Priming a Saison style beer

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Wiganbear
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Priming a Saison style beer

Post by Wiganbear » Thu Jan 04, 2018 9:07 pm

Hi, I'm after some advice on priming the above beer in 500ml bottles. I normally just use a tea spoon of priming suger in the bottle with all my beers, but I've had a few issues on the odd batch, so I feel I need to look into the exact levels in my detail.

So how many grams of priming sugar should I be using in a 500ml bottle of Saison style beer.

Cheers Chris

scotsloon
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Re: Priming a Saison style beer

Post by scotsloon » Thu Jan 04, 2018 9:57 pm

I'd suggest you try batch priming, you get a more consistent priming. The standard is 5g/L so for a 23L batch you will need 115g of sugar (you can vary this to suit style and taste). You will need a bottling bucket, effectively an FV with a small tap near the bottom of the bucket. Transfer the beer from your FV to the bottling bucket (Make sure the tap is not open) then take a small amount out into a pan and add the sugar to the pan, stick it on the hob and melt the sugar then transfer back into the bottling bucket and gently stir in. I also use a short piece of 11mm tube (200mm) attached to the spout of the tap, this will fit neatly into the neck of your bottles then fill the bottles. I find this approach much quicker and tidier than trying to put a spoonful of sugar into each of 40 odd bottles.

super_simian
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Re: Priming a Saison style beer

Post by super_simian » Fri Jan 05, 2018 1:13 pm

What yeast did you use?

Wiganbear
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Re: Priming a Saison style beer

Post by Wiganbear » Fri Jan 05, 2018 11:08 pm

I used a abbey style yeast by safale. I've bottled it this evening using 6g per 500ml bottle, see how it turns out.

Fastline
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Re: Priming a Saison style beer

Post by Fastline » Sat Jan 06, 2018 11:05 am

Sounds very very high ratio, is that a typing error or have you really put 6grams in per 500ml

I can see you ending up with gushers that will hit the ceiling when you uncap and churn up all the yeast sediment in the bottle or maybe even a bottle bombs at worst here.

Most I have read say around 6-7 grams per litre max, so your at nearly double.

5 grams per litre probably high end of what I would do with this style.

I'd be interested if anyone has salvaged over carbonated bottles, may need to crack them open release some of the pressure and then recap.

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Jocky
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Re: Priming a Saison style beer

Post by Jocky » Sat Jan 06, 2018 11:42 am

For saisons I like them spritzy and fairly highly carbonated like you will find many Belgian style beers.

I prime to 3+ volumes, which will be in the region of 8.8 grams per litre. To avoid excessive fobbing at that carbonation you need to have good control over sediment in your bottles, and you need clean bottles. Any rough nucleation sites from dirt or sediment cause fobbing unless you serve the beer very cold.

I agree that 6 grams per half litre will probably be a bit much. It’s about 3.8 volumes of CO2. Before serving get them fridge cold and keep them upright and you should be fine.
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Wiganbear
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Re: Priming a Saison style beer

Post by Wiganbear » Sat Jan 06, 2018 10:20 pm

I used the carbonation chart in Greg Hughes book Home Brew Beer, he doesn't list a sasion but he says 6.6g per 500ml for lambic and sour ales so I went with that in the end.

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Jocky
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Re: Priming a Saison style beer

Post by Jocky » Sat Jan 06, 2018 11:01 pm

Try it and see, you'll know whether to adjust in future.
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.

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Re: Priming a Saison style beer

Post by scotsloon » Sun Jan 07, 2018 12:23 pm

Alternatively, try priming in 2 or 3 batches with varying amounts of sugar. That would be a worthwhile experiment.

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