Priming with granulated sugar

[Linalmeemow]

I bottled my first ever lager last week and primed each 330ml bottle with a heaped half teaspoon of granulated sugar. I usually use dextrose, but this was all I had to hand. Tried the first bottle yesterday and while there's some carbonation it's far, far less than I expected or I'd have got from dextrose in my experience. The beer tastes sweeter than when I was bottling it too.

Does granulated sugar typically take longer to prime bottles in your experience? Am I being impatient, or should I think about uncapping and repriming all the bottles with more sugar?

 

[Clint]

Wonder if granulated being a different composition to dextrose takes longer for the yeast to consume? But will get there eventually....

 

[MyQul]

I've used both table sugar (disolved in water) and dextrose (just stirred in and not dissolved as it's finer) an could detect no difference between the two.
The fact your beer tasted sweeter means it's not yet fully carbed up. You'll need to give it more time

 

[cushyno]

I have similar experience with granulated sugar. Used correct amount of sugar advised in GH book to give 2.0 volumes of CO2, held it at constant 20°C for 2 weeks and tried one last night, seems only half carbed so far.

I wonder if the remaining yeast in the beer is not in great health or reaching its alcohol tolerance?

 

[Linalmeemow]

I have similar experience with granulated sugar. Used correct amount of sugar advised in GH book to give 2.0 volumes of CO2, held it at constant 20°C for 2 weeks and tried one last night, seems only half carbed so far.

I wonder if the remaining yeast in the beer is not in great health or reaching its alcohol tolerance?

Shouldn't be beyond tolerance, this is a 5% lager. As MyQul suggests, it tasted sweet so the yeast can't have fully consumed the sugar yet. I'll leave it another couple of weeks before cracking the next one.

 

[MyQul]

I wonder if it's because you used granulated sugar straight into the bottles. When ever I've used granualted sugar I always disolve it in hot water then batch prime. Perhaps the sugar is sitting at the bottom of the bottles, partially unaccessable to yeast?

 

[Linalmeemow]

I wonder if it's because you used granulated sugar straight into the bottles. When ever I've used granualted sugar I always disolve it in hot water then batch prime. Perhaps the sugar is sitting at the bottom of the bottles, partially unaccessable to yeast?

Could be, but I can't see any. Maybe I'll give all the bottles a good shake tomorrow to dissolve anything that's left and to rouse the yeast. It's a shame as they've all dropped crystal clear already!

 

[Nicks90]

I've only ever primed using sugar directly in to the bottle and never shaken them up.
Tried using lowitcz syrup (cider), light brown sugar, table sugar, honey and castor.
Never seen any difference in the time to carb up ( well within a few days of 2 weeks). But I put that down to the different yeasts in the different brews.
But the overall level of carbonation has always been consistently in line with what I intended when i decided on the priming volume.

 

[Slid]

I've only ever primed using sugar directly in to the bottle and never shaken them up.
Tried using lowitcz syrup (cider), light brown sugar, table sugar, honey and castor.
Never seen any difference in the time to carb up ( well within a few days of 2 weeks). But I put that down to the different yeasts in the different brews.
But the overall level of carbonation has always been consistently in line with what I intended when i decided on the priming volume.

I have never experienced any real difference from the priming sugar. The thought that the priming sugar is not converted after 2 weeks at room temperature is slightly a-scientific.

 

[RichK]

Have you tried turning the bottles over (to stir up the yeast/sugar)? OK you have to wait for it all to settle out again but I've found this to help with slow carbing batches in the past.

 

[Mavroz]

I have only ever used Dextrose sugar diluted and added to the bottling bucket prior to bottling for carbing bottled beer and have always had very good results with it.

I always leave the bottles in a warm cupboard for over a fortnight before putting out in the cold garage.