Best priming sugar??

Tassie bÃ¢â€šÂ¬rew · Sunday May 07, 2006 6:56 pm

Hey guys I have been using carbonation drops when priming my bottles before sec. fermentation. I was just wondering a couple of things.

1. Thoughts on whether this is the best method if I do not bulk prime.
If not,
2. What is the best priming sugar to use and what are the effects of using that particular type of sugar?
Eg: Maturation time, taste etc.

Cheers

shane_vor · Post by **shane_vor** » Sunday May 07, 2006 8:53 pm

You could try another search for this one too. But then again, so could I have to list the threads for you...but I'm way too lazy!

I mostly use white sugar for priming (see the lazy comment). No adverse effect on taste to my dead palate!

Last brew was primed with dextrose since we had no white sugar left and I thought, "If I have to go to the shop I might as well go to the brew shop!" Dunno how that works though.

Do not use bodybrew or anything else like that to prime, did that once and it was flat as a run-over turtle

Wassa · Post by **Wassa** » Monday May 08, 2006 1:01 pm

Tassie,

because of the low amount used, white sugar, or indeed any cane sugar, will not impart any "bad" flavours into your beer.

Myself, I use dextrose and I bulk prime as I find this to be the best method by far. The only area that you can go wrong in when you are bulk priming is estimating your bottling quantity. I have a friend who always overestimates and we wind up with over carbonated beers.

OldEvan · Post by **OldEvan** » Monday May 08, 2006 3:22 pm

I have only finished one batch, and used coopers carbonation drops. Not sure how well they work yet as I havent opened a bottle, but some of them were pretty tricky to get into the bottle. I had to ram a few in with the handle of a spoon!

ACTbrewer · Post by **ACTbrewer** » Monday May 08, 2006 6:29 pm

I used to use the carbonation drops, but I reckon they over prime. Not enough to be dangerous, but too gassy for me. I prefer to bulk prime now, and I have been very happy with the results.

Shaun · Post by **Shaun** » Monday May 08, 2006 10:11 pm

I used white sugar for years no problems. The best though is forced CO2 into kegs

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Tuesday May 09, 2006 11:23 am

Light dry malt. Fantastic light carbonation, fine beaded head. Creamy.

luke · Post by **luke** » Tuesday May 09, 2006 11:55 am

I even tried icing suger, what i can recall is the bubbles where smaller i think.

haggmaster · Post by **haggmaster** » Tuesday Jul 11, 2006 9:10 pm

Chris wrote:Light dry malt. Fantastic light carbonation, fine beaded head. Creamy.

HELLO , YOU VE MADE ME SIT UP WITH INTEREST ABOUT THE CREAMY BIT .
IS THAT CREAMY , AS IN GUINNESS? CHEERS

r.magnay · Post by **r.magnay** » Wednesday Jul 12, 2006 7:12 am

White sugar seems to be as good as anything.

And haggmaster................ WOULD YOU STOP BLOODY YELLING!!

scblack · Post by **scblack** » Wednesday Jul 12, 2006 9:10 am

Wassa wrote:Tassie,

because of the low amount used, white sugar, or indeed any cane sugar, will not impart any "bad" flavours into your beer.

Myself, I use dextrose and I bulk prime as I find this to be the best method by far. The only area that you can go wrong in when you are bulk priming is estimating your bottling quantity. I have a friend who always overestimates and we wind up with over carbonated beers.

Completely agree.

Look here Wassa for bulk priming estimates:

http://oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Metho ... uide.shtml

haggmaster · Post by **haggmaster** » Wednesday Jul 12, 2006 10:24 am

r.magnay wrote:White sugar seems to be as good as anything.

And haggmaster................ WOULD YOU STOP BLOODY YELLING!!

sorry about that mr magnay, its just with the hiding the ALLBLACKS gave the wallibies on saturday. i m o.k. now. CHEERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Wednesday Jul 12, 2006 1:23 pm

haggmaster, you were always going to beat the Wallabies- you guys had 16 players for most of the game. The All-Blacks plus 1 [referee]. I'm not one to EVER have a go at a ref, but that was pretty damn bad.

I watched the game with 2 Kiwi mates, and even THEY recon he screwed the Wallabies. One guy gets a card for trying to roll away from the tackle, a 'forward' pass that went about a foot backwards...

As for Guinness, no luck there. The malt will get you a lot closer to that type of head, but you need to dissolve a small amount of nitrogen into your keg to get that. And to dispense with a nitro mix.

Basically, get a keg set-up, and either do it manually; or buy a Guinness tap that does the mix automatically.

WSC · Post by **WSC** » Wednesday Jul 12, 2006 8:19 pm

If you want a guiness like head try coopers bitter as the base.

Creamy foam all the way to the bottom. I mixed it with Morgans Choco Malt 1kg and an ultra brew with the liquorice extract.

Primed with regular carbonation drops.

The best you can get without nitrogen.

haggmaster · Post by **haggmaster** » Thursday Jul 13, 2006 7:32 pm

NICE ONE! enjoyed the feedback guys. youve given me some good ideas
to try.
at the moment my coopers stout is bubbling up through the water trap, going crazy,should be good,although ive never seen it do that before.
and........................looking forward to the next test.GO THE ALLBLACKS and
GO THE REF! cheers.

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Saturday Jul 15, 2006 11:55 am

I just hope we can beat the Springboks. Damn All-Blacks.

ACTbrewer · Post by **ACTbrewer** » Saturday Jul 15, 2006 12:23 pm

Do South African's make bad beer?

stevem · Post by **stevem** » Saturday Jul 15, 2006 12:53 pm

They make one good beer, "Castle Lager"
The others are pretty ordinary.
I'll be at the match tonight....
Won't be drinking the XXXX at the stadium though!

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Saturday Jul 15, 2006 10:32 pm

49-0.

haggmaster · Post by **haggmaster** » Sunday Jul 16, 2006 5:15 am

and 30 nil at half time, NICE! i ll drink to that. cheers