FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
Ken Schwartz's Brewing Web Page has moved ("Ken Schwartz")
Priming sugar amounts for larger volumes ("Bill Pierce")
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Date: Tue, 12 May 2009 12:47:15 -0600
From: "Ken Schwartz" <kenbob at elp.rr.com>
Subject: Ken Schwartz's Brewing Web Page has moved
Road Runner changed their hosted web addresses a while back. For
informational & search purposes here is the new address:
http://home.roadrunner.com/~brewbeer
Ken Schwartz
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Date: Wed, 13 May 2009 09:46:06 -0400
From: "Bill Pierce" <BillPierce at aol.com>
Subject: Priming sugar amounts for larger volumes
I've been wrestling with thoughts about priming sugar for some time
now. My standard procedure is to naturally carbonate all of my
beers, even those that I keg. I've come to believe that the
fermentation of the priming sugar helps to purge oxygen introduced
during bottling/kegging, which promotes stability and retards
staling of the beer.
For several years now I've been using ordinary white table sugar
(corn or beet) for priming. I notice no cidery or other off-flavors
whatsoever resulting from this. I do find that it requires a
slightly smaller amount than if I used corn sugar to achieve the
same level of carbonation. The standard corn sugar used by
homebrewers and for baking is dextrose monohydrate, which has one
molecule of water bound to a molecule of glucose. If you do the
math with the atomic weights of both molecules (18/198), the result
is a water content of 9.09 percent. Therefore if you prime with
table sugar it requires 90.9 percent the amount of corn sugar to
achieve the same level of carbonation. This is the value I have
factored into the carbonation calculations in my brewing
spreadsheet, and indeed the results in my beers seem quite accurate
(I weigh the calculated amount of priming sugar to the nearest
gram).
Now the question arises as to the volume of my bottles and kegs. I
have a number of kegs, mostly standard 5 gallon corny kegs, but also
some 3 gallon cornies and several 15.5 and 7.75 gallon Sanke kegs.
As for bottles, most are approximately 12 US fluid ounces (a variety
of comparable metric sizes as well), but I often also fill several 2
liter plastic soda bottles from each batch. These are convenient
for taking beer elsewhere or for bottles that are consumed
relatively quickly at home during family dinners or with guests.
There seems to be a difference of opinion about whether it is
necessary to adjust the amount of priming sugar for larger bottles
or kegs. Some people feel that using the calculated amount of
priming sugar for these large containers results in excessive
carbonation. They cite the fact that cask ales and 5 liter minikegs
should be primed with half the amount or less of the sugar you would
use for 12 ounce bottles.
I'm wondering if this is largely a myth. My kegs and 2 liter
bottles do not seem overcarbonated compared to their smaller
brethren. So my question is really if it is correct practice to
reduce the amount of priming sugar for larger containers, and if so
by what amount. If the effect of the larger container is indeed
real, it should be measurable, able to be calculated, and the
correct factor used in the carbonation calculations.
What does the collective think about this? Inquiring minds want to
know.
Bill Pierce
Cellar Door Homebrewery
Burlington, Ontario
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #5548, 05/13/09
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