Sugar priming

[noble ox]

Hi Brewers
I am gathering Grolsch bottles for my bottling 500ml ( recycling the contents) so was wondering if there is an exact measure for the priming sugar?.Most of my teaspoons are different sizes. Is there an easy way to get it right. How much do some of you use
Thanks

[Befuddler]

It's much more accurate to prime the whole batch in bulk before bottling. How much sugar you use depends on the style. For British ales, 80g per 20l is about right imo.

[Yeasty Rob]

Yeah definitely easier to prime the batch, but if you do prime the bottles I use approx. half a teaspoon per bottle - I use 500ml Grolsch bottles too and its just about right.

You can safely get away with a teaspoon, but it can get a bit too fizzy for most beer styles.

[LM600]

Try and get some measuring spoons - I got a pack of various sizes made from plastic from (I think Tesco, if not then a.n.other supermarket) for a quid or so.

I use ~1tbsp per 2ltr bottle and use glucose as the priming sugar.

[gregorach]

It's much more accurate to prime the whole batch in bulk before bottling. How much sugar you use depends on the style. For British ales, 80g per 20l is about right imo.

+1. 4g per litre is my standard priming rate for most beers.

[EliteEvil]

For normal beers I use half a teaspoon/500ml and for lagers 1 teaspoon/500ml. This is pretty lively but that is how I like my beer, I put 25 teaspoons into a pyrex jug, fill it to 500ml with boiling water, stick the jug on a hob if I'm feeling paranoid, and use a sterile syringe to put 10ml into each bottle before I fill them (leaves excess for if I spill).

[Rick_UK]

I find about 120g of DME for a 23l Batch gives best results for an English Ale (when bottling). If using sugar or dex I go for 80g. But DME gives a softer finer carbonation in my experience. For kegging it doesn't make any difference which you use but I would reduce by about a third.

Rick

[InsideEdge]

You guys tend to use a lot more sugar than me! I would use perhaps 40g for 20 litres or less even but i really dont like fizzy beer. I have to de fizz commercial stuff by deliberately frothing it up.

[Capped]

I bottle everything after a minimum of two weeks in the fermenter,and use approx 40g of white sugar added to the bottling bucket. It's occurred to me of late tho' that even this small amount gives too much carbonation for my liking (given that my beer tends to be around three months old before starting to neck it). Made some stout last Sunday and I'm going to give it three weeks in the FV and use no priming sugar at all...

[Martin G]

Have stopped priming the keg and found that the beer is beautifully conditioned. Have to admit it was a bit of a leap of faith, but when you think that a session beer will have about 10% fermentable and compare that with the amount of sugar that is typically added (region of 0.2%) perhaps it is not such a leap. You only need to have made about 2% slower fermenting sugars to acheive the same carbonation, perhaps slower is the key word!

Having said all that I still put half a tea spoon DME in a bottle, but having read this thread I'm going to leave a couple of bottles unprimed next brew and compare. I was at the Slaughterhouse brewery the other day and they said they couldn't acheive a good bottle with priming and bottle a batch a little early without priming.

[Valley Commando]

I put 120g sugar for final volume 25 l in my last batch, and I still felt it was under carbonated..... This time going for 160g!

[Horatio]

I put 120g sugar for final volume 25 l in my last batch, and I still felt it was under carbonated..... This time going for 160g!

How long do you leave it after bottling before sampling? I think if I primed at that rate I'd be risking a few bottle bombs!

I use 70g of sugar for a 23l batch for bottling and around 50g for a polypin.