Fresh out of priming sugar, so I used table sugar instead…just over 1/2 cup instead of the typical 3/4 for corn sugar to account for the difference in density.
The sample tasted at the end was much sweeter than normal…is this typical?
Also, the calculator I found for figuring priming sugar amounts had temperature as a factor.
Since this beer was cold crashed and sitting at 36 degrees, the chart said to use 1/3 cup sugar.
That didn’t feel right, so we used the 1/2 cup instead. Was that right?
we’ve bottled cold crashed beer before with normal priming sugar amounts with no ill effects.
Yeast has a harder time breaking down cane sugar due to some molecular chemistry I don’t fully understand. But as long as you boiled it before putting it in your bottling bucket (boiling breaks down the complex sugars into two simple sugars that yeast can easily digest) you should be just fine. If you didn’t boil it, you might have a problem. I use cane sugar all of the time with no issues, but I always boil it for a few minutes before putting in the bottling bucket.
Ditto here.
Not a single reason to spend the extra money on corn sugar for any brew purpose.
The added sweetness from the priming sugar which you report will no doubt disappear as the beer reaches maturity.
Temp: This is to account for CO2 left in solution after fermentation. You need to use the highest temp the beer was at after fermentation. A beer that only reached 60* will have more CO2 in it than a beer that reached 68*.
Spend $30 on a kitchen scale and start to measure your sugar by weight instead of by volume. More accurate.
It could just be the batch. Also, it could be psychological because you kinda think that it might make a difference. I’ve done enough study of tasting to know how easy that is.
I’m going to guess that you didn’t adequately mix the priming sugar into the cold beer and the heavier sugar solution sank to the bottom of the bucket. If so, the bottles filled near the end are likely a little over-primed while the ones filled earlier are under-primed.
[quote=“panduji68”]But I doubt that would give him a sweet flavor in his beer.[/quote]This is what caught my attention in the OP: “The sample tasted at the end was much sweeter than normal…is this typical?” If the bottling dregs are noticeably sweet, it’s likely because the priming solution settled to the bottom, below the spigot level.
Duly noted… I did not pick up on the “sample tasted at the end was much sweeter than normal” part as being a comparison between the taste from the beginning of the transfer to bottling bucket to the end of it. You are correct sir. If the sample was taken at the end without mixing it up properly after the transfer, all of the sweet stuff would settle to the bottom like a rock. Especially if it was cold crashed and primed cold.
It’s fine to do it that way, you just have to make sure you boiled your priming sugar first, then after you put it in your bottling bucket, mix it very slowly (so you don’t oxygenate it) but thoroughly before bottling. Otherwise all of the sugar will settle out. Then after bottling let them warm up to room temp to carbonate.
Well, I learned the very same lesson the hard way… These things happen. The beauty of this forum is that we try to figure out each others problems through our own mistakes, and share so we save the next guy from going through what we had to to learn. This forum has been a life saver for me many a time! And I must say I appreciate all the help I’ve gotten, and learn something new every day.
The ones that are sweeter now will turn into the spritzy higher alcohol content dry ones when they’re done carbing. They very well might be absolutely outstanding!!! Let me know how they turn out!
