Sugar query

[shd]

thanks for all the replies !!

So i've decided to do a range using :

• 1 x carbonation drop
• 1.5 (if i can cut them)
• 2 x carbonation drops and finally......
• the remainder using half a teaspoon of granulated sugar which equates to approx 2.3g according to the online calculator for ales

I've got some labels coming in the post so they will all be labelled up so i can compare
This Thursday will be day 11 so plan to take gravity reading on Wednesday and Thursday and assume they match, bottle on Thursday

So final questions :

1. The temp mentioned on the Beer Priming Sugar Calculator | Brewer's Friend . Is that the temperature that you propose to leave the beer at for its second fermentation/carbonation step ?
2. What's the suggested time to leave bottled in the warm before then moving into the fridge or a garage please ?

As always, many thanks for everyone who have advised along my first brewing journey....much appreciated and cheers !

 

[sifty]

Good plan, you'll be able to compare and see what you prefer.

With a good large knife and a chopping board you should be able to fairly neatly cut them in half if you place the heel of the knife midway on the drop and firmly press down.

* The temp is the fermenation temp, as there will be some residual CO2 in the beer. I use the max temp reached during fermentation. (20 degs C corresponds to 0.86 CO2) I generally use a similar temp for bottle fermentation/conditioning.

* Usually 14 days in the warm before they're ready. You can try one 7 days in to see how things are going if you're impatient like me...
(Bear in mind they improve a lot with extra time, and can be a bit 'green'/disappointing early on)

A good tip is to fill a couple of plastic PET bottles as you can see if they're carbonating by squeezing them. They get progressively firmer with time.

Let us know how things go...

 

[shd]

All,

Apologies for the continued messages and paranoia but I’ve just measured half teaspoon of granulated sugar on my wife’s jewellery scales which are mega accurate and it comes in at 4g which appears to be twice what all the calculators advise

Am I missing something / doing something wrong ?

As mentioned I am brewing an ale and planning to bottle on Thursday in 500ml PET

 

[AJA]

A level tea spoon is 4g, heaped is 7.5g
Just checked on my scales that I use for weighing brewing water salt additions (cheap Amazon scales that I imagine people buy for more nefarious purposes).
Definitely 4.2g for level.
Do you have weird tea spoons and how often do you calibrate the jewelry scale?

 

[Agentgonzo]

All,

Apologies for the continued messages and paranoia but I’ve just measured half teaspoon of granulated sugar on my wife’s jewellery scales which are mega accurate and it comes in at 4g which appears to be twice what all the calculators advise

Am I missing something / doing something wrong ?

As mentioned I am brewing an ale and planning to bottle on Thursday in 500ml PET

Try measuring something like 4 teaspoons of sugar and see how much that weighs.

The scales may be right, but when I do half a teaspoon of granulated sugar it's more like 2g. But different packs of sugar may vary - I found that with castor vs granulated sugar.

My scales are not too accurate, and I don't know what scales your wife has,, but you'll always get better accuracy by measuring more and then dividing down than just doing a straight half teaspoon

 

[shd]

A level tea spoon is 4g, heaped is 7.5g
Just checked on my scales that I use for weighing brewing water salt additions (cheap Amazon scales that I imagine people buy for more nefarious purposes).
Definitely 4.2g for level.
Do you have weird tea spoons and how often do you calibrate the jewelry scale?

AJA - so you have the same as me then....level teaspoon = 4g
so if i'd used a level teaspoon as i thought i needed to, i'd used twice as much as the Brewers Friend advises for a 500ml bottle which is 2.3g (see attachment)
i actually need a qtr of a teaspoon !

not sure on the wife's jewellery scales but they are tiny specialist things so perfect for this (they actually showed 3.9g) compared to the kitchen scales which are more for measuring out flour and the like for cakes

 

[shd]

Try measuring something like 4 teaspoons of sugar and see how much that weighs.

The scales may be right, but when I do half a teaspoon of granulated sugar it's more like 2g. But different packs of sugar may vary - I found that with castor vs granulated sugar.

My scales are not too accurate, and I don't know what scales your wife has,, but you'll always get better accuracy by measuring more and then dividing down than just doing a straight half teaspoon

thanks for the input gonzo
its the classic "silver spoon" granulated sugar that i was using and showed 4g for a level teaspoon
as i've just posted back to AJA, the brewers friend website shows 2g for a 500ml bottle which is actually just about a qtr of a teaspoon then not a half as i understood that i needed

 

[Old Fart At Play]

If 4g is a level tsp, how is 2g a quarter? I've always used half tsp per pint. Leave in warm for 2 weeks

 

[Bzee]

I never used carbonation drops do they promote foam .... always cap on foam I was told ... I'm fussy about oxidation.

 

[shd]

If 4g is a level tsp, how is 2g a quarter? I've always used half tsp per pint. Leave in warm for 2 weeks

What I was referring too ofap was that the thought was that 2g equates to a half teaspoon (level) but when I mess it yesterday a half was 4g which would then be fair to say a heaped teaspoon was 8g
Thus a qtr of a teaspoon would actually be 2g

I know I’m probably being a bit too precise and exact and probably shoul accept that the trial and error is part of the fun

 

[AJA]

I think the comes from i
what you are calling a half spoon.
In science, all measures are level, so in most people's eyes, a half spoon is half a level spoon.

 

[Agentgonzo]

what you are calling a half spoon.

Hopefully it's a level "1/2 teaspoon" measure. That's what I use and is roughly 2g

 

[klaus]

I have never bothered with all the calculations .... learned from experience, do mainly kits, level teaspoon of granulated, has been working for me a long time now. I do sympathise with all beginners who agonise amid all the data/information/opinion that is presented from all manner of sources. In the end one takes a risk - but to really screw up a brew takes a lot more than a gram of sugar +/-.

 

[stripeyjoe]

I bought two brands of carb drops, coopers and (IIRC) Muntons. The coopers average about 5g and the Muntons 3g
Per 500ml bottle I can add 3, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10g with various combos of the pair. I tend to go low if it's a bitter or is pre carbonated a bit from a pressure ferment and higher for something generally highly carbonated such as some styles of Weizen or Begian.
I find the carb drops a lot easier to use than spoonfuls of sugar and means I can rack directly into bottles and not via a second container.

 

[shd]

I have never bothered with all the calculations .... learned from experience, do mainly kits, level teaspoon of granulated, has been working for me a long time now. I do sympathise with all beginners who agonise amid all the data/information/opinion that is presented from all manner of sources. In the end one takes a risk - but to really screw up a brew takes a lot more than a gram of sugar +/-.

thanks Klaus for you input and to everyone else also
i never thought i'd have so many questions around sugar

i particularly like your comment of "but to really screw up a brew takes a lot more than a gram of sugar +/-."

 

[shd]

I bought two brands of carb drops, coopers and (IIRC) Muntons. The coopers average about 5g and the Muntons 3g
Per 500ml bottle I can add 3, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10g with various combos of the pair. I tend to go low if it's a bitter or is pre carbonated a bit from a pressure ferment and higher for something generally highly carbonated such as some styles of Weizen or Begian.
I find the carb drops a lot easier to use than spoonfuls of sugar and means I can rack directly into bottles and not via a second container.

thanks Joe for your input
you say "you go low for a bitter".....3g or 5g i assume ?

 

[Agentgonzo]

but to really screw up a brew takes a lot more than a gram of sugar +/-.

% this.

There is a wealth of information on these forums, all of which is valid and correct. But you can ignore all of it and eyeball everything and still make a beer that's probably 90-95% as good as obsessing over every detail.

 

[shd]

so today is day 10 and i've just taken my first gravity reading and been able to eyeball the fruits of my labour and worry !

so 2 questions :

1. the St Peters ruby red says gravity remains constant below 1014. From the photo, it appears to be 1012 so looks to be spot on...correct / agree ?
2. does the sample look ok ie, is it typically this cloudy and murky at this stage ?

the sample was taken from a tap and i had to move the barrel slightly so may have disturbed the sediment i guess but overall, does it look ok please ?

gotta say, it did smell nice but hey, i'm biased

 

[starseeker]

Its looking spot on ,
Is it tasting good ?

 

[shd]

Its looking spot on ,
Is it tasting good ?

….both the hydrometer reading and the sample look good, yes ?

I didn’t try it so I’ll sample it tomorrow which is looking like bottling day