Carb drops taste diffrence

[beno1]

Bit if a silly question but do carb drop affect the flavour of a beer? I always keg and haven't bottled much so just trying to get a bit of feed back as i will be bottling the next batch or 2,Will dex , carb drops or normal sugar make any deference in taste etc? I know the carb drop take a little longer to carb up but mainly wondering about taste etc.

 

[carniebrew]

I'm gonna say no, but with a caveat....I think carb drops over carb a beer, and that can change the flavour somewhat. I prefer my pale ale style beers at around 2.5 vols of co2, whereas I've estimated carb drops to do more like 3.2.

If you're bottling the whole batch, use dex/white sugar/raw sugar (I've tried them all and none add any taste to the beer) for bulk priming instead of priming each bottle. Use a calculator such as this to work out your preferred carb level, then add that much sugar to around 200ml of water in a saucepan, dissolve and boil for a minute or so...pour it into an empty FV, then rack your beer on top of it and bottle from there. Too easy.
(e.g. 20 litres of beer fermented at 18C that you want to carb to 2.5 vols should be bulk primed with 121 grams of raw sugar)

 

[lukiferj]

Agree with carniebrew here. I find that thr carb drops are fine if you drink them within a month or so but any longer and they seem to over carb in bottles. Dont have this issue whem bulk priming.

 

[beno1]

I'm gonna say no, but with a caveat....I think carb drops over carb a beer, and that can change the flavour somewhat. I prefer my pale ale style beers at around 2.5 vols of co2, whereas I've estimated carb drops to do more like 3.2.

If you're bottling the whole batch, use dex/white sugar/raw sugar (I've tried them all and none add any taste to the beer) for bulk priming instead of priming each bottle. Use a calculator such as this to work out your preferred carb level, then add that much sugar to around 200ml of water in a saucepan, dissolve and boil for a minute or so...pour it into an empty FV, then rack your beer on top of it and bottle from there. Too easy.
(e.g. 20 litres of beer fermented at 18C that you want to carb to 2.5 vols should be bulk primed with 121 grams of raw sugar)

Because im bottling in long necks do you reckon just one carb drop would be enough to reach around 2 - 2.7 ish??

 

[fletcher]

Because im bottling in long necks do you reckon just one carb drop would be enough to reach around 2 - 2.7 ish??

no, 2

 

[JDW81]

Don't know about being able to taste a difference, but I bottled a couple of batches late last year with drops and they all had rubbish head retention. I know it was the drops as I remade each batch with exactly the same recipe, mash and fermentation schedule and carbed them with malt extract. Flavour is identical, but head retention is perfect in the LME carbed batch, and almost non-existent in the batch carbed with drops. Glasses weren't to blame either as I did a side-by-side comparison in the same crystal glasses that have been handled in the exact same manner.

JD.

 

[JDW81]

no, 2

 

[peas_and_corn]

Personally I don't have much faith the drops are manufactured in anywhere approaching sanitary conditions, which is why I don't use them

 

[JDW81]

Personally I don't have much faith the drops are manufactured in anywhere approaching sanitary conditions, which is why I don't use them

Likewise. I only used them in an emergency, and now have poorly and over carbonated beer.

 

[Mr. No-Tip]

I've never found a problem with them. Something English I will do one per 500 but for my hef and Berliner I use three per 750 - in champagne or PET!

 

[manticle]

nah

 

[stakka82]

Yeah I always bulk primed when I bottled and looked down on the drops despite never using them. Now I find myself bottling six or so from each batch and kegging the rest. In my experience you have to halve/quarter them in some instances to get the right carb for that beer style or size bottle.

It takes some trial and error to develop a set of rules but when you do they are super convenient and do not have any ill effects taste or head retention wise that I have noticed.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Personally I don't have much faith the drops are manufactured in anywhere approaching sanitary conditions, which is why I don't use them

What makes you say that.

I have done work in sugar refineries, and I could gaurantee you would never want to use sugar ever again.