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Just wanted to get some thoughts, I have a Muntons gold cont pilsner to brew up. On the instructions is suggests using spraymalt instead of sugar for the bottle stage. Any thoughts on the advantage of the spraymalt over the sugar? Is this a general option for all beers?

I have never noticed a difference. I use generic white sugar. It is certainly optional, and widely debated.

I'm with Kevnlis.
I use caster sugar, it's a damn sight easier to get into the bottles to prime than messing around with spraymalt (or as we know it, dry malt extract).

cheers

Logically, any simple chain sugar will do the bottle carbonating trick - we're not trying to make the beer taste better, we just want to add CO2 to the solution. If we're depending on malt extract to improve the flavour profile, then we've missed the boat when we formulated the recipe!

Cheers,
TL

I agree with TL, the amount of sugar used to carbonate is that small it wouldn't make a difference to the taste. Personally i use plain white sugar for the reason warra said, it's a lot easier to handle, and cheaper

Kevnlis is on target, this is widely debated. The best answer I ever read on the topic is "CO2 is CO2 - period". For the "purists" among us, the use of DME to prime retains the "all-malt" characteristic. I've used DME, dextrose, table sugar, molassas, and honey in bottling, and dextrose and force-carbonation in kegs. I've never noticed much a differance either way.

I've only tried Carb Drops, Plain white sugar and brewing sugar.
I like the brewing sugar as it appears to work faster.
ie: I drop in the carb drop or plain white sugar fill the bottle and it's still looks flat when capping the bottle, However I use brewing sugar there is already a head forming when capping, to me this suggests that the oxygen is already being pushed from the bottle.
I think that caster sugar would have the same affect as brewing sugar but have'nt tried it.

Plain white sugar for priming for me too.

Parrothead wrote:I've used DME, dextrose, table sugar, molassas, and honey in bottling, and dextrose and force-carbonation in kegs. I've never noticed much a differance either way.

Totally agree Parrothead - so if there's next to no difference, just use whatever gets the gas in, cheaply...which, IMO, rules out priming with malt extract unless you're a "slave to the reinheitsgebot"?

Cheers,
TL

Wasn't there someone on here a while back who made up a sugar solution and then used an attachment on a bottle (similar to the dispenser things they use in pubs to measure out a shot) to prime his bottles? If you used that you wouldn't have to worry about the impracticality of using very fine powders, and you could adjust the concentration of the solution based on the fermentability of your priming agent.

Of course, there's absolutely no way I could be stuffed doing that. Plain white sugar for me too.

LDM for me. At least when I bulk prime. Not really doing it much any more, as I only bottle that which doesn't fit in my keg. Hence, back to the dreaded Coopers drops.

rwh wrote:Wasn't there someone on here a while back who made up a sugar solution and then used an attachment on a bottle (similar to the dispenser things they use in pubs to measure out a shot) to prime his bottles?

Yep.

Cheers,
Greg

Chris wrote:LDM for me. At least when I bulk prime. Not really doing it much any more, as I only bottle that which doesn't fit in my keg. Hence, back to the dreaded Coopers drops.

Bloody wealthy northerners!!!

Our lake's bigger than yours!

Beginners Q - I have got some 650ml longnecks & 330ml stubbies.
Is 2 carb drops & 1 drop respectively still going to be fine given the lesser volumes?

I intend to try some with drops, some with sugar & some with casting sugar to see if I can
pick a difference (after reading this thread).
Given the less than STD volumes again, is 1 tsp OK for longnecks & 1/2tsp OK for stubbies.
I get the feeling it would, but wouldn't mind getting it confirmed from a few peeps with
experience to be sure.

SG was down to 1008 today so bottling won't be too far away..........probably leave it to next
weekend now.

spatch wrote:Beginners Q - I have got some 650ml longnecks & 330ml stubbies.
Is 2 carb drops & 1 drop respectively still going to be fine given the lesser volumes?

Given the less than STD volumes again, is 1 tsp OK for longnecks & 1/2tsp OK for stubbies.
I get the feeling it would, but wouldn't mind getting it confirmed from a few peeps with
experience to be sure.

I wouldn't use the drops, because you can't control the amount of sugar for different non standard bottle sizes.

I use one of those sugar measure doovas, and it allows me to use slightly less than a standard measure for smaller bottles, or slightly more for a hefeweizen. Get them from your HB shop, I got mine at Big W.

For my money, teaspoons are a complete guesstimate. They're all different sizes, and you need to work out whether you want a level spoon, a heaped spoon, or a piled on spoonful etc.

I use caster sugar. I have a small funnel which sits in the top of the bottles, and the sugar slides in really easy. Less than 10 minutes to sugar up 60 stubbies, even less if using longnecks.

Spatch, I bottle into 330ml bottles and have used all of the coopers, brewcraft and (I think) morgans carbo drops, all without any problem. Given that 650ml is pretty much double 330ml, I'd say two drops per is a safe bet. Just make sure you've fermented out completely during the primary, just to be safe.

warra48 wrote: I wouldn't use the drops, because you can't control the amount of sugar for different non standard bottle sizes.

I use one of those sugar measure doovas, and it allows me to use slightly less than a standard measure for smaller bottles, or slightly more for a hefeweizen. Get them from your HB shop, I got mine at Big W.

For my money, teaspoons are a complete guesstimate. They're all different sizes, and you need to work out whether you want a level spoon, a heaped spoon, or a piled on spoonful etc.

I use caster sugar. I have a small funnel which sits in the top of the bottles, and the sugar slides in really easy. Less than 10 minutes to sugar up 60 stubbies, even less if using longnecks.

Thanks again Warra. Got one of the measure today. Spoke to the guy there and he suggested the 0.33 measure for 330ml stubbs & the .75 measure for 650ml longnecks.

I've got the little funnel ready and had my second reading at 1008 today so whilst I could bottle tomorrow, I may wait till I have the day off work on Fri to be
sure. Hopefully it will be a bit cooler then too!

Lachy wrote:Spatch, I bottle into 330ml bottles and have used all of the coopers, brewcraft and (I think) morgans carbo drops, all without any problem. Given that 650ml is pretty much double 330ml, I'd say two drops per is a safe bet. Just make sure you've fermented out completely during the primary, just to be safe.

Cheers Lachy, I'll probably do a bit of everything.....some with drops, somewith sugar, some with castor sugar and make my own assessments from
how many explode?????
But will definately use a few drops. Thanks. Might even try a few with Honey after speaking to a bloke today!
As per above post, I think its ready to bottle now but will give it till Fri.

Where abouts from the Peninsula are ya? I'm in Somerville.
Thanks again.