Confused newbie

[grumpy Tim]

Hi everyone I'm new to home brew my beer is at the bottling stage the question is can I use granulated sugar to prime the beer in the bottles. Also do I need finnings and what exactly is this. Hopefully you good people can help. Tim

 

[Rwilts]

Yes you can use granulated sugar, not to confuse matters but different sugars require different amounts( but you can ignore that at this stage) finings are not needed at this stage in my opinion. If your all grain brewing you can add them at the end of boil, if your bottling a kit I wouldn't worry.

 

[The Baron]

Welcome to the forum.
Yes granulated sugar is fine for carbonating the beer. Finings are generally used before bottling along with dropping the temperature of the beer to clear it ready for bottling or kegging

 

[MrRook]

I use regular table sugar all the time. .8-1 ounce per gallon depending on the style.

 

[grumpy Tim]

Wow thank you all for your responses nice to see such helpful people on here. But be warned I'll probably be asking a lot more questions. Tim

 

[MashBag]

Ask away

Are you doing kits, all grain beer or something in between?

 

[twopoint]

Tim, if you're local to the West Midlands you're welcome to join us over at New Invention Brewery 2nd Sat of the month for brew club, next meet is this Sat 8th July.

We're a local group who meet up at 12pm till 2pm, tastings and monthly beer challenge. We tend to stick around for most of the rest of the afternoon.

Brewery in is Bloxwich, WS3 3JS


Graham

​

 

[grumpy Tim]

Ask away

Are you doing kits, all grain beer or something in between?

Just a kit at first it's a Young's one but hop to find a darker one next time as I usually drink dark beers i.e hobgoblin

 

[MashBag]

The muntons kits are (were) very good.

https://www.muntons.com/beer-kits/
If you really get the bug and go all grain, there is a hobgoblin clone recipe.

 

[Steven Thompson]

If you're transferring to a bottling bucket you can use an online calculator to guide how much sugar you use. I let it dissolve in boiled water before adding before transfer.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/
If you're bottling straight from the fermenter I would use the carbonation drops, personally. Must be a faff spooning sugar into individual bottles.

Took me a while to figure out my routine.

 

[jeremy Hall]

Hi everyone I'm new to home brew my beer is at the bottling stage the question is can I use granulated sugar to prime the beer in the bottles. Also do I need finnings and what exactly is this. Hopefully you good people can help. Tim

I always use table sugar. I did use carbonation drops once, but didn't notice any difference and they cost more. I use half a teaspoon per 500ml bottle. I did use a small teaspoon in some of my early brews, but they came out too frothy.

I did have a hand grenade brew many many years ago in Australia when the weather turned hot. I think I bottled that one too early rather than over sugaring the bottles. That's rare, but I do keep my bottles in waterproof plastic containers just in case, as it was a messy experience.

 

[Steven Thompson]

I always use table sugar. I did use carbonation drops once, but didn't notice any difference and they cost more. I use half a teaspoon per 500ml bottle. I did use a small teaspoon in some of my early brews, but they came out too frothy.

I did have a hand grenade brew many many years ago in Australia when the weather turned hot. I think I bottled that one too early rather than over sugaring the bottles. That's rare, but I do keep my bottles in waterproof plastic containers just in case, as it was a messy experience.

I've never had any bottle bombs, to date - thankfully. But, I have over-carb'd a German Wheat beer by a distance using that calculator actually. I will have miscalculated somewhere.

I've never actually used the drops, I just couldn't be chewed to spoon the sugar into each bottle. Bottling day is taxing enough.

 

[MashBag]

I just couldn't be chewed to spoon the sugar into each bottle.

Easier still get a zevro sugar machine.

 

[abeamer]

I'm still bottling so use normal granulated sugar to carb them up. I use the calculator and always go for a mid point of the C02 vols needed. I transfer from the main fermenter to a bottling bucket to batch prime. Transfer about 1-2 inches of beer and then add the water/sugar solution

To use finings you really need the beer to be cold. I set the brew fridge to 2C and let it cool down for a couple of days then add finings if needed

Most beer will clear in the bottle...time is your friend

 

[starseeker]

If you use a measuring spoon, and a funnel ,putting sugar into your bottles is dead easy and quick,i do ten bottles at a time, fill them using a bottling wand and cap them off .

 

[MashBag]

Yup me to. Crate at a time. Dead easy. Zevro

 

[grumpy Tim]

I'm still bottling so use normal granulated sugar to carb them up. I use the calculator and always go for a mid point of the C02 vols needed. I transfer from the main fermenter to a bottling bucket to batch prime. Transfer about 1-2 inches of beer and then add the water/sugar solution

To use finings you really need the beer to be cold. I set the brew fridge to 2C and let it cool down for a couple of days then add finings if needed

Most beer will clear in the bottle...time is your friend

Sorry to sound silly but am I right in saying you take your brew from one bucket when fermented to another where you put the sugar in to prime.if I'm understanding this how long before I can bottle

 

[Baldylocks Brewery]

Yes, bottling bucket has no trub and you add your sugar so it evenly dispersed in the beer. Then bottle from there.

 

[robster62]

Sorry to sound silly but am I right in saying you take your brew from one bucket when fermented to another where you put the sugar in to prime.if I'm understanding this how long before I can bottle

You bottle straight away from the bottling bucket and the beer carbonates in the bottle.

 

[MashBag]

Sorry to sound silly but am I right in saying you take your brew from one bucket when fermented to another where you put the sugar in to prime.if I'm understanding this how long before I can bottle

Yes that is what is being said. I personally think it's a pain in the armpit method, but many do it this way.

Dosing bottles is quicker and easier and less washing up in my experience.

But different folks different strokes.

Or... Try it and then buy a zevro, you will appreciate it all the more