Priming - rookie question

[sub333]

Hi everyone,

I have some Cooper's Irish Stout in my FV, doing its thing.

I've read a lot of the threads on priming, and almost everyone agrees that it's better to add priming sugar to the whole batch, then bottle it up, for consistency's sake, as well as not having the fiddly task of adding small amounts to each bottle.

That's fine, but I have a question:
- once I've drawn some of the beer off, added the sugar, then microwaved it to dissolve it, will the beer not spoil when I open the lid to pour the sugar mix in? ie because I've exposed it to the air?

Also:
- do I need to sanitise the pan/cup etc that the sugar mixture goes into? Or will the heat from the microwave kill any nasties?
- how long do I need to heat the sugar mixture? Full whack for a minute or two? Or just keep going until the sugar is dissolved?
- and how long do I stir the beer once I've added the sugar mixture?

Apologies for such basic questions, but I'd like to try the adding-it-in-one-go method, as so many people on here advocate it.

Thanks for your help.

[poo hed]

hello,

what i do is; swill boiling kettle water around the pan i am going to use, then dissolve the brewing sugar in a bit of water in that pan on the hob (say about 300ml of water), let it boil, then cool down to room temperature, then add it to the fv, and gently stir (emphasis on gently) only for a few seconds, then let the fv settle back down (and the sugar water fully intergrate) for about 1 hour before bottling.

I wouldn't take beer out, microwave it then put it back in, that seems strange ? 300ml of water won't make any difference to anything! and it won't spoil with the air!

make sure the sugar water is no hotter then 20 celcius before you add it though !

regards

[Zephiacus]

Thats what I do, but i've seen me chuck the sugar water straight from the hob into my secondary and stir vigorously with no ill effects, i wouldnt recommend it though..

[Geezah]

I put the sugar in to a plastic cup (unsteralised), add 1/2 a cup of boiling water from the kettle, stir with a plastic chopstick until its all desolved, then pour it in the bottling fv / keg.
I then siphon the beer from the fv with a length of tubing, by sucking on it and dropping it in the bottom of the second bucket/keg.

Its good to be well sanitised, but beer is quite hardy and you really have to be lax to get an infection.

That said, I wouldn't advise my practice, but theres no need to be anal about your methods either

[poo hed]

That said, I wouldn't advise my practice, but theres no need to be anal about your methods either

like mixing the priming soloution via an enema or something ?

.... i was wondering how stout get's it's distinct flavour

[sub333]

I then siphon the beer from the fv with a length of tubing, by sucking on it and dropping it in the bottom of the second bucket/keg.

I only have one fermenter, though, so is it possible just to drop the sugar mixture into this fermenter?

[greenxpaddy]

Sure. When tipping in do it in a way to spread across the surface, not from height, we don't want to oxygenate the beer in any way. Stir carefully without disturbing the bottom half of the fv contents. Leave for 30mins to homogenise.

ps I'd leave in primary at least a week after FG for bulk of yeast to settle and for diacetyl rest /some conditioning on the yeast cake. The yeast cake solidifies in that time and gives you clearer beer.

[potatoes]

I only have one fermenter, though, so is it possible just to drop the sugar mixture into this fermenter?

Do you have plastic keg? Like this http://www.brewuk.co.uk/store/container ... n-cap.html

This can be used to bottle beer. Also, one thing I recommend you buy is a little bottler. This investment makes bottling so much easier. The end piece can be fitted to a siphoning tube. So pour your sugar mixture into the FV, then stir it up, wait 30 mins for yeast to settle, then siphon straight to bottle. This is what I do. Here is a link to little bottler:

http://www.brewuk.co.uk/store/bottling/ ... plete.html

Dan

[poo hed]

.... or this one for £3.50 cheaper:

http://www.colchesterhomebrew.co.uk/col ... Stick.html

only 1 left !!!!!!!!!!!!

i've shopped there before, they delivered quickly!!

i also got an auto syphon, i only have 1fv also and the auto syphons have a cap to stop sucking up some crud from the bottom, bit expensive mind at £11 odd quid and the bottling sticks don't directly fit, you need a small piece of standard 5/16 bore tubing to jam in between.

i'm glad i forked out on both though !, saves on space with no need for a secondary (or an expensive keg )

[sub333]

Also, one thing I recommend you buy is a little bottler. This investment makes bottling so much easier. The end piece can be fitted to a siphoning tube. So pour your sugar mixture into the FV, then stir it up, wait 30 mins for yeast to settle, then siphon straight to bottle.Dan

I have the Coopers kit, which has the tube you attach to the tap for bottling (is that a little bottler?)
Seems to work fine.

[sub333]

Sure. When tipping in do it in a way to spread across the surface, not from height, we don't want to oxygenate the beer in any way. Stir carefully without disturbing the bottom half of the fv contents. Leave for 30mins to homogenise.

ps I'd leave in primary at least a week after FG for bulk of yeast to settle and for diacetyl rest /some conditioning on the yeast cake. The yeast cake solidifies in that time and gives you clearer beer.

Hang on - you're going too fast. (!)
On your 'ps' point, do you mean, once I've done two readings on consecutive days, and they come out the same, that I have to leave the beer another week and THEN add sugar etc?

[potatoes]

Also, one thing I recommend you buy is a little bottler. This investment makes bottling so much easier. The end piece can be fitted to a siphoning tube. So pour your sugar mixture into the FV, then stir it up, wait 30 mins for yeast to settle, then siphon straight to bottle.Dan

I have the Coopers kit, which has the tube you attach to the tap for bottling (is that a little bottler?)
Seems to work fine.

Might well be. I havent used a coopers kit, as all of my equipment has youngs labels on it. The tap at the end of the little bottle lets the beer through when it touches the bottom of the bottle. The flow stops when you lift tube off the bottom of the bottle. Makes bottling easier than turning a tap on and off, which used to do back in 2000.

[poo hed]

Ohhhh so you don't need a syphon or a bottling stick, yes you have one!, they look good them coopers kits! (i just bought a cheap bucket)

I wouldn't bother waiting another whole week ??? pfffffft

if they are the same reading on day 1 and day 3 you are good to prime and bottle.

just put the (boiled and then cooled) sugar water in slowly to the fv and slowly stir round in a circle (say up to three times gently so your not swilling it around like when you poach an egg) give it about an hour for the sediment to settle back down and for the sugar water to fully mix throughout and then bottle!!!!

[sub333]

Also, one thing I recommend you buy is a little bottler. This investment makes bottling so much easier. The end piece can be fitted to a siphoning tube. So pour your sugar mixture into the FV, then stir it up, wait 30 mins for yeast to settle, then siphon straight to bottle.Dan

I have the Coopers kit, which has the tube you attach to the tap for bottling (is that a little bottler?)
Seems to work fine.

Might well be. I havent used a coopers kit, as all of my equipment has youngs labels on it. The tap at the end of the little bottle lets the beer through when it touches the bottom of the bottle. The flow stops when you lift tube off the bottom of the bottle. Makes bottling easier than turning a tap on and off, which used to do back in 2000.

Yep - got one of those. Nice and simple.

[sub333]

I wouldn't bother waiting another whole week ??? pfffffft

if they are the same reading on day 1 and day 3 you are good to prime and bottle.

just put the (boiled and then cooled) sugar water in slowly to the fv and slowly stir round in a circle (say up to three times gently so your not swilling it around like when you poach an egg) give it about an hour for the sediment to settle back down and for the sugar water to fully mix throughout and then bottle!!!!

Right, just to clarify:
- once I think fermentation is all done, I take a reading, then take another one TWO DAYS later, right? (not one day later) And if they're the same, I'm fine to prime then bottle.
- I don't get your point about waiting a week - a week between what and what?! Please explain!