired volume of CO2 is with the Australian kits we generally use?


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