Bulk priming question

[GNU]

Hey everyone,

I've never bulk primed a batch before having used carb drops or measuring scoop dex. So I have a couple of questions on the process after doing a couple of searches.

1. My FV is a conical design, as with all FV the trub, hop pellets, etc collect on the bottom. Really it's surprising how much. I'm not planning on transferring the beer to a bottling bucket, going straight from FV to bottle. Do I just look at the marking on the side where the beer comes up to for the priming calculation? Or do I have to reduce it by some amount to allow for the crap in the bottom of the FV?

2. How precise do you need to be when measuring total volume? Is within 500ml accurate enough? Difficult on the SS FV to make a read, especially when in gallons.

3. When dissolving the dex in the boiled water to make the priming solution. Do you add this to the total batch size when doing the priming calc?

4. What's a good rate of dextrose per Litre for a pale ale?

5. How long before bottling should the solution be added to the FV which is at 17degrees? Should it be stirred (gently to avoid oxidation if so)?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Hey everyone,

I've never bulk primed a batch before having used carb drops or measuring scoop dex. So I have a couple of questions on the process after doing a couple of searches.

1. My FV is a conical design, as with all FV the trub, hop pellets, etc collect on the bottom. Really it's surprising how much. I'm not planning on transferring the beer to a bottling bucket, going straight from FV to bottle. Do I just look at the marking on the side where the beer comes up to for the priming calculation? Or do I have to reduce it by some amount to allow for the crap in the bottom of the FV?

Reduce it by the amount of crap/trub in the bottm

2. How precise do you need to be when measuring total volume? Is within 500ml accurate enough? Difficult on the SS FV to make a read, especially when in gallons.

500ml will be fine

3. When dissolving the dex in the boiled water to make the priming solution. Do you add this to the total batch size when doing the priming calc?

No

4. What's a good rate of dextrose per Litre for a pale ale?

5g/Ltr

5. How long before bottling should the solution be added to the FV which is at 17degrees? Should it be stirred (gently to avoid oxidation if so)?

Just before bottling

Thanks in advance for any advice.

You main problem is going to be getting it mixed in the FV. Your going to stir up the trub. Its better to transfer to a bottling bucket so the it mixes well. You can also reduce the amount of trub you get

 

[Jack of all biers]

I agree with Stu on his answers above. A bottling bucket would be easier.

To answer your many questions see the below, I got from a now defunct website some years ago. There is also a technical guide which goes over the amount of CO2 present in beer at certain temps/CO2 super saturation also, but given this is your first time, give the below a read before you get yourself confused. I find the lower end of the medium scale is good for most European lagers and the upper end of low good for most typical English ales, with the high really only for Weizen's, but experiment, you'll find the fiz you're after in just a few goes.

Essential Guide to Bulk Priming
This page provides the essential information needed to carry out bulk-priming. Technical details have deliberately been kept to a minimum.

The following procedure assumes we are working with a beer fermented at around 20 °C. A difference of plus or minus a few degrees won’t matter much, but more than around 5 °C certainly will. You will have to see the technical section for more details on temperature effects and how to consider them.
Procedure
• Measure the required quantity of priming sugar as determined from Table 1 (we assume here that you are using dextrose).
• Add to saucepan with only enough water to dissolve it (say, 200 mL).
• Bring to boil for a minute or two.
• Add to beer a few minutes prior to bottling and gently stir to distribute evenly. If using a bottling bucket, add the priming sugar as or just before you commence racking – the swirling wort will mix the sugar. You can add it directly to the primary fermenter, but then you also risk stirring up the yeast cake.
• Don’t forget to sanitize the bottling bucket and any equipment that contacts the beer. Take care not to splash the beer when racking as this will cause oxidation.
How much dextrose to add (grams).
The most important column is the ‘Rate of dextrose to add’; – multiply this by your volume of fermented beer (in liters) to obtain the total quantity of dextrose to add. The total amounts for 19 L, 23 L and 40 L are provided, as they are common brew lengths.
Table 1. Guide to Dextrose Addition for Bulk Priming

Tables aren't supported on this forum. So typed out for you;

Carbonation level Rate of Dextrose to add (g/L) Total dextrose (g) for: 19L 23L 40L
High 7-10 135-190 160-230 280-400
Medium 4-6 75-115 90-140 160-240
Low 0-3 0-55 0-70 0-120

*Note: numbers are rounded to nearest 5 g.
• Use “Medium” to replace standard priming practices (approximately equal to the standard 1 tspn/750 mL bottle instructions that we all started our brewing with). Good for most lagers, regular ales, stouts and so on. Use “High” for Weizens and some Belgian styles. Use “Low” for English style ales. Or use whatever you like to suit your taste: it’s your beer!
For sugars other than dextrose:
The most predictable priming results are obtained from simple fully fermentable sugars such as dextrose or sucrose, but for if you like to experiment here is a guide for adjusting the quantity of priming sugar depending on the type you use. Start with the numbers in Table 1 then adjust as follows:
• Table sugar (sucrose) – decrease numbers by 10%
• Dry malt extract – increase by 20-25% (this depends on the brand and may take a little trial and error)
• Liquid malt extract – increase by 40% (this depends on the brand and may take a little trial and error)
• Honey – increase by 50%
Warning: it is very important that the beer has completely finished fermenting and there are no residual fermentable sugars left. Bottling too early, typically results in excessive carbonation, gushers, or even bottle bombs. You should also be aware that some beers, like stout or other full-bodied beers, may contain some long-chain sugars that will ferment very slowly, leading to a gradual increase in carbonation over a period of months.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

As an aside, I got to talk with Tim Cooper at my local a few years back and quized him about all sorts of thing

When asked about priming he said " The brewery uses a priming rate of 5gm/Ltr of sugar for the ales"

They also prime and condition the kegs exactly the same as the bottles, ie they treat a keg just as a big bottle. Interestingly the where told that keg priming would not work, so they did it anyway and still do it

 

[Nizmoose]

As an aside, I got to talk with Tim Cooper at my local a few years back and quized him about all sorts of thing

When asked about priming he said " The brewery uses a priming rate of 5gm/Ltr of sugar for the ales"

They also prime and condition the kegs exactly the same as the bottles, ie they treat a keg just as a big bottle. Interestingly the where told that keg priming would not work, so they did it anyway and still do it

Now this is very interesting and kind of awesome, I'm assuming that what you're saying is the priming rate per litre is exactly the same for kegs as bottles?

 

[bookers]

I have bulk primed straight into the FV, you just have to stir it gently so it doesn't disturb the trub, haven't had any issues yet. 160g dex noiled up for 5min in 500ml of water