Easiest Way To Prime Bottles

[pokolbinguy]

G'day all,


I have a batch of brew that I need to bottle and in the past have had bad results with carb drops in bottles (great in kegs however) and want to prime with a better fermentable.

1. What should I use??? DME from the LHBS or would something like the basic coopers work well?

2. how much per largie (750ml)?

3. would it be better and easier (I would think so) to measure out the sugar using one of those measuring scoops that come with brew kits or should I bulk prime....my only quam with this is the risk of oxidisation due to having to move the brew so many times.


Thanks a millions folks, I scrounged through the search function but turned up so many results it got confusing.

Cheers, Pok B)

 

[Maple]

during my bottling days, I used the good ol scoop and Dex as the sugar, figured out within 2 batches that the scoop (designed for 330ml bottles) is perfect amount for a stubbie(375ml jobbies), and would just double that for the Longies. that's just my experience with it, but have since moved into kegs, as I can't be stuffed with the bottling anymore. I still do a few bottles occasionally when i don't have a Mixy keg to load, my delta from the batch gets bottled, but usually only about a 6'er worth.

Maple

 

[floppinab]

What sort of issues have you had with the drops pb???

I use them and have found I can acheive the required carbo levels by cutting them in half with a sharp knife and then using any combination of 1, 1.5, 2 or 2.5 drops in a 750ml bottle.

I know plenty (most??) on here bulk prime but given my history with infection the less handling the better in my brewery :mellow:

 

[Fents]

just buy a scoop from a HBS and some dextrose - theres two size's on the one scoop - one for stubbies one for longnecks.

 

[Stuster]

Bulk prime. There's no problem with oxidation as long as you have a hose going to the bottom of you bottling bucket. Just boil up some water with the amount of sugar you need (use a program to work out exactly how much you need). Tip sugar water in bottom of bucket (no need to cool). Hose from fermenter to bottom of bucket, curling around bottom to create whirlpool. Bottle.

 

[pokolbinguy]

and just use dextrose???

 

[Stuster]

White sugar.

 

[Kleiny]

Bulk priming is the go

get yourself another food grade bucket or fermenter
boil 2 cups of water mix in 180g dextrose and wait for it too cool
add it to your 2nd bucket
and rack your brew on top
then bottle

even distribution of the suger, good results, easy to do

i used the carb drops but found them too much carbonation sometimes

 

[BoilerBoy]

Either

Cheers
BB

 

[Stuster]

boil 2 cups of water mix in 180g dextrose and wait for it too cool

No need to wait for it to cool. Sure you'll kill the yeast in the first one or two litres of wort, but there'll still be plenty of yeast to carbonate your beer.

 

[shamus]

I found that when I used the sugar scoop to prime with dextrose, they are underprimed. Its designed to be used with sugar, which ferments differently then dextrose.

 

[pokolbinguy]

OK.... I'm off to town.... will grab some dextrose or white sugar and come back and get this out of the way..... needs to be done asap.

Thanks for the help guys.... i now remember why I moved to kegs so fast!!

Pok

 

[matt white]

I agree with Kleiny, take the time to bulk prime, its easy and I havent had any dramas yet. Work on 180g dextrose per 23 litre batch plus or minus some depending on the brew.

 

[Fourstar]

Bulk prime is the way i go.

cant go wrong. as Stuster put it, work it out in beersmith etc. generally 200g DME will do a 23L brew. boil and cool then pitch to fermenter or bottling bucket whcihever suits.

I generally pitch to my secondary give her a VERY gentle stir. seal and let sit for 10 mins then bottle away.

 

[kook]

I boil up a sugar solution using my priming sugar and 500ml of water on the stove for 5 minutes. This is then poured into a sanitised keg. I then flush the keg with CO2 and rack the (cold) beer from primary onto the sugar solution.

I can then fill my bottles using a picnic tap with a length of hose attached. I find this much easier and quicker than using bottling wands. Also helps to reduce oxidisation a tiny bit.

 

[Stuster]

Yep, putting the bottling wand on the end of some hose makes life easier as well.

 

[goatherder]

I do pseudo-bulk priming. All the benefits and not as many of the drawbacks of bulk priming. Details are yonder: http://goatherder.googlepages.com/bulkpriming