14 replies to this topic

[Poptop]

Fellas, forgive me if this topic's been covered. I have a batch ready to keg and I want to bring a dozen bottles to my Dad. Can anyone provide experienced direction on XX amount of table sugar per 22 ounce/bomber bottle in order to carb (sans bottle bombs). Or would I be better priming the whole keg and filling bottles right after kegging?

Thanks, Mike

[positiveContact]

Fellas, forgive me if this topic's been covered. I have a batch ready to keg and I want to bring a dozen bottles to my Dad. Can anyone provide experienced direction on XX amount of table sugar per 22 ounce/bomber bottle in order to carb (sans bottle bombs). Or would I be better priming the whole keg and filling bottles right after kegging?

Thanks, Mike

 

I think priming the whole keg is more likely to give you the right amount of carbonation.  doing it a bottle at a time would mean that any small mis-measurement will have a big effect.  that said I believe there are tabs you can buy that are pre-measured.  they may not be intended for bombers but it also depends how many volumes of CO2 you are looking for.

[Poptop]

Thanks Evil, priming the whole keg will offer the most consistency. I thought about the tabs but I recall reading that they give off taste no desired?? Anyone?? Beuller?

[positiveContact]

Thanks Evil, priming the whole keg will offer the most consistency. I thought about the tabs but I recall reading that they give off taste no desired?? Anyone?? Beuller?

 

I only bottled about 6 or 7 batches before going to kegging so my information may be dated and limited.  I've never used the tabs personally.  I always just primed in the bottling bucket and went from there.

[Poptop]

Me too. Like most I don't care for bottling. It would probably be easier all the way around just to fill him a growler. It's the distance between us tho and the need to have growlers available.....

[positiveContact]

Me too. Like most I don't care for bottling. It would probably be easier all the way around just to fill him a growler. It's the distance between us tho and the need to have growlers available.....

 

carbonator cap + 2L soda bottle?

[Poptop]

I think for this exercise I am going to prime the whole keg, ensure that the batch is thoroughly mixed and then pour off my bottles. Seems to make the most sense.

[Brauer]

Thanks Evil, priming the whole keg will offer the most consistency. I thought about the tabs but I recall reading that they give off taste no desired?? Anyone?? Beuller?

I use the small tabs that require a few per bottle for an occasional bottle or two. I've detected no off taste from them.

[3rd party JKor]

You need a really accurate scale if you want to prime by the bottle. You can figure out the right amount easily, but you're talking about ~2 grams per bottle. The difference between 1.9 g and 2.1 g will be very noticeable. So you'd really want a scale with at least 0.01 gram resolution. Otherwise i'd go the bulk priming route.

[Steve Urquell]

Table sugar: 2.0-2.2 grams per 12oz, 22oz bomber 3.5 grams. I've done hundreds of bottles like this without issue using my small digital scale with no over/undercarb issues.

[3rd party JKor]

Table sugar: 2.0-2.2 grams per 12oz, 22oz bomber 3.5 grams. I've done hundreds of bottles like this without issue using my small digital scale with no over/undercarb issues.

 

 

What's the resolution on the scale?  I'd think you would notice a 10% carbonation difference.

[Steve Urquell]

What's the resolution on the scale?  I'd think you would notice a 10% carbonation difference.

.1 gram resolution. I use 2.0 for slightly less carb, 2.2 for more when the style dictates more. Slightly noticeable difference.

Edited by chils, 20 July 2015 - 01:38 PM.

[Deerslyr]

TL:DR the whole thread.

 

If you are priming your keg, remember that you typically use less priming sugar than you would if you were priming the whole batch for bottling.  This means that what you are placing in the bottles after you prime the keg will not have sufficient priming sugar.  That is, of course, unless you prime the keg with the full amount that you would use as if you were bottling the entire batch.  However, I don't think you want to do that.  As I'm writing this, I think I just trouble shot an issue I was having with priming a keg.  I was using the full amount that I would use for bottling (precisely because I would be bottling a few) and the beer that remained in the keg had a sweetness that wasn't supposed to be there.  I'm thinking that this must have been residual priming sugars that didn't ferment out.  

 

Thoughts?

[Poptop]

I can see this. I primed a keg with 5 oz table sugar a while back, forgetting to lessen the dose. The keg sat for around 8 days when I had a place in the keezer. The beer was super primed! And it wasn't as dry as I shot for... Saison...

Btw; issue resolved. I picked up a sack of Mangrove Jack's priming tablets. Never used them but it will surely take the complication out of filling some bottles.

[Deerslyr]

I can see this. I primed a keg with 5 oz table sugar a while back, forgetting to lessen the dose. The keg sat for around 8 days when I had a place in the keezer. The beer was super primed! And it wasn't as dry as I shot for... Saison...

Btw; issue resolved. I picked up a sack of Mangrove Jack's priming tablets. Never used them but it will surely take the complication out of filling some bottles.

 

I've used priming tabs before... some were like Smarties, while others were like cough drops.  Can't say I ever had any negative problems with them.  Just too much of a miser to buy them.