Batch priming a 13 litre brew?
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hong
Batch priming a 13 litre brew?
Just about to batch prime my barley wine which has been in primary for 2 weeks now. Any idea how much sugar i should use for a 13 litre brew? Also, once the brew is primed & settled in the 2nd bucket, is it best to bottle staright away or should i leave it to settle for a few days/week etc.?
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gnutz2
Re: Batch priming a 13 litre brew?
I imagine a barley wine to have a lot of complex sugars which the yeast will break down slowly and with it being in the bottle a long time i would prime it VERY lightly.
Maybe 1-2g per litre.
Maybe 1-2g per litre.
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rootsbrew
Re: Batch priming a 13 litre brew?
Bottle straight away. By racking to a bottling bucket, you separate the beer from most of the yeast (a good thing). You want the yeast that remains in solution to ferment the priming sugar. This fermenation must occur while the beer is in the bottle. Allowing the batch to stand would cause the CO2 to be lost before bottling, thus rendering priming pointless. The maximum time you can wait is until signs of fermentation restarting are obvious.
If you make a 500ml priming solution, and put it in the bottling bucket, then rack on to the solution, it should mix through pretty well. If in any doubt, stir the primed beer vigourously just before you start to bottle.
Priming quantities range from 4g glucose (or dextrose) per litre, for only just sparkling ales, up to 10g / litre for lager and wheat. If you use DME or something else, you need to calculate the amount of glucose accordingly. Wheat DME is known to assist head retention.
Once you've bottled, remember to put your newly filled bottles somewhere warm for about 10 days, then somewhere cool for at least a further 10 days. 3 weeks bottle conditioning is a minimum, for most beers.
Edit: I forgot, this is a barley wine. Probably more like 12 weeks minimum conditioning - maybe more? I would still go for 4g/l priming sugar, even if leaving a while - if it's too fizzy, just let it stand a moment but if it's too flat, it'll be disappointing.
If you make a 500ml priming solution, and put it in the bottling bucket, then rack on to the solution, it should mix through pretty well. If in any doubt, stir the primed beer vigourously just before you start to bottle.
Priming quantities range from 4g glucose (or dextrose) per litre, for only just sparkling ales, up to 10g / litre for lager and wheat. If you use DME or something else, you need to calculate the amount of glucose accordingly. Wheat DME is known to assist head retention.
Once you've bottled, remember to put your newly filled bottles somewhere warm for about 10 days, then somewhere cool for at least a further 10 days. 3 weeks bottle conditioning is a minimum, for most beers.
Edit: I forgot, this is a barley wine. Probably more like 12 weeks minimum conditioning - maybe more? I would still go for 4g/l priming sugar, even if leaving a while - if it's too fizzy, just let it stand a moment but if it's too flat, it'll be disappointing.
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hong
Re: Batch priming a 13 litre brew?
Thanks for the advice chaps much appreciated. Rootsbrew, what did you mean by making a 500ml priming solution? Did you mean drawing some of the brew ( 500ml ) or water, then dissolving the sugar into it? I`ll be using ordinary household sugar by the way.
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rootsbrew
Re: Batch priming a 13 litre brew?
Priming solution: a sugary solution mixed with the beer just before bottling.
The solvent for the sugar can be either a sample of the beer itself or water (treated or bottled).
The priming sugar can be anything containing glucose: DME, dextrose (brewing sugar), household sugar or anything else that you think would be a good seasoning e.g. a touch of black treacle. The important thing is the amount of glucose per litre of beer. DME and treacle obviously contain molecules other than glucose, so you need more to create the same amount of CO2.
If using a mostly glcose sugar to prime - Household sugar is fine for bottling because the quantities are so low. However, you might prefer to use golden syrup or brewing sugar if you're highly carbonating the beer. Using household sugar for actual brewing is said to give slightly cidery results, so best avoided.
The solvent for the sugar can be either a sample of the beer itself or water (treated or bottled).
The priming sugar can be anything containing glucose: DME, dextrose (brewing sugar), household sugar or anything else that you think would be a good seasoning e.g. a touch of black treacle. The important thing is the amount of glucose per litre of beer. DME and treacle obviously contain molecules other than glucose, so you need more to create the same amount of CO2.
If using a mostly glcose sugar to prime - Household sugar is fine for bottling because the quantities are so low. However, you might prefer to use golden syrup or brewing sugar if you're highly carbonating the beer. Using household sugar for actual brewing is said to give slightly cidery results, so best avoided.