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Priming Sugar Alternative
I have heard that there are alternatives to standard priming sugar (is it corn based?). Can I use cane sugar? WHat are the advantages and disadvantges of using it?
Also, I was in my brew store today and saw these candy-looking pellets that claimed to carbonate... what are these and are they effective?
i'm into kegging now and use CO2, but when i did prime i used DME, usually extra light.
BrewRob wrote:
I have heard that there are alternatives to standard priming sugar (is it corn based?). Can I use cane sugar? WHat are the advantages and disadvantges of using it?
Also, I was in my brew store today and saw these candy-looking pellets that claimed to carbonate... what are these and are they effective?
Do you mean the Cooper's sugar cubes? I can't think of the exact name. The only package I have seen was from the Cooper's brewery in Australia. They are like 75% sugar and 25% saccharose (probably spelled that wrong).
I have only used them a few times for carbing since I mostly keg. But they worked fine. What I noticed is when I used a single sugar cube in a 12 oz bottle, that was WAY too much. I broke it in half next time. For a 22 oz, that would probably be enough.
But yes they work fine.
Do Not- under any circumstances- use common table sugar- sucrose.
This WILL impart a flavor that does NOT contribute to an enhancement of your beer.
Corn sugar is good. It is neutral. Similarly rice sugar works well.
Gee, what a thought - they use this in primary fermentation for most American commercial beers (corn or rice), Corona (corn), Kirin (rice), etc.
Alternatively, use powdered crystal malt. Or, even throw in some liquid malt. These are similar to the traditional method of adding some fresh wort from the next unfermented fermented batch at bottling. This was used for hundreds of years at breweries around the world before refined sugars became commonly (and cheaply ) available. The use of these "priming sugars" was then supplanted by gas carbonation.
The problem, if you are inclined to the latter route is to define the amount needed to get an optimal carbonation for your specific beer type.
Anyone have the yard stick for these?
If you have a keg- sometimes readily available from your pop distributors- and a CO2 tank, also from same source- you can pressurize to 25-30 lb in a couple of sets and try to fill the bottles. Small regular 340ml (12oz)bottles are impossible without a proper setup but the bigger the bottle, the easier to fill without foaming over. 750ml or bigger with "clip tops work. Larger bore siphon tubing is better, too.
On the other hand, why worry. Crack a home brew, add one cup of Corn sugar to a five gallon batch after you rack off the secondary fermentation carboy back into the clean primary bucket. Stir. Fill. Crack a home brew, Cap or clip. Set the cases aside in a room temerature room (oxymoron?) Wait 5 days and crack a new home brew.
The ease of priming sugar- corn or rice - is just hard to beat.
If it be tha tiiiny amoount o' yeast in tha bottle that upsets you or your compatriots, you either need to get a better (cleaner) rack over, need to invest in a keg system (the novelty wears off and the portability is not impressive), need to educate your friends as to the nutritional benefits of Brewers yeast (Vit B12) or need to grow up. I'm sure the last option doesn't apply to you but I've met people who it does.
Good luck
Anyone have an opinion of the comment that you should never use sucrose? Seems to me like such a small amount of sucrose would have a negligible affect on a five gallon batch any thoughts?
bankrupted wrote:
Anyone have an opinion of the comment that you should never use sucrose? Seems to me like such a small amount of sucrose would have a negligible affect on a five gallon batch any thoughts?
I have an opinion and a question and a comment.
My opinion: I use table sugar all the time and I don't have an off flavor from that as a priming agent.
My question to RTBISS:
What is the off flavor you are refering too with the use of sucrose table sugar? Awfully long post without saying what the negative flavor is.
Do not add priming agent to the beer directly and stir. The amount of stirring needed to fully dissolve the priming agent will introduce air into the still beer and that WILL effect the flavor of the beer.
Dissolve the priming agent in a boiling pint of water, then put that in the bottling bucket first and rack on top of it. The raking action alone will completely mix the beer and priming agent with no need to additional stirring.
bankrupted wrote:
Anyone have an opinion of the comment that you should never use sucrose? Seems to me like such a small amount of sucrose would have a negligible affect on a five gallon batch any thoughts?
Hi! Sure have an opinion. I use 1 teaspoon of table sugar thrown into each 12 oz. bottle just before filling; shake them until it's completely dissolved, and have been told by friends it's the best beer they have ever tasted!
Now, please be aware, these friends may have never tasted any beer other than domestic commercial stuff before, so ANY well-brewed home stuff would be good to them.
Then, too, I am not a kind-o-sewer of perfect taste, so why not split a batch in half, priming 1/2 with corn sugar, 1/2 with table sugar, and see if you taste any difference?
Note my priming above starts with product which has all but ceased activity, as noted by gas production.
What do you think??
A couple things. I use table sugar also. No problems. I like to use light brown sugar. I add the sugar to water and boil for 5 minutes then start syphoning beer into carboy and while it is syphoning I pour boiling sugar water into beer. it will blend well that way and then you're ready to bottle.
I have been using Muntons carb tabs lately and really like them. No boiling, just put 4 carb tabs into each 12 oz bottle and then syphon beer into bottles. For 22 oz bottle I use 8 but you could probably get by with 7.
DC
I agree, sugar is good in a pinch, if you've forgotten your priming sugar at the LHBS. (happned a few times to me). I say in a pinch, because I've forgotten the amount to boil and add to a 5 gallon batch.
I used to use sugar all the time, but I used a measuring spoon, and primed every bottle. Now I just boil, and prime the whole batch with priming sugar. I do use coopers drops too, but I use those to prime and bottle about 3 beers when fermentation stops to see what i'm getting.
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