Carbonation Drops

[zx7rtas]

Do these work as good as priming with sugar? I used them for my last bottling but not quite convinced because there seems to be lot of variation in levels of carbonation.

[Gym_]

Designed for the man who don’t give a rats ass about anything but getting it over and done with ..
Chuck them in and cap them, in and out job done 15 min ..

As with anything this hobby is about effort X money ..
You want 100% control and don’t mind spending the cash or taking the time ?
Then all grain it take you 6hrs chuck in some honey and some LDME, hops, ph regulator, finnings, fancy yeast etc might cost you 60+ bucks for a batch.

You want cheap beer and want it with no effort and no time to spear then K&K it and chuck it in a keg 30c a glass get ya pissed as a fart and ready to drink in under 2 weeks..

Anything in between is ether balanced out at time x money x quality ..

The drops do the job..

But then again so dose a kg of sugar, for half the price, you ether like it as qulity or time saver or money spender,

im sure u can figger out which cat the drops are in

Cheers and beers Gym_

[Bizier]

The variation SHOULD only occur if you are talking about different sized bottles and the same amount of carb drops, they are just a measured dose of sugar in a lolly.

I bulk prime, and unless there is human error, I can fill a longneck, pint, 500, 375, 330, 250 and not have to change anything other than the capper height.

If you are unsure, bulk priming is calculating the amount of sugar you need to get the desired carbonation, and mixing it through the whole volume of beer just before bottling, though you need to be pretty certain that it is mixed right through. Then you can bottle into anything.

[warra48]

If you don't want to bulk prime, get yourself one of the little sugar measures from your HB shop or BigW etc.

They have 2 ends, one designed for 375 mil and one for 750 mil bottles.
I use mine with caster sugar, but have found that a full measure gives me carbonation at the high end, so I tone down the amount per bottle as needed, and still less for smaller bottles.

It's cheaper than the lollies by a long way.

Bulk priming does have the advantage of giving you a consistent dose, regardless of the size of bottle.
If you use a program like BeerSmith, it will also guide you to the appropriate carbonation level for the style of beer you are brewing.

[billybushcook]

I did try the carb (cough) drops 2 - 3 brews ago, worked OK for me but I have gone back to using sugar again as it is a "sure thing" & always available.
As for the mixed amounts of carbonation....could be some bottles have been sitting in a slightly warmer spot that others? maybe a few caps leaking?
Are they glass or PET?
I would never even consider using PET, but each to their own!!

Mick.

[Bum]

Not so long ago you were saying AG was a waste of time too.

Shall I tell Big W to put some bottles aside for you?

[billybushcook]

Ha bloody Ha!!

P.s. AG is a waste of MY time!!!!

[Bum]

My apologies. I seem to have confused you with Gym. Sorry.

[Pale_Ale]

Hi everyone,

Long time no post. It's been busy.

In answer to OPs question, no, carbonation drops do not work as well as using sugar, and they are not consistent in any way. Plus they overcarb the beer IMO. Bulk priming really is the way to go to ensure you've got the most control over the amount of carbonation and the consistency of the brew from bottle to bottle.

Failing that, measuring the sugar into the bottles is probably the next best thing.

At the end of the day it's the last thing to do before bottling and you don't want to cut corners at the final stage!

Pale

[Mackers]

I dispute most of the above. I switched to Coopers carbonation drops years ago and find them entirely consistent. I can't vouch for other carbonation drops. If you are getting inconsisten results, maybe the bottles aren't receiving the same temperature during secondary carbonation.

[Trough Lolly]

I can only comment from the experience of using these drops once...I did a Xmas APA for the family gathering and found a bag of them up the back of the brewcupboard. So, to hell with it, I added two per bottle. I had very similar carbonation in every bottle - yeah, they were all overcarbonated to buggery! They added a nice sharp taste to the beer which the punters enjoyed (well, anything's better than VB), but I was astonished watching the beer form a 2 inch head in the bottle after I poured a glass.

Mind you, head retention was spectacular!

Cheers,
TL

[billybushcook]

Head retension.....Did some one say head retension




Mick.

[Tipsy]

They're little sips you take Mick

[dregs]

They're little sips you take Mick

or it's a very big glass

[billybushcook]

It's a Schooner, but when it goes down so good, you've gotta make it last....LOL
Actually, this was taken @ about 10pm on a week day, belly full of dinner & ready to call stumps!!!

Cheers, Mick.

[ollave]

I bulk prime, and unless there is human error, I can fill a longneck, pint, 500, 375, 330, 250 and not have to change anything other than the capper height.

+1

Those carbonation drops are kinda hard to cut to size for the intermediate size bottles.

The drops are also pretty much "one size fits all" even if you have "regular" (375ml and 750ml) bottles: the level of carbonation is pretty fixed no matter what style of beer you're brewing: "One drop or two?". Thus for me, bulk priming is my (current) preference, although it means I need a second fermenter to rack into and thus get some extra cleaning. Win some, lose some.

I've never tried spooning the "right" amount of sugar into each bottle: I expect I'd spill sugar everywhere and spend even more time cleaning up. But this method does work for some people, and good luck to them.

Bottom line: choose whatever works for you on the cost/effort/results axes and be sure that someone, somewhere will have a directly contrary opinion!

Ollave

[Tommogt]

I've never tried spooning the "right" amount of sugar into each bottle: I expect I'd spill sugar everywhere and spend even more time cleaning up. But this method does work for some people, and good luck to them.

As far as filling goes, user a Small Funnel .... works well , and doesnt loose a grain .

Cheers

[zx7rtas]

By using different types of sugar say raw,castor etc give a different taste or amount of carbonation?

[Rudi 101]

By using different types of sugar say raw,castor etc give a different taste or amount of carbonation?

Yes, you can prime with any fermentable but you will get different levels of carbonation if you use the same mass. I usually just use dextrose, but have used DME once. I don't think it makes a lot of difference to flavour though, it's only ~1 teaspoon in a bottle. The only reason I used DME was because I forgot to dry hop and wanted to boil up my hops in some malt before racking to bulk prime and bottle. If you are priming individual bottles with a scoop using castor vs regular sugar will give differing levels of carbonation, even though they are both identical cane sugar, the grain size is different and by mass you will get more castor sugar into the scoop as it will pack in tighter with fewer air spaces.

This is what I use as a guide for bulk priming quantities (I've only ever used dex and dme though):
Dextrose 210g/22.5 litres
Honey 278g/22.5 litres
Maple Syrup 347g/22.5 litres
Molasses 278g/22.5 litres
Cane or Beet Sugar 180g/22.5 litres
Brown Sugar 180g/22.5 litres
Dried Malt Extract 347g/22.5 litres