Carbonation Drops

[winky420]

The instructions on my carbonation drops say 2 drops per 750ml bottle, but my bottles are 640ml. Will 2 drops be too much for a 640ml bottle?

 

[saturn]

I have some 600 ml bottles ans I carbonate with one drop it takes a bit longer than 2 weeks to fully carbonate but I find it works out well at about a month

My experience with 2 drops and smaller bottles has been bombs abd brown fountains

 

[rclemmett]

Yes and no.

Whats in it, and whats the final gravity reading?

 

[Noxious]

Shit!
It's the crack fox...I thought all he brewed was blood from a cat's face dispensed in half tennis balls??

 

[winky420]

Unsure of SG, hasnt finished fermenting yet. Im using a standard kit w/enhancer.

 

[rclemmett]

Shit!
It's the crack fox...I thought all he brewed was blood from a cat's face dispensed in half tennis balls??

Thats just to help the toothpaste and big pieces of #&*$ to go down, seems to cut the grease.

 

[rclemmett]

Unsure of SG, hasnt finished fermenting yet. Im using a standard kit w/enhancer.

If it is a style that would be suited to high carbonation I would say yes, but if its a kit with enhancer I'd be guessing a FG of 1008-1010, so I'd say use one drop. What kit is it?

 

[winky420]

It is Munich Lager. dont know if was with a kit convertor or booster/enhancer, whatever the guy gave us. Pretty new to brewing.

 

[buttersd70]

according to the coopers faq

Coopers Carbonation Drops look like boiled lollies and contain the equivalent of 3g of sugar. Use them instead of measuring out white sugar to speed up the bottling process. The drops will dissolve within an hour and plume through the brew so there is no need to invert the bottles.

So, from this, 1 drop per 600ml bottle will give you the same as 5g/L (and 2 would give 10g/L)....
depending on what the fermentation temperature was (I will assume 20C), working it out on this calculator here

5g/l will give you 2.1vol CO2 (similar to an English Best Bitter, very low carbonation level)
10g/l will give you 3.35vol CO2 (super fizzy assuming your bottles survive.)

2 drops in a 750ml bottle will give you 2.9volCO2 (which many people find to aggressive for 'general' use, but thats all down to opinion)

So, with these bottles, the drops are going to give real issues either way. I happen to gas my kegs at 2.1vol, its perfect for a bitter. But I always bottle it a little higher, or it causes real issues with the pour

Bulk priming is preferable, then the bottle size is irrelevant. But for 2.5vol co2 which I find to be a good happy medium, you would need 4g/600ml (or 7g/L for 2.6vol)

 

[peas_and_corn]

Wait, there is no need to invert the bottles? The video I got with my kit lied to me!

I bulk prime now

 

[buttersd70]

The video I got with my kit lied to me!

:lol:

 

[rclemmett]

I find one carb drop way too much for 330ml bottles and just right for 500ml bottles, so if I were you I'd only use one. Overcarbed beer is a pain in the arse, I would rather very low carbonation to overcarbonation, as at least you can still drink it. I now bulk prime, I find it makes things quicker and easier.

 

[Noxious]

As a rookie bulk primer, I am unsure how to achieve the results I was previously getting from drops/single bottle dex.
I've heard around 180gm/23 litres for good carbonation.
Does anyone have any guidelines for styles vs dex rates in bulk priming?

eg. Would it be around 200gm for a lager style and 170 for an english ale style?
Any help appreciated..

P.S - Not trying to hijack the thread but figured people in the know would be reading this thread in particular
Cheers

 

[winky420]

How do you bulk prime? Just put the right amount of drops/sugar into the fermenter and bottle it once its dissolved?

 

[buttersd70]

Noxious, there is a link to a primign calculator in my previous post, and that has gerneral style guides on it in a drop down list.

Winky, have a read of the article here

 

[rclemmett]

As a rookie bulk primer, I am unsure how to achieve the results I was previously getting from drops/single bottle dex.
I've heard around 180gm/23 litres for good carbonation.
Does anyone have any guidelines for styles vs dex rates in bulk priming?

eg. Would it be around 200gm for a lager style and 170 for an english ale style?
Any help appreciated..

P.S - Not trying to hijack the thread but figured people in the know would be reading this thread in particular
Cheers

I normally do between 5 and 7g per litre. As butters said "5g for an English bitter", and I find 7g for a light lager good. I find the higher the final gravity the less priming sugar needed, but I am unsure of the science behind that.

 

[Adamt]

Thats just to help the toothpaste and big pieces of #&*$ to go down, seems to cut the grease.

...and Head and Shoulders.

Uh oh, I made a tummy shame...

 

[Bribie G]

IMHO 180g would be absolute tops especially if you are keeping the beer for a while, as it can gradually ferment out further and get quite fizzy.

For an English Bitter (remember that in the UK true bitters are not generally bottled and are meant to be drunk from cask or keg) you might want to go as low as 120g.

Here's a so called bitter I did at 150g. Not exactly your lightly carbed brew.



Back on topic: Winky I would agree with prevous posters who suggested one drop per bottle in your case. If you are going to keep using same size bottles you should really go bulk priming with a fifteen dollar 'fermenter' from Bunnings, a tap for $1.50 and a length of tubing from your LHBS.

Cheers

 

[KGB]

I'd go with one drop, give it plenty of time to do its thing and move on from the drops next time if you're unhappy with the results.
I agree with Rob2: "I would rather very low carbonation to overcarbonation".

 

[Katherine]

Why not use a measuring spoon and dextrose or table sugar. Just as easy and cheaper