few questions before starting my first brew.....

[newport_eddy]

hi all, i'm going to start my first brew this week, i've done plenty of reading (excellent how to guide posted by tubby_shaw showing the two-tin mix) so i'm fairly confident.
i'm doing a single tin add my own brewing sugar mix but there are a few thing im not clear about after the initial fermenting stage and about priming/kegging.....

firstly in the guide tubby suggested that 50 grams of sugar is used to prime the keg (i have this one although i have no bulbs http://www.easyhomebrew.co.uk/prskeg.aspx), however the little guide in my Coppers Ale pack states to add 1kg at the start in the fv and then when priming add 8g of sugar per litre so in my 23litre mix that will equate to 184grams! which is a hell of a lot more than tubbies guide suggested
the Coopers Ale instructions also aren't clear as to whether i should add 1kg of sugar to the FV and then the 184g to the keg totalling my sugar use up to 1184grams or whether to keep back 184g from the initial 1kg therefore only using 816g in the FV??

i have a few more questions but will read up some more first, cheers. Eddy

 

[Moley]

The priming sugar will be in addition to the initial kilo.

For an ale, I prime at about 2g to the pint, so 80g would be a bit more than Tubby's suggestion but still well short of the kit instructions, which would seem to be way too high even for a lager.

 

[newport_eddy]

why 80g? is this something you have worked out yourself through trial and error and to suit your taste?
what difference to the final taste will the amount of priming sugar used make?
also will the type of priming sugar used affect the outcome/taste?
should i stick to the same brewing sugar as used in the FV or can i use my regular household Demerera sugar?

 

[DaveCoop]

Hi Guys, same concerns here! Just started Coopers Mexican lager (First Ever Homebrew). All seems well until i realised the shear volume of lager produced. Ideally i want to bottle it but i have differnet size bottles and not sure what sugar to use.
So is it worth getting the same size bottles? if so how much sugar would i use for 450ml bottles? or is it worth buying coopers carbonated drops!

any help would be much appreciated

 

[Moley]

why 80g? is this something you have worked out yourself through trial and error and to suit your taste?

Half a teaspoonful to the pint is a fairly standard recommendation for ales, and perhaps a bit more for ciders and lagers. Some use more, some use less, but that works for me.

That amount of priming sugar will make hardly any difference to the outcome/taste, so use whatever you like. I just use regular granulated sucrose.


DaveCoop: If you're using an assortment of different sized bottles you would probably be better off batch priming, so you carefully rack your beer to another bucket, dissolve the priming sugar and mix it into the brew, then bottle.

 

[newport_eddy]

why 80g? is this something you have worked out yourself through trial and error and to suit your taste?

Half a teaspoonful to the pint is a fairly standard recommendation for ales, and perhaps a bit more for ciders and lagers. Some use more, some use less, but that works for me.

That amount of priming sugar will make hardly any difference to the outcome/taste, so use whatever you like. I just use regular granulated sucrose.

thanks you've cleared that issue up for me :grin:

now for my kegging questions:

once kegged and left a few weeks or months if i can muster up the patience, how long will it keep after turning the tap and pouring my first pint?
can air get in through the tap and spoil the beer?
even though i like my ale "flat" is it still best to get some co2 bulbs and give the keg a blast now and then?