Priming Query

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Muscleguy
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Priming Query

Post by Muscleguy » Sat Jan 02, 2021 1:38 pm

So, I primed my first full grain brew in the barrel with DME. Mainly because I didn't get the best extraction and I was leaving it for a month, so why not?

Except it didn't work. Xmas morning go to try my brew, won't come out the tap. Eventually had to crack the cap to reduce the vacuum to get a half pint of utterly delicious but very flat beer.

So on Xmas afternoon I found myself adding dextrose, brewing sugar to my brew for another priming attempt. One week later I tried the tap, got a spurt of fizzy beer with a head. The sugar is working. Leaving it for another week to use all the sugar then I'll drink it. The extra 1G has been bottled, with sugar priming.

So, ideas on why the DME did not work please?

Can't be lack of yeast because the sugar has primed it fine. I did add 1tsp of yeast nutrient. After the sugar, on a thought. Also when priming the bottles.

richard080561
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Re: Priming Query

Post by richard080561 » Sat Jan 02, 2021 2:36 pm

May be the first time the cap wasn't sealed properly so the CO2 escaped, then when you added the sugar the cap did seal.
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Muscleguy
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Re: Priming Query

Post by Muscleguy » Sat Jan 02, 2021 3:04 pm

Nope, as evidecced by the fact the vacuum was such when dispensing the Xmas beer as to prevent it being let out. The threads were greased. I'm as strong now as I was then. In fact I thought it was priming as there was leakage around the tap which I had to tighten.

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Re: Priming Query

Post by Muscleguy » Sat Jan 02, 2021 3:08 pm

The beer was dead flat. Not even a hint of bubble. If it had leaked the beer would not be dead flat. When I cracked the cap there was no exhalation, a sucking instead.

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Jim
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Re: Priming Query

Post by Jim » Sat Jan 02, 2021 4:39 pm

What temperature was it sitting at?
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IPA
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Re: Priming Query

Post by IPA » Sun Jan 03, 2021 8:29 am

Did you mix the DME with some of the wort before adding it ?
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Muscleguy
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Re: Priming Query

Post by Muscleguy » Sun Jan 17, 2021 4:33 pm

Yes, of course. I've done a lot of brewing, extract and partial mash into bottles. This is just my first full grain and into a barrel.

I have an idea that it was the yeast nutrient in with the sugar wich enabled that to work. I didn't get the best extraction, dry mash. So maybe it was short on nutrients. If the DME had gone to alcohol (I kept the syphon tube under) it would still have resulted in bubbles, just less of them.

Brewed a big Winter Ale yesterday, had to halve the grain to do it in my system. So two mashes. Went pretty well except Dundee in winter I need to heat the charge water 3 degrees more or so.

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trucker5774
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Re: Priming Query

Post by trucker5774 » Wed May 12, 2021 2:06 pm

I always use straight table sugar for priming. I have experimented with bottling/barrelling before the FG is reached, but sugar is easily fermented and reliable. As little as 70g for a 23 lire batch will be similar or slightly above pub cask carbonation. No idea why your DME didn't work. A vacuum could indicate a higher temperature at the point the seal was made, whether the seal was suspect at the start and then kicked in later, followed by the beer cooling.
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