priming when bottling

[the_bing]

further to a thread i posted about bottling sugar:

what is meant by 'batch priming'? i was just going to add the right amount of sugar to each bottle before filling...

why is the beer primed with more sugar, when it's finished fermenting?

 

[morethanworts]

Batch priming - adding all the (total) priming sugar in bulk, usually dissolved first in a bit of boiled and cooled water, to all the beer, then bottle the sweetened solution.

You prime the bottles to create the CO2 - the fizz!

 

[the_bing]

ah!

that sounds easier and i assume i can produce the priming solution the day before, so it can cool down for bottling.

Good stuff :hat:

 

[LeithR]

Doing it the day before may invite some contamination. If you boil a kettle with just a little water (to cover the element) then it won't take long to drop in temp so you can pitch it into your sugar to dissolve.

Do it abut 30 mins before you need to pitch the dissolved sugar into your bottling bucket or into your FV if you are bottling from there.

 

[Mickeywheelspin]

It's worth noting that if you intend to batch prime you need to do so into a separate bucket. I use a second FV with a 'little bottler' fitted so I add the priming sugar solution to the sterilised bottling bucket, syphon the beer on top to help it mix in and give it a gentle stir with a sterilised spoon / paddle to make sure - trying not to whisk it up too much. More air = more chance of infection.

If you try and batch prime into your FV you will end up in a right mess. If you don't have a spare bucket then stick to priming the bottles individually.

As to why - as morethanworts says, to give it some fizz. The bottled beer will still have some yeast in it but precious little sugar to eat so adding some sugar gives the yeast something to digest so they produce C02 and give your beer some life.