Adding sugar

[Richiejw]

Hi everyone, this is my first post and as you will tell I'm new to home brewing and am keen to lean from experienced brewers. I am due to bottle this evening should I add sugar to each bottle or add the sugar to the brewing bucket before I syphon to the bottles.

Thanks in advance

Richie

 

[Drunkula]

Boil a bit of water with the total sugar in it, sling it in the bucket - no need to wait for it to cool - syphon the beer on top of it. Some people do put the sugar in the bottles. I think it's retarded unless you've got about 5 bottles. Come at me!

 

[-Bezza-]

Welcome.

There is an element of preference here but, for me, if you have a separate bucket available from which to bottle, it would make sense to dissolve the sugar and put it into this bucket and then transfer the beer in, giving a little stir at the end. Leave for an hour, then bottle. Go careful not to splash when you transfer and bottle and don't stir too vigorously.

If you're bottling straight from the FV, as Drunkula says. Again, give a little stir (but don't upset the yeast cake at the bottom). Leave for an hour to let the yeast settle down again and then bottle.

As you're new, can I just check what beer you've made and how long it has been fermenting? A mistake I'm sure most people made when doing their first brews was to bottle too early.

 

[Rog.T.B.]

I prefer to add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to the pint bottle, it saves disturbing the sediment and it’s no big deal.

 

[The Baron]

I prefer to add sugar to the bottle which does not take more than a couple of minutes but it does give less chance of oxidising the beer especially if it is a IPA by syphoning twice

 

[ChrisRedWills]

I would batch prime if you've got an extra bucket boil your sugar in about 200mls of water for 5 to 10minutes add straight to bucket syphon your beer gently stir then bottle straight away good luck and welcome to the forum

 

[Cwrw666]

I prefer to add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to the pint bottle, it saves disturbing the sediment and it’s no big deal

Same here.
330ml bottles take a bit of guesswork though.

 

[Slid]

I always rack at 2 wks to another FV, then bottle from there into primed bottles at 3 weeks. Preparing the bottles is just a routine task that can be done in advance with PET bottles.

 

[Clint]

I'm one for batch priming with a bottling bucket and wand...

 

[HarryFlatters]

Same as Clint

 

[GerritT]

I aunderstand batch priming, but my supermarket sells mini sugar cubes of 2 grams that fit well through the bottle opening, so 32 bottles are done within 5 minutes.

 

[Richie_asg1]

I hadn't thought of doing that, So I have learned something too.

I have batch primed mine so far. From FV to keg, prime in that then syphon with bottling wand into bottles.
I bought some 10mm id pipe just for the bulk transfer because it was taking ages with the standard syphon pipe. Seemed quicker - and remember no splashing.

 

[Pavros]

If you have a separate bucket then it is far easier to batch prime as described by others above.

If you are bottling directly from the fermenter, I would prime each bottle using a measured amount of sugar and a small funnel. If you don't have a funnel, perhaps use a small cone of paper to help pour the sugar into the bottle (I know, I know, it won't be sterilised but it may be a risk you have to take if you haven't got a funnel or a steady hand).


As an after thought, tin foil can be sterilised, can't it? So a small cone of sterilised foil may work.

 

[GerritT]

If you have a separate bucket then it is far easier to batch prime as described by others above.

If you are bottling directly from the fermenter, I would prime each bottle using a measured amount of sugar and a small funnel. If you don't have a funnel, perhaps use a small cone of paper to help pour the sugar into the bottle (I know, I know, it won't be sterilised but it may be a risk you have to take if you haven't got a funnel or a steady hand).


As an after thought, tin foil can be sterilised, can't it? So a small cone of sterilised foil may work.

It's sugar. 100% sugar. That's sterile.

Don't be too anal, before you know it you'll be boiling your hands for 3 minutes before touching anything.

Keep it real.

 

[Sandimas]

Sugar in the bottle for me. I did try batch priming in a separate FV but ended up with a series of infections, can't say it was this for sure but adding another stage to the process increases the risk.

 

[ExpatBrewer]

I've used both methods but tend to bottle prime more these days. Bulk priming is handy though if you're bottles are different capacities but it does involve extra work and extra risk. Sanitising and later cleaning the priming bucket and associated hoses etc. add to what is already a rather tedious and time-consuming task!

I use sugar cubes that just squeeze into 750ml bottles. Each cube is 4.5g, that's around 2.5VolsCO2 or 6g/litre (or about 140g sugar in a 23litre batch if bulk priming).

 

[pms67]

I’ve said it before but either no one believes it or won’t risk it but I simply dump the dextrose into my FV (no transfer, 1 vessel) wait 5-10 minutes then bottle
Couldn’t be easier, no boiling, no waiting an hour etc

 

[dad_of_jon]

Whilst I like the idea of bottling from the FV which makes bottle priming more likely (but not certain as you could add sugar to the fv) I would be using an fv with tap. That scares me cos i'm heard plenty of stories about leaky tap fv's. so my FB has no tap and my BB does. I purge the BB with co2 and auto syphon onto the priming solution. It mixes in automatically. Also because I can't cold crash, my bottles carb in a week. So one week less nagging when are the bottles going down the shed? - downsides are more sediment in the bottle.

 

[Duxuk]

I bet it takes longer to sterilise a bottling bucket, dissolve the sugar and syphon the brew into the bucket than it takes to put half a teaspoon of sugar into each of 42 bottles.

 

[Alex.mc]

I bought one of those plastic granulated sugar measures that looks like a fidget spinner. 3 measures for 330, 500 and 750ml. I bottle all the beer, line up the bottles and have an open bag of sugar, and a sanitised and dried off plastic funnel. I just go from left to right(for example) and dump a measure of sugar into the funnel held lightly in the opening of the bottle.
It's very quick and easy.