So I had my first attempt at batch priming yesterday and said I would document it for anyone else planning to try it.
I was bottling a stout so wanted to keep carbonation relatively low. Guides can be found here http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/
I decided on a level of 2.0 CO2 so I used 50g of cane sugar. (http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz231/ggr34/IMG_0502.jpg) (http://s831.photobucket.com/user/ggr34/media/IMG_0502.jpg.html)
This is dissolved in two cups of water (http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz231/ggr34/IMG_0504.jpg) (http://s831.photobucket.com/user/ggr34/media/IMG_0504.jpg.html)
Once the water is cooled, it is then added to your freshly sanitized bottling bucket (http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz231/ggr34/IMG_0503.jpg) (http://s831.photobucket.com/user/ggr34/media/IMG_0503.jpg.html)
Using my auto syphon, I then transfer my wort from the primary fermenter (http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz231/ggr34/IMG_0506.jpg) (http://s831.photobucket.com/user/ggr34/media/IMG_0506.jpg.html)
The wort then mixes with the priming solution in the bottling bucket (http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz231/ggr34/IMG_0505.jpg) (http://s831.photobucket.com/user/ggr34/media/IMG_0505.jpg.html)
We then bottle our beer without the need for carb drops or measuring spoons of sugar ensuring an even carbonation throughout our batch of beer.
The finished product, I always like to use 1 clear bottle. (http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz231/ggr34/IMG_0510.jpg) (http://s831.photobucket.com/user/ggr34/media/IMG_0510.jpg.html)
From start to finish it took around 90 mins to prep, bottle and clean up. Much quicker then individually priming each bottle. Will be batch priming all my brews from now on.
Obviously there is risk of infection with introducing another bucket prior to bottling but so long as everything is properly cleaned then you should be ok.
Great post!
My Top Tip: Use a Lucozade bottle of the same size (500 ml usually). Fill leaving a small gap, squeeze the air out and tighten the cap. Then not only can you watch the process (like you can in your clear bottle) you can also feel the bottle stiffen up as it carbs!
Great stuff :)
Mind if I Wiki this?
Hi Will,
Not being a fan of Lucozade is there any reason for preferring their bottle over any other PET bottle? I've seen the Lucozade tip mentioned in another thread and am just wondering
PS sorry Graham I should have complimented you on the very clear guide, good work !!
Quote from: LordEoin on June 02, 2014, 11:42:52 AM
Great stuff :)
Mind if I Wiki this?
Work away brother
Did you stir the sugar at all? I've batch primed once now but I was told to stir everything. Did you skip it to avoid oxidation?
Quote from: Qs on June 02, 2014, 12:06:47 PM
Did you stir the sugar at all? I've batch primed once now but I was told to stir everything. Did you skip it to avoid oxidation?
You don't need to stir if you transfer to a bottling bucket, it'll get mixed up well enough when you add the beer. I sometimes skip the bottling bucket stage and just add the priming sugar solution to the FV and give it a gentle stir. Has always worked grand for me as well.
Horses for courses I suppose. I usually give mine a gentle stir with a sanitised paddle just to be sure.
Great post Graham :)
If you keep O2 pick up to a minimum by a gentle transfer between buckets and if for piece of mind a gentle stir as Garry suggests, then the yeast will use up any oxygen as part of the carbonation process.
Sent from my ST26i using Tapatalk
No I didn't stir in the bottling bucket, the wort transfer mixes it enough. One of the biggest positives I forgot to mention of transferring to the bottling bucket was the complete lack of sediment in your beer
Photography tip: clean lens before photo shoot... ;)
Yea, the poor oul iPhone isn't the Mae west
I connect the tubing from tap to tap, then let gravity do all the work.
It also means that the beer is filled from the bottom and gets stirred well on the way without added aeration.
I generally give a gentle stir afterwards too, just to be sure the priming sugar is evenly mixed.
Quote from: Sorcerers Apprentice on June 02, 2014, 11:44:42 AM
Hi Will,
Not being a fan of Lucozade is there any reason for preferring their bottle over any other PET bottle? I've seen the Lucozade tip mentioned in another thread and am just wondering
All sizes of Lucozade bottles are way thicker than most other PET bottles!
Also smooth surface - no ridges and the like.
The reason they ridge the bottles is to stiffen tham as they are so thin!
Big Plus: The rugby club sells a LOT of the 500 mL sport bottles
Thanks Will glad to hear you're not drinking it yourself
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I don't bother letting the sugar/water solution cool...I just pour it straight in hot and siphon the beer on top of it. Saves time
yeah, a pint of hot sugar water won't do any harm to a batch :)
Great post Graham. cheers for the guide
Quote from: LordEoin on June 05, 2014, 12:48:07 AM
yeah, a pint of hot sugar water won't do any harm to a batch :)
I thought the risk of adding it hot is that it cools so quick that the sugar comes out of solution again and leads to a bunch of sugar precipitated at the bottom of the new bucket and hence unevenly dissolved sugar.
Bottled an English bitter today, so thought I'd take a few snaps of two more options that can be carried out while batch priming.
I pretty much follow the same procedure as GrahamR in the excellent guide above, transferring the beer from the fermentation vessel to a bottling bucket on top of the priming solution, and for this batch I used two additional steps -
The first, is to take a small amount of the yeast cake left at the bottom of the fermentation vessel -
(http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b607/Parky07/IMG_0127_zps68b24674.jpg)
Then mix this gently into the beer that has been transferred to the bottling bucket -
(http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b607/Parky07/IMG_0135_zpsaab5cfdf.jpg)
I use this method when I've added finings to clear the beer, as I want to ensure that there is enough viable yeast in the bottles to carbonate and condition the beer. I've read that finings can strip too much of the yeast from suspension, leaving a lovely clear beer, but not much yeast for carbonation. Whether that's correct or not I've found the method above to be successful in creating a consistently good carbonation.
The second option is to add beer heading liquid/powder, which is supposed to assist in head formation and retention.
(http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b607/Parky07/IMG_0139_zpsd92c0fce.jpg)
Again, add gently to the beer and stir to mix thoroughly.
(http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b607/Parky07/IMG_0141_zps15c91cef.jpg)
At this point I leave the beer to sit for 30 minutes, allowing any additions to mix and blend evenly throughout the liquid.
As a rule I tend to leave the bottling bucket sit for 30 minutes anyway, as I find this allows any bits of krausen that have inadvertently fallen into the beer, to settle to the bottom of the bottling bucket. I can then leave them sit at the bottom of the bucket and keep them out of the bottles.
Hope that's of use to some of you, and yes, would agree with OP - batch priming has some advantages over individually priming bottles.
I only have one bucket, which my brew has been fermenting in. It needs to be bottled now. Do I need a second bucket or can I transfer straight from the FV to primed bottles? Any tips are greatly appreciated.
It's my first time :-[
Quote from: JayMc on September 25, 2014, 05:35:41 PM
I only have one bucket, which my brew has been fermenting in. It needs to be bottled now. Do I need a second bucket or can I transfer straight from the FV to primed bottles? Any tips are greatly appreciated.
It's my first time :-[
You can transfer straight to the primed bottles, yes. The 2nd bucket would only mean you could leave behind more yeast and crud etc for a clearer beer; it's not essential though.
Quote from: irish_goat on September 25, 2014, 05:44:14 PM
You can transfer straight to the primed bottles, yes. The 2nd bucket would only mean you could leave behind more yeast and crud etc for a clearer beer; it's not essential though.
That's great thanks! now I don't have to run out and buy more equipment straight away. I'll get a second one for the next brew though.
Thanks for this.
I've had some problems with batch priming - caused by not stirring the wort after siphoning the wort onto the sugar solution.
On my last batch - bottled just over a week ago - I put the last liter into PET bottles so that I could squeeze the bottles to check carbonation progression. Well, the bottles expanded so much the top almost blew off. I opened them and the foam was gushing out. It tasted very sweet. It seems the sugar solution didn't mix well into the wort and was left in the bottom of the bottling bucket. I am probably left with under-carbonated / uneven carbonated beer now.
On the next brew I'll definitely gently stir.
If you make up your sugar solution and then transfer on top of that from the fermenter, you'll get the two mixed quite well without having to stir.
Great guide.
The last few brews I have started to transfer to the bottling bucket first and then measure and add my priming sugar and give a gentle stir with a sanitised spoon.
I use stainless fermenters so it isn't too easy to see the exact volume but by transfering first I get the correct volume and avoid over priming.