I've Used Too Much Priming Sugar

[Andy Hird]

I've just transfered a Muntons Connesuer Wheatbeer to my pressure barrel, and added 200gms of priming sugar, as I did on the Brewferm Gold I previuosly did. However when I looked at the Muntons instructions, it stated that I should use 85gms !

What will adding the extra priming sugar do ? Have I ruined my wheetbeer??

Cheers

Andy

[Barm]

it shouldn't be ruined - but so much sugar will easily overpressurise your keg: so better hope your relief valve works properly!
TBH it's probably worth venting off excess pressure manually to prevent mad carbonation of the beer. Having a pressure gauge on the keg is the ideal situation as you can see exactly whether/how much manual venting is needed - otherwise you'll have to guess.

[EoinMag]

A Wheatbeer is pretty highly carbonated so I'd imagine you'll have no problems, 85g sounds more like ale carbonation levels, I reckon your instructions aren't great.

[Andy Hird]

A Wheatbeer is pretty highly carbonated so I'd imagine you'll have no problems, 85g sounds more like ale carbonation levels, I reckon your instructions aren't great.

I think you're right about the instructions. I've just looked at a previous Muntons kit I did for a different beer, and they are the self same instructions !!

[EoinMag]

A Wheatbeer is pretty highly carbonated so I'd imagine you'll have no problems, 85g sounds more like ale carbonation levels, I reckon your instructions aren't great.

I think you're right about the instructions. I've just looked at a previous Muntons kit I did for a different beer, and they are the self same instructions !!

One point, generally wheat beers and weizens belong in bottles. They are meant as cloudy beers where you shake up the yeast in the bottle and drink it with the beer, unlike your other homebrews that you want to drop clear. The bottle also enables you to prime heavily for a well carbonated beer which is the style of a wheat beer, and kegs simply aren't that good for highly carbonated beers.
It's very rare to see weizen in a keg.

[Manx Guy]

Hi!

The level of carbonation you use/like is a personal thing and depends on the style of the beer and your personal preference...
For bottling brews :
I use 85g-100g raw cane sugar for ales
and 165-200g " " " for Lager style beers

My Coopers Aussie lager which used 200g has turned out great... almost approching commercial lager for carbonation levels...

I use Grolsch 450ml swing tops, which I obtain from a local friendly pub landlord - they seem easilly up to the job!

It sounds to me like you did the right thing, as wheat beers tend to be medium to well carbonated...

I'm sure you'll enjoy it in a few more weeks...

Slainte!

[Andy Hird]

Hi!

The level of carbonation you use/like is a personal thing and depends on the style of the beer and your personal preference...
For bottling brews :
I use 85g-100g raw cane sugar for ales
and 165-200g " " " for Lager style beers

My Coopers Aussie lager which used 200g has turned out great... almost approching commercial lager for carbonation levels...

I use Grolsch 450ml swing tops, which I obtain from a local friendly pub landlord - they seem easilly up to the job!

It sounds to me like you did the right thing, as wheat beers tend to be medium to well carbonated...

I'm sure you'll enjoy it in a few more weeks...

Slainte!

Thanks

I intend to transfer my wheat beer to tap-a-draft bottles after 8-10 weeks.

the tap-a-draft system is absolutely amazing....quite expensive, but well worth the investment. You can't beat having an ice cold beer poured straight form the fridge, and if it isn't carbonated enough for your taste, you just bung in a couple more CO2 bulbs to force carbonate it....ace !

Andy

[EoinMag]

Hi!

The level of carbonation you use/like is a personal thing and depends on the style of the beer and your personal preference...
For bottling brews :
I use 85g-100g raw cane sugar for ales
and 165-200g " " " for Lager style beers

My Coopers Aussie lager which used 200g has turned out great... almost approching commercial lager for carbonation levels...

I use Grolsch 450ml swing tops, which I obtain from a local friendly pub landlord - they seem easilly up to the job!

It sounds to me like you did the right thing, as wheat beers tend to be medium to well carbonated...

I'm sure you'll enjoy it in a few more weeks...

Slainte!

Thanks

I intend to transfer my wheat beer to tap-a-draft bottles after 8-10 weeks.

the tap-a-draft system is absolutely amazing....quite expensive, but well worth the investment. You can't beat having an ice cold beer poured straight form the fridge, and if it isn't carbonated enough for your taste, you just bung in a couple more CO2 bulbs to force carbonate it....ace !

Andy

Why are you priming in one vessel to then waste that priming when you move to another vessel? Best not to prime in the barrel you're in now.......and then prime when you move to tap-a-draft.....

[Andy Hird]

I prime in the barrel, then once conditioned and ready, I transfer to the tap-a-draft bottles. It's worked well so far, the beer doesn't loose any carbonation, and if it does, you just use a couple more CO2 bulbs in the tap-a-draft dispenser tap to force carbonate it.

The reason I do it this way is to leave all the sediment in the barrel, so the 6 litre tap-a-draft bottles don't have any sediment in them, so you get a crystal clear lager.

[EoinMag]

I prime in the barrel, then once conditioned and ready, I transfer to the tap-a-draft bottles. It's worked well so far, the beer doesn't loose any carbonation, and if it does, you just use a couple more CO2 bulbs in the tap-a-draft dispenser tap to force carbonate it.

The reason I do it this way is to leave all the sediment in the barrel, so the 6 litre tap-a-draft bottles don't have any sediment in them, so you get a crystal clear lager.

Fair enough, it seems counter-intuitive to do it this way and you could already get your clearing just by leaving it to condition with no sugar in there and then just prime in the bottles when you transfer, but if it works for you...what I don't get is how it doesn't lose carbonation in the transfer, when you go from a pressure vessel under pressure, take the lid off and presumably syphon over I'd have thought you'd lose most of the carbonation.

[Andy Hird]

You do loose a tiny bit of carbonation bit hardly any to notice, but if you want more carbonation, then you just use more CO2 bulbs to force carbonate it.

I prime it just because the instructions say so, I'm not sure how it would turn out un-primed.

I suppose what I'm doing is similar to racking

[EoinMag]

You do loose a tiny bit of carbonation bit hardly any to notice, but if you want more carbonation, then you just use more CO2 bulbs to force carbonate it.

I prime it just because the instructions say so, I'm not sure how it would turn out un-primed.

I suppose what I'm doing is similar to racking

Yeah the instructions presume you are leaving it in the final vessel when priming. It's kinda similar to racking except you are adding an extra fermentable, no worries, it works for you