Bulk Prime Question

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Well I'm stepping over to the dark side and going to bulk prime my first batch.

Just a few questions:

Is this calculator here http://webspace.webring.com/people/ms/sirleslie/AlcoholChart/PrimingCalculator.html the best one to use.

I'm going to use a silicon jiggle syphon to extract the beer from the fermenter to a paint pale I have put measurements on 15-20L . I usually only do batches to 20L max.

Is it best to add the sugar once ive syphoned into the pale and give it a stir?

 

[mkstalen]

That calculator's fine.

Why syphon? I just stick my fermenter on a bench and the bottling bucket on the ground and use some food grade hose from the tap of the fermenter to the bottom of the bottom bucket, go fairly slow at the start to avoid splashing about.

Dissolve your priming sugar in some boiling water (200mL) put that in the bottling bucket, then transfer your beer on top of it. Not really much need to stir, it should stir itself pretty well this way.

I'm assuming your "paint pale" has a tap for you to bottle from...

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

That calculator's fine.

Why syphon? I just stick my fermenter on a bench and the bottling bucket on the ground and use some food grade hose from the tap of the fermenter to the bottom of the bottom bucket, go fairly slow at the start to avoid splashing about.

Dissolve your priming sugar in some boiling water (200mL) put that in the bottling bucket, then transfer your beer on top of it. Not really much need to stir, it should stir itself pretty well this way.

I'm assuming your "paint pale" has a tap for you to bottle from...

Yeah its got a tap lol.

Oh the reason I want to syphon this particular batch is a) because when I screwed in the tap the sediment reducer was pointing downwards into the slurry and I was too lazy to adjust it and b) figure it might give a clearer wort if I move the fermenter, let it settle and syphon right down to the slurry.

good tip on adding hte cooled sugar water to the paint pale, would not have thought of that.

 

[Tahoose]

Just run off the first 200mls or so and chuck it, then turn your tap off, and run all of your clear wort on top of your sugar solution.

The momentum should create a mini whirlpool of sorts and will mix it in nicely.

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Just run off the first 200mls or so and chuck it, then turn your tap off, and run all of your clear wort on top of your sugar solution.

The momentum should create a mini whirlpool of sorts and will mix it in nicely.

Yeah right, I'm probably being a bit paranoid. I don't have any hose for the tap, only got the 1/2" silicone stuff. Spose I can just run it straight in without hose and use an extender if I need to aloso..

I'll see how cloudy seddy it is when I take the gravity, might clear up enough.

 

[Tahoose]

Hmmm I'd use a hose to be honest, my taps are just the normal homebrew/bunnings type and they work fine with a 13 mm hose.

Your 1/2 inch hose shouldn't be much different to that.

 

[mkstalen]

Don't run it straight out of the tap without a hose. There'd be way too much splashing about which is something you want to avoid at this stage. Oxygenation good before fermentation, bad after fermentation.

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Ahh thanks guys - Yeh my hose does actually fit - didn't think it would cuz it is quite thick but it fits snug on the tap. I cut about 60cm off it a while back and thought I was silly (it was 2m with the syphon jiggle attachment)... but turns out it looks like it will be a perfect fit. Love it when things we think are accidents turn into something useful

Looking forward to eliminating individual bottle priming for good!

 

[mkstalen]

Just wait till you start kegging

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Just wait till you start kegging

I can't justify the electricy involved with kegging not to mention the force carbonation beer ready in days either.. But it has crossed my mind.

 

[menoetes]

Maybe you could try tap to tap? If you have taps on both buckets and the food hose it's an easy way to avoid oxygenation and the mess of siphoning.

Just pop your full fermenter on a table, your bottling bucket below it on a chair or something (I pop mine on a milk crate). Run your sanitized food-grade hose from the tap of one onto the tap of the other. Pop your sugar water solution into the bottling bucket and turn both the taps on.

The beer should gravity feed down from your top fermenter down into your bucket below (through the tap) and mix itself into the sugar solution. Very easy, I don't remember who first posted the idea up here but I love it. It saved me some mess and worry and it's classic K.I.S.S. principle.

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Maybe you could try tap to tap? If you have taps on both buckets and the food hose it's an easy way to avoid oxygenation and the mess of siphoning.

Just pop your full fermenter on a table, your bottling bucket below it on a chair or something (I pop mine on a milk crate). Run your sanitized food-grade hose from the tap of one onto the tap of the other. Pop your sugar water solution into the bottling bucket and turn both the taps on.

The beer should gravity feed down from your top fermenter down into your bucket below (through the tap) and mix itself into the sugar solution. Very easy, I don't remember who first posted the idea up here but I love it. It saved me some mess and worry and it's classic K.I.S.S. principle.

Yeh cool - I'll give this a try! Cheers

 

[jaypes]

I can't justify the electricy involved with kegging not to mention the force carbonation beer ready in days either.. But it has crossed my mind.

You still have to chill your bottled beer, same with a keg. You can naturally carb a keg with dex as well if you like

 

[The Judge]

I always stir my wort after I've transferred it to the vessel with the priming sugar (sure sure, "overkill!" i hear you say), because even though you whirlpool you can still get the heavy sugar solution staying at the bottom of the whirlpool. I've had this happen once, and I found out the hard way by sampling the last drops of wort and it was ghastly sweet! I thought "oh sugar...." and yep, the last few beers I bottled would've exploded, and the rest were flat as milk.

As a side note, your whirlpool through a syphon will be much stronger than via the tap as the bore on a hose is typically larger than the throat of the tap.

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

I always stir my wort after I've transferred it to the vessel with the priming sugar (sure sure, "overkill!" i hear you say), because even though you whirlpool you can still get the heavy sugar solution staying at the bottom of the whirlpool. I've had this happen once, and I found out the hard way by sampling the last drops of wort and it was ghastly sweet! I thought "oh sugar...." and yep, the last few beers I bottled would've exploded, and the rest were flat as milk.

As a side note, your whirlpool through a syphon will be much stronger than via the tap as the bore on a hose is typically larger than the throat of the tap.

Its probably no worse than bottling when you tip the bottle to mix in the sugar I reckon.. so long as you aren't stirring too rough.

I'll probably stir too

 

[TheWiggman]

I second the stirring. Not round and round, but up and down. If you don't there's a chance that you will not get an even mix of sugar throughout and cause inconsistency in carbonation.
Don't stir hard though, just agitate gently to avoid oxidising the beer.

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

I second the stirring. Not round and round, but up and down. If you don't there's a chance that you will not get an even mix of sugar throughout and cause inconsistency in carbonation.
Don't stir hard though, just agitate gently to avoid oxidising the beer.

Yeah well the syphon idea i've scrapped as it comes on pretty fast and will oxegynate . Tap to Tap and a light plunge stir will be the go for me I think.

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

I just took a gravity then, it came out pretty clear - a lot better than I thought anyway - its gone from 1.050 to 1.010 so I elevated the fermentor and will let it sit for a few more days until bottling.

Damn it tastes good, DrSutros is yumm at this early stage and with US04 - the cubed one with 1272 I'll pitch next be even nicer I'm sure!