Priming 500ml flip top bottles

[joiner_8]

Are the drops you're using 3 grams like the OPs?

If I add another 3 gram drop will it not turn into a bottle bomb

 

[Scrattajack]

will it not turn into a bottle bomb

That's my concern. The ones I was looking at last year were 2 grams. My question was for @Nicky P who said they used 2 drops in 500 ml.

I'm wondering in your case whether it's just the high alcohol content in the beer slowing the conversion of the sugar by the yeast.

 

[joiner_8]

That's my concern. The ones I was looking at last year were 2 grams. My question was for @Nicky P who said they used 2 drops in 500 ml.

I'm wondering in your case whether it's just the high alcohol content in the beer slowing the conversion of the sugar by the yeast.

I wondered that myself, so not sure what to do

 

[Bjorn Toulouse]

Bottling is my pet hate part of it. rinse bottles, sanitize them, rinse them, prime them......
@ xozzx, I thought 5m was long!

Carbonation drops seem a bit of a faff.
if 1 drop = 3g doubling up = 6g
level teaspoon of sugar = 5g

So if 3g is not fizzy enough try a smidge under a level teaspoon.

slightly off topic, any one remember brewferm Christmas beer? It didn't use any extra sugar for carbonation.

 

[bobukbrewer]

I use a level teaspoon of brewing sugar to a 750 ml swing top bottle. Over the years I have identified bottles that do not pressurise correctly, and added a second flat rubber washer to them - Sorted !

 

[xozzx]

Bottling is my pet hate part of it. rinse bottles, sanitize them, rinse them, prime them......
@ xozzx, I thought 5m was long!

This is my point, you need 3/16" instead of 3/8".

I did a quick calculation - using keg at 12 psi you need either:
2.6m 3/16" or
33.5m 3/8"

I found that the calculations gave longer than required but used them as a starting point then kept trimming a bit off until I got a fast pour without too much foam.

 

[Edison]

This is my point, you need 3/16" instead of 3/8".

I did a quick calculation - using keg at 12 psi you need either:
2.6m 3/16" or
33.5m 3/8"

I found that the calculations gave longer than required but used them as a starting point then kept trimming a bit off until I got a fast pour without too much foam.

Temperature of beer has an effect too. The colder the beer the less pressure is required to carbonate to the required volume. 1m is spot on for me at 8c at the bottom of the keg, 0.5m if it's a low pressure cask-style serve, 2m for anything Belgian or wheat under more pressure. Keep the taps and pipework chilled too. YMMV, experimentation is the key!

 

[Edison]

Bottling is my pet hate part of it. rinse bottles, sanitize them, rinse them, prime them......
@ xozzx, I thought 5m was long!

Using StarSan in a spray bottle cuts out the rinse stage. I wash my bottles as soon as I pour them, then spray StarSan in and top with a square of foil and shake. They remain in that state until I need them, then just shake again, empty, fill with beer, prime and cap. Job done. After all this, still hate bottling, so messy!

 

[Nicky P]

Are the drops you're using 3 grams like the OPs?

Yes, pretty close to 3g.

I've used 2 different types so far .

1. Coopers Drops - I don't currently have a pack with me so I cannot physically check. Apparently though the pack weight is 250g and you get approx 80 of them. Taking those as correct that's a little over 3g per drop. Not sure what the composition of those drops are.

2. Easy Brew drops - the bag says that it's 160g total and approx 80 drops. However, the last few bags I've had I am getting significantly less than 80 in a bag. I've just weighed 10 of them and got 28g, that's average 2.8g each. Ingredients are given as "Sugar, Glucose"

Not had any gushers or bottle bombs so far, each brew has been bottled in both PET and glass, whatever I have available. I would say that I prefer more, rather than less, carbonation - to each his own I suppose.

Maybe the best advice mentioned by others is to do a test bottle which will help for future reference, if nothing else.

 

[muppix]

1. Coopers Drops - I don't currently have a pack with me so I cannot physically check. Apparently though the pack weight is 250g and you get approx 80 of them. Taking those as correct that's a little over 3g per drop. Not sure what the composition of those drops are.

2. Easy Brew drops - the bag says that it's 160g total and approx 80 drops. However, the last few bags I've had I am getting significantly less than 80 in a bag. I've just weighed 10 of them and got 28g, that's average 2.8g each. Ingredients are given as "Sugar, Glucose"

I've used both of these in various combinations and quantities since my first attempts at sticking to the recommended amounts led to beer which was, in my opinion, too flat for the style: Evil Dog and Razorback. Since then I've tried:

• 1x Coopers (for 375 ml) + 1x Easybrew (250 ml) in one 500 ml bottle = still a bit low
• 2x Coopers (for 750 ml) in one 500 ml bottle = a tad fizzy, but not gushing
• 3x Easybrew (for 750 ml) in one 500 ml bottle = fizzy, borderline gushing but workable
• 2x Easybrew (for 500ml) in one 275 ml bottle = complete gusher

The key things I've learnt are that you probably have some leeway between creating gushers and making a crown-capped bottle explode, and that there is quite a bit of variation between individual carbonation drops from the same bag. Since then I've tried two counts of racking to a dedicated bottling bucket and adding brewing sugar dissolved in a little warm water according to this priming calculator, the results of which have so far been perfect levels of carbonation in every bottle I've opened. I don't think I'll be going back to carbonation drops again.

Oh, and while I'm here: I've now done two batches of Evil Dog and neither of them have become what I would call 'clear'. Both have a slightly 'grassy' taste which I'm not fond of, so I think it'll be quite some time before I try this kit again.

 

[Nicky P]

Wow, that's a great study @muppix . Thanks for the advice on the bottling bucket - I had read this before but had wanted to avoid the extra stage (pure laziness). I'll give it a try next time.

 

[Rover69]

I brewed an evil dog last summer,used Wilko carbonation drops.1 in a 500ml bottle and two in a 750ml.Carbination was spot on for me.Also brewed a Wilko cerveza and tried 2 drops in 500ml bottle,tasted like soda water.

 

[Rover69]

Also have a hammer of Thor conditioning and tried a 500 and a 750ml on Saturday and both nicely carbed as per above drops

 

[ChrisR73]

I stopped using drops and bought a syringe off eBay.
Make a sugar solution with boiling water and easily dispense a measured amount into each sterilised bottle.

 

[AXW123]

I use a measuring teaspoon and a funnel - works well for me. I also did kegging for a while but the last one didn’t work. Again too fizzy and didn’t taste as good as the same beer bottled. Maybe I’ll dig the keg out for the next batch and try again.

 

[joiner_8]

I've used both of these in various combinations and quantities since my first attempts at sticking to the recommended amounts led to beer which was, in my opinion, too flat for the style: Evil Dog and Razorback. Since then I've tried:

• 1x Coopers (for 375 ml) + 1x Easybrew (250 ml) in one 500 ml bottle = still a bit low
• 2x Coopers (for 750 ml) in one 500 ml bottle = a tad fizzy, but not gushing
• 3x Easybrew (for 750 ml) in one 500 ml bottle = fizzy, borderline gushing but workable
• 2x Easybrew (for 500ml) in one 275 ml bottle = complete gusher

The key things I've learnt are that you probably have some leeway between creating gushers and making a crown-capped bottle explode, and that there is quite a bit of variation between individual carbonation drops from the same bag. Since then I've tried two counts of racking to a dedicated bottling bucket and adding brewing sugar dissolved in a little warm water according to this priming calculator, the results of which have so far been perfect levels of carbonation in every bottle I've opened. I don't think I'll be going back to carbonation drops again.

Oh, and while I'm here: I've now done two batches of Evil Dog and neither of them have become what I would call 'clear'. Both have a slightly 'grassy' taste which I'm not fond of, so I think it'll be quite some time before I try this kit again.

Opened a bottle last night and it did have a little bit more fizz, I took a photo still a little bit cloudy but tasted better

 

[Rover69]

How did it taste?

 

[joiner_8]

Better than the last taste about a week ago nice a happy, its in my brewfridge just now at 20 degs should I leave it there or move it to the cool garage

 

[Rover69]

I bottle,after fermentation I secondry ferment at 20 degrees for two weeks,then in cold garden shed for two weeks.After that condition for as long as can resist drinking.

 

[Dulwich North]

I use a measuring teaspoon and a funnel - works well for me.

Those who do this, is it before or after filling the bottle? Or does it not matter?