Batch priming - how much sugar?

A forum to discuss the various ways of getting beer into your glass.
Post Reply
Bazz
Piss Artist
Posts: 284
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 11:22 am
Location: East Sussex

Batch priming - how much sugar?

Post by Bazz » Thu Nov 21, 2019 2:26 pm

Afternoon all, i usually keg all my beers and it's been a while since i've bottled an entire batch, however with my latest brew i'll be bottling as i intend to give quite a few away as Christmas gifts to friends and family. Since it's been so long i can't remember how much sugar i should be using, obviously style and preference play a part in this. So for 23 litres of APA not too gassy but gassier than an English best better what would you go for?

Thanks.

User avatar
orlando
So far gone I'm on the way back again!
Posts: 7197
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:22 pm
Location: North Norfolk: Nearest breweries All Day Brewery, Salle. Panther, Reepham. Yetman's, Holt

Re: Batch priming - how much sugar?

Post by orlando » Thu Nov 21, 2019 3:49 pm

80-100g. Low end enough gas, top end er, more than enough. :D
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

Bazz
Piss Artist
Posts: 284
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 11:22 am
Location: East Sussex

Re: Batch priming - how much sugar?

Post by Bazz » Thu Nov 21, 2019 4:54 pm

Thank you, that seems to ring a bell now.

User avatar
orlando
So far gone I'm on the way back again!
Posts: 7197
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:22 pm
Location: North Norfolk: Nearest breweries All Day Brewery, Salle. Panther, Reepham. Yetman's, Holt

Re: Batch priming - how much sugar?

Post by orlando » Thu Nov 21, 2019 5:38 pm

I recommend batch priming.
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

User avatar
IPA
Under the Table
Posts: 1731
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:29 am
Location: France Gascony

Re: Batch priming - how much sugar?

Post by IPA » Sat Nov 23, 2019 9:58 am

An important point to remember is priming only speeds up the carbonation process. So if you intend to store the beer for any length of time you need to reduce the amount of priming to prevent over carbonation. I use,for example,2.5 gr a litre for bitters and up to 3.5 gr for Wit beers. Over carbonation is why home brewers have problems with serving beer from Cornie kegs. All that nonsense about line length to reduce foaming is just to compensate for over carbonated beer.
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin

1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip

It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)

Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)

User avatar
orlando
So far gone I'm on the way back again!
Posts: 7197
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:22 pm
Location: North Norfolk: Nearest breweries All Day Brewery, Salle. Panther, Reepham. Yetman's, Holt

Re: Batch priming - how much sugar?

Post by orlando » Sat Nov 23, 2019 12:56 pm

orlando wrote:
Thu Nov 21, 2019 3:49 pm
80-100g. Low end enough gas, top end er, more than enough. :D
Correction: Less for 23 litres I was going on 25. Just make sure you are completely fermented out, otherwise IPA's advice will come storming through when you go to pour. :D
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

Bazz
Piss Artist
Posts: 284
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 11:22 am
Location: East Sussex

Re: Batch priming - how much sugar?

Post by Bazz » Sun Dec 01, 2019 9:14 pm

Oh well, it's done now, went for 90g. I reckon it'll be fine.

User avatar
orlando
So far gone I'm on the way back again!
Posts: 7197
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:22 pm
Location: North Norfolk: Nearest breweries All Day Brewery, Salle. Panther, Reepham. Yetman's, Holt

Re: Batch priming - how much sugar?

Post by orlando » Sun Dec 01, 2019 11:18 pm

Open a little colder than you like. :lol:
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

Kingfisher4
Hollow Legs
Posts: 387
Joined: Tue Jun 27, 2017 11:03 pm
Location: Derbyshire, UK

Re: Batch priming - how much sugar?

Post by Kingfisher4 » Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:34 am

orlando wrote:
Sat Nov 23, 2019 12:56 pm
orlando wrote:
Thu Nov 21, 2019 3:49 pm
80-100g. Low end enough gas, top end er, more than enough. :D
Correction: Less for 23 litres I was going on 25. Just make sure you are completely fermented out, otherwise IPA's advice will come storming through when you go to pour. :D
Even if real FG has been reached, I have found a huge variation occurs with different yeasts (still on dried yeast so far) during prolonged storage in bottles.

Some are also much more prone to overcarbonate if ambient storage temperatures are high. The seasonal variations in the garage are as low as 6 degrees now but we're 26 last summer, so not ideal and variation is clearly likely.

MJ Liberty Bell is especially prone to warm overcarbonation, US-05, MJ New World Strong and CML Cali Common are much more stable over some months in bottles even at varying storage temperature, in case that helps. S-33 also seems to slowly munch through longer chain sugars in low ABV beers over a few months.

Bazz
Piss Artist
Posts: 284
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 11:22 am
Location: East Sussex

Re: Batch priming - how much sugar?

Post by Bazz » Tue Dec 03, 2019 9:00 pm

orlando wrote:
Sun Dec 01, 2019 11:18 pm
Open a little colder than you like. :lol:
Just cracked one open, a little prematurely perhaps, the carbonation is spot on, needs a little more conditioning time, which i kind of expected. Thanks for your help.

User avatar
orlando
So far gone I'm on the way back again!
Posts: 7197
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:22 pm
Location: North Norfolk: Nearest breweries All Day Brewery, Salle. Panther, Reepham. Yetman's, Holt

Re: Batch priming - how much sugar?

Post by orlando » Tue Dec 03, 2019 10:39 pm

=D> :D
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

User avatar
Cobnut
Drunk as a Skunk
Posts: 759
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2018 4:23 pm
Location: Ipswich
Contact:

Re: Batch priming - how much sugar?

Post by Cobnut » Wed Dec 04, 2019 9:54 am

I have a batch of bottles which are definitely over-carbed, so I'm experimenting to see whether I can get them back where they need to be by letting out some of the CO2.

I left a bottle to come up to cool kitchen temperature and then unscrewed the cap for 10 minutes before re-tightening it (and mopping up the beer which had frothed out).

I plan to leave this another few days and see how the carbonation is before repeating the exercise with the remaining bottles (they are all crown capped, so will need replacement crown caps).

Anyone else had any success with a method like this?

Mr Google was not able to offer me any guidance as to how long it might take for CO2 to come out of solution, hence my experimentation.
Fermenting: nowt
Conditioning: English IPA/Bretted English IPA
Drinking: Sunshine Marmalade, Festbier, Helles Bock, Smokey lagery beer, Irish Export StoutCascade APA (homegrown hops), Orval clone, Impy stout, Duvel clone, Conestoga (American Barley wine)
Planning: Dark Mild, Kozel dark (ish), Simmonds Bitter, Bitter, Citra PA and more!

Kingfisher4
Hollow Legs
Posts: 387
Joined: Tue Jun 27, 2017 11:03 pm
Location: Derbyshire, UK

Re: Batch priming - how much sugar?

Post by Kingfisher4 » Wed Dec 04, 2019 2:45 pm

Hi Cobnut,

I have successfully released over-carbed pressure a couple of times by easing up slightly on the crown cap whilst bottles are in the sink, shaking to release some of the pressure (wasting maybe 10%ish of the beer too) then just using my lever capping stand to re-secure the same crown caps. I rinse and dry the bottles before re storing.

The CO2 released seems to prevent ingress of infection / off taste. I'd never read about this either, but it seems to have worked for me and saved gushing bottles / potential bottle bombs or wasted beer.

P.S. This batch was one of the Liberty Bell over-carbed batches I mentioned earlier after about 3 months in the bottles.
over-carbed.jpg

Post Reply