Bottle Priming a Baltic Porter

[Cam]

Hi All,

Had a search about but couldn't really find an answer. I have brewed a Baltic Porter with an OG of 1.07. I bottle prime my beers and with the highly hopped IPAs I usually stick in a level teaspoon of priming sugar which gives the right amount of carbonation.

I've never brewed a porter before. With this one I have "dry hopped it" with toasted coconut and before I added this I drew some of the beer into a glass for a taste. It was sublime with a noted sweetness (have bottled 2 with a level teaspoon of sugar to compare with the final beer). The beer was brewed on Sunday 17th and I added the coconut on Thurs 21st after fermentation had stopped. I am going to remove the coconut and measure FG tomorrow. I plan to leave the beer another week in the fermentor to settle and condition a but before bottling.

I wondered if anyone could advise how much sugar per 500ml bottle I would need to use or as in one post I saw add no sugar and just give them a shake (not sure on that one tbh).

Cheers,
Cameron

[MTW]

I'd go around 3g per litre. A shade more if you like (like 3.5). If you're used to a level teaspoon in each bottle, you may find this far less carbonation. Batch prime if possible. There are adjustments to make for temperatures (CO2 absorption/retention at bottling/racking), but 3g per litre would be in the ball park for me. Try that out by weighed, amassed teaspoons if you're not batch priming, to get close.

EDIT: just checking the BJCP guidelines for Baltic Porter, medium to medium high carbonation, so maybe more 3.5 to 4g/L ball park

[BrannigansLove]

My suggestion would be to batch prime, and to use a calculator.

http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

Work out how much sugar you need, dissolve in a small quantity of water, and boil briefly. Add to bottling bucket, transfer beer on top, and then bottle. I find that the results are far more consistent than adding sugar direct to bottles.

[Cam]

Thanks for the replies guys. I currently only have a large clear fermentor with a tap. Ive found this works easily when bottling with one of those bottling wands attached to the tap so would add the sugar to each bottle.

Would it be acceptable to make up the priming liquid as described then add to my fermentor? Give a gentle mix with a sterilised spoon then leave to settle for a couple hours? I'd just be a little worried about undoing the rest/clearing I will have done.

[Brewedout]

For standard ales I use half a tsp. Don't like mine too fizzy.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[MTW]

Thanks for the replies guys. I currently only have a large clear fermentor with a tap. Ive found this works easily when bottling with one of those bottling wands attached to the tap so would add the sugar to each bottle.

Would it be acceptable to make up the priming liquid as described then add to my fermentor? Give a gentle mix with a sterilised spoon then leave to settle for a couple hours? I'd just be a little worried about undoing the rest/clearing I will have done.

I really wouldn't myself. If you get a second bucket to batch prime, I don't think you'll look back. I have the malt miller's cheap black taps on my buckets, and rack via 1/2 inch silicon tubing into a separate bucket with a Little Bottler tap/wand fitted for priming and bottling.

[Cam]

I really wouldn't myself. If you get a second bucket to batch prime, I don't think you'll look back. I have the malt miller's cheap black taps on my buckets, and rack via 1/2 inch silicon tubing into a separate bucket with a Little Bottler tap/wand fitted for priming and bottling.

I have the same bottler and as said use it off the fermentor - This one https://www.brewuk.co.uk/better-brew-27l.html.

I'll look to get a bucket in the future then (little space in my flat). For this one i'll calculate the amount for each bottle. I think I have about 10 or 11L left after I bottled those 2 already and allowing for the yeast in the bottom.

[MTW]

There is another option. You can dissolve an amount of sugar in a measured amount of water, boil it in a pan, cool quickly (ice water), and add a few ml or so (exact amount depends how you've worked out the numbers) to each bottle with a sanitised syringe. You can boil more than you need. As long as the density is right for how much you're adding , you're OK.

[Edited after I saw you've only got maybe 10L] For example, to give 3.5g/L, you could weigh 140g sugar, and top that up to the 400ml mark in jug with water from a kettle, and then dose each 500ml bottle with 5ml of that, after boiling gently (lid on) for a few minutes and cooling. You'll only need a quarter of the priming solution for a 10L batch, but that way keeps it as a workable amount in the pan.

[Cam]

There is another option. You can dissolve an amount of sugar in a measured amount of water, boil it in a pan, cool quickly (ice water), and add a few ml or so (exact amount depends how you've worked out the numbers) to each bottle with a sanitised syringe. You can boil more than you need. As long as the density is right for how much you're adding , you're OK.

[Edited after I saw you've only got maybe 10L] For example, to give 3.5g/L, you could weigh 140g sugar, and top that up to the 400ml mark in jug with water from a kettle, and then dose each 500ml bottle with 5ml of that, after boiling gently (lid on) for a few minutes and cooling. You'll only need a quarter of the priming solution for a 10L batch, but that way keeps it as a workable amount in the pan.

I like the idea of the syringe. SO if the 140g is to suit 40L topping up with 400ml for 10L I could just do 35g disolved in 100ml of water (but maybe use a bit extra of both to make things easier). Then 5ml into each bottle still?

[MTW]

There is another option. You can dissolve an amount of sugar in a measured amount of water, boil it in a pan, cool quickly (ice water), and add a few ml or so (exact amount depends how you've worked out the numbers) to each bottle with a sanitised syringe. You can boil more than you need. As long as the density is right for how much you're adding , you're OK.

[Edited after I saw you've only got maybe 10L] For example, to give 3.5g/L, you could weigh 140g sugar, and top that up to the 400ml mark in jug with water from a kettle, and then dose each 500ml bottle with 5ml of that, after boiling gently (lid on) for a few minutes and cooling. You'll only need a quarter of the priming solution for a 10L batch, but that way keeps it as a workable amount in the pan.

I like the idea of the syringe. SO if the 140g is to suit 40L topping up with 400ml for 10L I could just do 35g disolved in 100ml of water (but maybe use a bit extra of both to make things easier). Then 5ml into each bottle still?

No! If you put 5ml of the 140g sugar/topup-to-400ml solution in a 500ml bottle, you have primed at 3.5g/litre, regardless of how many you are doing. Leave the figures the same (assuming you want 3.5g/L). I only edited the post to reflect the fact that you would only need a quarter of the solution, rather than half, as I had stated before the edit. I don't imagine you'll be concerned about chucking away a bit of sugar and water afterwards, for the sake of having a decent quantity to handle in the pan. In any case, you don't want to be having to suck up the very last bit in the syringe, if you were only to make barely enough.

PS The larger amount helps to offset any minor tolerance issues in measuring the sugar and water.

[Cam]

Thanks for the help, i'll stick to your amounts haha.