What Is Better, Carb Drops Or White Sugar?

[loot]

Hi all,

I have been having some success with my first few brews and I was wondering if anyone could advise me on what is the better option for priming my 750ml bottles. I have used the packaged carbonation drops and white sugar. As far as I can tell they are the same thing only one cost significantly less.

 

[DKS]

Hi all,

I have been having some success with my first few brews and I was wondering if anyone could advise me on what is the better option for priming my 750ml bottles. I have used the packaged carbonation drops and white sugar. As far as I can tell they are the same thing only one cost significantly less.

Yep, you got it loot. They do the same job. Use either, either doesn't matter. Drops convenient but more expensive. An alternative is bulk priming.
Daz

 

[megs80]

+1 for bulk priming with cheap sugar

 

[Bribie G]

One per PET bottle. B)

 

[DU99]

sugar is cheaper...even dextrose...

 

[stux]

I bulk prime with dextrose

8gm per litre?

 

[bum]

As far as I can tell they are the same thing only one cost significantly less.

That is essentially correct but sugar/dex is more flexible and is a bit more reliable in regards to getting a consistent carb. No huge problem with the lollies though if you prefer them.

 

[fcmcg]

Bribie swears by his sugar cube method....
Someone did post that carb drops, per drop was extensially more expensive than sugar....
I would use the sugar cube method , except that i have an old skool Kangaroo suar dispensar ( they were the rage in the 80's homebrew worls)
I got it from a gargae sale for $2...You can dial in the bottle size and if your using Normal sugar , it gives a resonable carb...
It may not be so much " style specific" , but it is gold for ease of use...
I reckon you use sugar andone of those littlee placcy thingo's to dispense it....
Whilst your starting out , you really want something easy ....and cheaper...so its pretty much a plus one ,for the bribester's method..
Cheerio
The Fergusto
(oops ..no more beer Ferg , your working tomorrow)

 

[Brown_hound]

I recently carbed with glucose from woolies and got an atrocious carb up...


Best bottle carb I've had (cheapest also) is with plain old white sugar, bulk primed... How low can you go? Black and Gold hoy!

 

[Yeastie Beastie]

Bulk priming is definately the way to go and plenty of info here on it but don't get caught up in the "complexity" of it 'cos it is not that hard to do, especially if you have a spare fermentor/bottling bucket.
I found it daunting when I first researched the idea, but in a nutshell....it is dead simple. But that is not the questioned you asked.
IMO I think it can be said that the more refined the sugar, the clearer the beer you will produce. Im not saying that the main ingredient of a good beer is sugar, just simply, it will help your clarity somewhat.
If you are into sugar, at least use caster sugar.

 

[Bribie G]

Caster sugar is chemically identical to normal granulated sugar, or do you mean that it's easier to dissolve?

 

[manticle]

IMO I think it can be said that the more refined the sugar, the clearer the beer you will produce. Im not saying that the main ingredient of a good beer is sugar, just simply, it will help your clarity somewhat.
If you are into sugar, at least use caster sugar.

This confuses me a little bit. How does priming sugar type affect beer clarity?

Main ingredient of a beer probably is sugar (and water) - all that lovely maltose making the yeast feel warm and happy.

 

[bowie in space]

Definately bulk prime if you can be bothered. Preferably with dextrose. It's more hassle but you get an even carbonation through all your beers. I tried carb drops in my first couple of brews and thought it had too much of a softdrink-like fizzy mouthfeel.

Although Bribie's sugar cube technique looks quite interesting and hassle free. From memory though he uses 2L PET bottles so perhaps that ratio works best.

I find about 100-110g per 20L is generally acceptable for the amount of fizz I like.

You really do need to get a consistent whirlpool action happening or you'll run the risk of a large amount of the priming sugar staying at the bottom of your priming vessel and finding it's way into one or two of your bottles. I have had this happen a couple of times, one of the downfalls of bulk priming. Nothing is more frustrating than 28 near flat longnecks and the other two full of foam.

Bowie

 

[stux]

Definately bulk prime if you can be bothered. Preferably with dextrose. It's more hassle but you get an even carbonation through all your beers. I tried carb drops in my first couple of brews and thought it had too much of a softdrink-like fizzy mouthfeel.

Although Bribie's sugar cube technique looks quite interesting and hassle free. From memory though he uses 2L PET bottles so perhaps that ratio works best.

I find about 100-110g per 20L is generally acceptable for the amount of fizz I like.

You really do need to get a consistent whirlpool action happening or you'll run the risk of a large amount of the priming sugar staying at the bottom of your priming vessel and finding it's way into one or two of your bottles. I have had this happen a couple of times, one of the downfalls of bulk priming. Nothing is more frustrating than 28 near flat longnecks and the other two full of foam.

Bowie

Do you predisolve your sugar? Or are you trying to stir it in?

 

[woodwormm]

Q: what is better, drops or sugar?

A: CO2!

hehe i'm one of those pesky keggers!

when i bottled i thought castor sugar was the best.

seriously i think the best thing for you is whatever you think the best thing is... by this i mean have a go at something other than what you've been doing and compare it.. definitely ask lots of questions here, but make sure you try more than one suggestion, then report back to us how you went and what you like...

 

[milestron]

i bulk primed from the first brew, figured that surely will be easier then measuring out each bottle invidivually. Bottling is the only part of brewing that's a bit of a chore (to me anyway)

 

[mwd]

i bulk primed from the first brew, figured that surely will be easier then measuring out each bottle invidivually. Bottling is the only part of brewing that's a bit of a chore (to me anyway)

Yes that is the worst part cleaning and bottling. If you use a sugar scoop and a small funnel then I reckon it is actually faster than bulk priming. Where bulk priming comes into its own is if you have lots of bottles of different sizes.

Does not really matter what sugar you use as long as it dissolves in the bottle so i reckon caster sugar is better, anybody tried icing sugar ?

 

[ekul]

I use carb drops. They're quicker than using sugar and less cleaning than bulk priming, although they are slightlymore expensive. The only time that i get softdrink-like bubbles is when i quick chill a green beer in the freezer to get it cold. After the beers have sat for 3-4 weeks the bubbles are quite fine, especially if they get a bit of fridge time before being opened.

Sometimes i use sugar when i forget to buy carb drops and to be honest i can't tell the difference. I don't write what carbonation method i use on the labels but i haven't noticed any serious differences that would make me look into it so iassume they are both pretty similar.

 

[manticle]

, anybody tried icing sugar ?

Icing sugar often has various kinds of crap in it to stop it going gluggy such as starch.

You can get pure icing sugar but you'd want to be sure.

 

[Jake.v]

ill be bottling my first batch in a few weeks im thinking i might go 50/50 on carb drops and dex then do a blind test to see if anything is different could be interesting