Bulk Priming?

[jamie72]

Bit of advice please, I have my first BIAB in the fermenter and I'm thinking of bulk priming instead of using the carb drops, I am Not using a keg. It will all be getting bottled in tallies and stubs. Is there a formula to working out how much dex to use and what is the best method??

Cheers Jamie

 

[sponge]

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/57609-bulk-priming/

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/31112-ahb-articles-using-a-bulk-priming-calculator/

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Coopers use 5gm of liquid sugar per ltr for their priming rates for kegs and bottles.

That is the only sugar they use in all of their beers

 

[jamie72]

Thanks fellas I'll be giving it a go probably on the weekend..

 

[mash head]

It depends upon what temp your beer is at priming time and what volumes of co2 you are looking for. Different styles of beer call for different carb levels.

 

[roverfj1200]

I bulk prime the same way all the time. I dissolve 130 grams of dex in 400ml boiling water from the kettle. Tip this in to my plastic jerry and rack using the tap to tap method. thats it works fine for me.


Cheers

 

[beerdrinkingbob]

I bulk prime the same way all the time. I dissolve 130 grams of dex in 400ml boiling water from the kettle. Tip this in to my plastic jerry and rack using the tap to tap method. thats it works fine for me.


Cheers

I used to do the same thing, another good tip is if you have a sederment reducer have facing 90 degrees to the tap, creates a nice whirlpool/mixing motion.

 

[431neb]

Tap to tap? Why didn't I think of that?

I coil the excess hose in the bottom of a spare fermenter to create a slow whirlpool but the tap thing and a gentle swirl would be less mess.

Jamie there are plenty of apps that will calculate bulk priming for you. I got sick of looking up the traditional online ones plus the alcohol calculators and timers that some of them have are handy. I use iBrewer that was discussed on AHB by one of it's creators a while ago. It may not be the best one (I dunno) but it does me.

 

[manticle]

I use this calculator although it gives similar results to others I have tried: http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator/carbonation.html

I used this article: http://hbd.org/brewery/library/YPrimerMH.html and one that is not accessible here until the articles db is back online for the reasoning.

 

[jamie72]

Could you please explain the tap to tap method?
I was going to use 2m of hose from one tap into the other jerry with it coiled up on the bottom.

 

[jaypes]

Stick your racking tube into your primary fermentors tap and the other end in your secondary, make sure your secondary is lower than your primary, open taps and you are racking

 

[roverfj1200]

Tap to tap. Just put the hose on both taps and open them . I tilt the bulk romping jerry over a bit till it fills enough to cover the inlet. No need for any swirling it will all mix in fine.

Cheers

 

[jamie72]

For some reason I didn't think it would flow in the 2nd tap.
Thanks for that.

 

[bum]

It depends upon what temp your beer is at priming time and what volumes of co2 you are looking for. Different styles of beer call for different carb levels.

In most cases this will probably be true but it is not the full story. Highest temp since primary finished is more correct. CO2 will stay in solution in your beer better at lower temps. Higher temps will allow more gas to escape. If you drop the temp after this (both temps are after primary is done) and use that as your temp for the calculation then the priming rate will not be as you desired. May be good enough but is worth thinking about.

 

[manticle]

From what I understand, actually highest temp during and after fermentation, discounting quick spikes.

I used to think it was post fermentation only but this is not the case.

At bottling is irrelevant unless higher than any other time.

 

[bum]

As I say, "more correct". Yes, there are certainly corner cases for every rule. Temp during primary dictates how much CO2 can be held initially (baseline) and highest temp afterwards dictates how much remains (sorta). Every calculator I've seen only asks for one temp value - my gut feeling is to go with post-fermentation.

I suppose if one were able to know that FG had been reached without taking readings over a few days then the highest ferment temp (towards the end of primary) would be the temp to use.

 

[manticle]

Only really practically matters if temp goes wildly awry somewhere along the way. Keep temps consistent and it's super easy to calculate. To make an actual difference, temps need to be pretty disparate.

However as far as I understand: X amount of CO2 gets produced during fermentation. Y amount gets driven off by warmer temps (during AND post), leaving Z amount remaining (post). Need to account for Y during AND post to calculate Z accurately.

 

[431neb]

For ales I enter 20 degrees into my bulk priming calculator because I pop the temperature up for a two day diacetyl rest at 20 degrees. My BP calculator asks for the ferment temperature but I know others ask for the maximum ferment temperature. I've always wondered if (technically) the diacetyl rest is part of the actual ferment because I generally do it around day nine when fermentation is largely done. I've never taken enough readings to be sure but I assume that some further attenuation happens during this slight temperature increase. The significance of this imagined increase remains a mystery to me.

The change in the bulk priming amount when I enter 17 degrees (my normal ferment temp) is 7 grams in a 21 litre batch so it's hardly a big deal. Interesting though.

 

[Seato]

The first time I ever bulk primed, I sat there and put 50 tea spoons of white sugar into a cup. I never use white sugar in the fermenter but have used it quite a lot for secondary priming. Anyway 50 tea spoons is equivalent to 1 metric cup, tip that into second fermenter applying enough boiling water (minimal) to dissolve and using a hose drain the first fermenter into it. Give it a good stir and start filling bottles.

 

[Yob]

why would you not dissolve first? Truckloads easier to just boil up 200ml water and weigh out the malt/dex/sugar and dilute. (IMO)