Help needed! Carbonation/priming question

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

I was meant to buy a bottling wand but forgot, I'm kicking myself about that so I'll thank you for reminding me lol!!
Ok, so maybe I'll give it a go....on your head be it!!!! And maybe on my beer!!!

I didn't have one either in the beginning... Should be fine as long as youre careful just remember no splashing. I didn't know in the beginning. Just let it fall from one bucket to another, no biggie I thought. Big biggie

 

[Viamphie]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but..... when you guys say to place the bottles in the warm... what temperature are you suggesting? The same for fermentation?

 

[GhostShip]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but..... when you guys say to place the bottles in the warm... what temperature are you suggesting? The same for fermentation?

Yes - I normally do both at 20C.

 

[lancon]

Yeah table sugar is fine. 6g per litre is fine for most beers. Had the same issue early days with carbdrops. With the second barrel with the tap it's even easier. Just connect the wand to the tap. (if you don't have a bottling wand, get one. You'll thank me later)

Brewing sugar, dextrose, is much better. And I'm always concerned about the quantity of sugar advised. I use 50g for 25L batch and that's easily enough, and my FG is generally low.

 

[Viamphie]

Thanks Ghostship, about the same for my brew.
Gosh. It really is a personal preference on carbonating. It will also be my first time carbonating and bottling. I’m not keen on a over fizzy beer so I think I’ll be reserved at first. I can always make more..... any excuse.

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

Brewing sugar, dextrose, is much better. And I'm always concerned about the quantity of sugar advised. I use 50g for 25L batch and that's easily enough, and my FG is generally low.

Better? It's sugar. Both work. 50g is very little. How long do you wait until you bottle?

 

[lancon]

Better? It's sugar. Both work. 50g is very little. How long do you wait until you bottle?

Have you tried lactose for priming?
Two weeks

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

Have you tried lactose for priming?
Two weeks

Lactose? The yeast doesn't eat lactose. You can use it to sweeten your beer. Mainly stouts really. In two weeks your beer should be finished. Gravity should be around 1010. 50g sugar is very very little. I wouldn't even use this amount on a lowly carbonated stout. Are you joking? Or maybe your weight is wrong? Hehe or maybe you just like your beer flat ?

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

Also. Your FG being low has nothing to do with carbonation. If the beer is finished the sugar you add later for priming is a separate issue. I've done what must be like a 100 batches and most of them were around 120g sugar. Now I keg.

 

[Viamphie]

I read somewhere on this site bottling with table sugar didn’t taste as nice as with beer enhancer. Ofcourse I may have misread it, hence why I purchased extra beer enhancer. However if it makes little difference then I’ll use table sugar and save the enhancer for another batch. Don’t ever underestimate how stupid I am.

 

[lancon]

Better? It's sugar. Both work. 50g is very little. How long do you wait until you bottle?

Lactose? The yeast doesn't eat lactose. You can use it to sweeten your beer. Mainly stouts really. In two weeks your beer should be finished. Gravity should be around 1010. 50g sugar is very very little. I wouldn't even use this amount on a lowly carbonated stout. Are you joking? Or maybe your weight is wrong? Hehe or maybe you just like your beer flat ?

Lactose is a sugar. However its nonfermentable. That's why its used for sweetening rather than priming. Dextrose-brewing sugar is a monosaccharide and ferments easier, granulated sugar is a disaccharide and I have found it give a harsher taste.
Well I'm not a fan of fizzy drinks like coke, I find, and others who have tasted them, don't find them flat.

Also. Your FG being low has nothing to do with carbonation. If the beer is finished the sugar you add later for priming is a separate issue. I've done what must be like a 100 batches and most of them were around 120g sugar. Now I keg.

1.010 as a standard FG is something I have not heard before. Do you add finings to finish your beer?

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

Beer enhancer is not only sugar. It's a mix between Dryed Malt Extract and sugar. It makes better beer than just using sugar. Those tincan kits say to add just sugar but beerenhancer gives the mix more malt. Best is just to add pure DME. I've done some kits with malt extract instead of sugar, added some hops, some dry hopping. Makes a descent beer.

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

Lactose is a sugar. However its nonfermentable. That's why its used for sweetening rather than priming. Dextrose-brewing sugar is a monosaccharide and ferments easier, granulated sugar is a disaccharide and I have found it give a harsher taste.
Well I'm not a fan of fizzy drinks like coke, I find, and others who have tasted them, don't find them flat.

1.010 as a standard FG is something I have not heard before. Do you add finings to finish your beer?

I mean, it depends on the beer your making. Some stouts and such finish higher, but most ipa, pale ales etc finish around there yeah. 1010-1014. Any higher and I'd leave it another day or two. I add nutrients just half a tspoon to most of my beers lately, but that's more because I'm brewing a lot with Kveik yeasts and they "need" it in low gravity beers.
Where do your beer finish? Higher than 1010-1014? Also, I have some more questions about how you do your beer? 50g is just way to little.

[/QUOTE]
Lactose is a sugar. However its nonfermentable. That's why its used for sweetening rather than priming. Dextrose-brewing sugar is a monosaccharide and ferments easier, granulated sugar is a disaccharide and I have found it give a harsher taste.
[/QUOTE]

That's why I was surprised to get the question about if I've tried priming with it?

 

[lancon]

That's why I was surprised to get the question about if I've tried priming with it?

well you did say that brewing sugar and granulated are just sugars.
I've had porters finishing at 1.010, imperial porter at 1.014 but today I bottled a pale ale at 1.008, and that is the highest for a long time, probably due to using an intentionally higher mash temperature. I've had IPA, pale and bitters lower and saisons at 1.004, 50g /25L priming fine.

 

[terrym]

I read somewhere on this site bottling with table sugar didn’t taste as nice as with beer enhancer. Ofcourse I may have misread it, hence why I purchased extra beer enhancer. However if it makes little difference then I’ll use table sugar and save the enhancer for another batch. Don’t ever underestimate how stupid I am.

You are not stupid to consider options, just save your beer enhancer (which can contain maltodextrin which doesn't ferment so little use in carbonation, look at the ingredients) for another beer. Table sugar is fine for priming. Its cheap, predictable and easy to handle. The chances are you wont notice the difference if you use anything else. Unless you use black treacle to prime a lager

 

[Viamphie]

Lager! Me? Oh no. Very rare I get the desire to drink it.

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

well you did say that brewing sugar and granulated are just sugars.
I've had porters finishing at 1.010, imperial porter at 1.014 but today I bottled a pale ale at 1.008, and that is the highest for a long time, probably due to using an intentionally higher mash temperature. I've had IPA, pale and bitters lower and saisons at 1.004, 50g /25L priming fine.

I did say that, didnt I :) Well. theres really not much difference in my opinion from brewing sugar and table sugar. I hardly ever use sugar in my beers anyway. I never used brewing sugar to prime. So no opinion there.

You mash low, so you get dryer beer. I mash around 68 degrees celcius. sometimes less, sometimes more, depending on style or just what i feel like at the moment.

Back to the 50g/l. Click the link:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

Just plot in and see for yourself, 2.2 co2 Vol at 20 degrees Celcius gives you over 130 g (tablesugar)/ liter (Pale Ales and Lagers should have 2.2-2.7 co2 Vol as by style definition).

50g is really low! So low that in fact it shouldn't be recomended to Newcomers who don't know any better and listen to us, the more exprienced brewers.

This is just one of many calculators found online.

 

[Major_Incident]

Just want to add my ingredients to the mix! My first batch of Coopers Canadian Blonde turned out ok, used half a teaspoon in each bottle to prime. End result was a nice looking beer, but I had that homemade twang about it and the lager wasn't that fizzy and no head.
Batch 2 Canadian Blonde I used beer enhancer and took advice from here and used 120gm in total for my 23 litres and batch primed using normal table sugar. I tried a bottle yesterday, a couple of days short of 2 weeks, bottles nice and hard, a decent bit of fizz and head and MUCH better tasting lager. I'll drink a few after 2 weeks but I want to keep a few more for at least a month and see what taste I get then.
Next batch is Coopers English bitter made with beer enhancer and a priming sugar.

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

Just want to add my ingredients to the mix! My first batch of Coopers Canadian Blonde turned out ok, used half a teaspoon in each bottle to prime. End result was a nice looking beer, but I had that homemade twang about it and the lager wasn't that fizzy and no head.
Batch 2 Canadian Blonde I used beer enhancer and took advice from here and used 120gm in total for my 23 litres and batch primed using normal table sugar. I tried a bottle yesterday, a couple of days short of 2 weeks, bottles nice and hard, a decent bit of fizz and head and MUCH better tasting lager. I'll drink a few after 2 weeks but I want to keep a few more for at least a month and see what taste I get then.
Next batch is Coopers English bitter made with beer enhancer and a priming sugar.

Ur welcome. Happy that you're beer turned out good.