MichaelE2 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Hello all - good to be here![biggrin] I've a Coopers Aussie Lager kit in the FV at the moment, bubbling away nicely. I'll be bottling straight from the FV (no bottling bucket/2nd FV at the moment) using the supplied Coopers PET bottles and the supplied Carbonation drops. However, the kit has come with 500ml bottles, rather than 750ml bottles as it used to. This causes problems as the Carbonation drops say to use 1 for 330ml bottles and 2 for 750ml bottles, leaving me right in the middle. The slip of paper I got with the kit (written out by the Homebrew company I bought the kit from rather than by Coopers I think) says to use just 1 carbonation drop, as per a 330ml bottle, but i worry that will leave my beer a bit underfizzed, which is likely to be especially noticeable as I'm doing a lager rather than an ale. Should I stick to what the people I bought it from say and just use 1, go the whole hog and use 2 and risk the whole thing exploding, or try and cut the damned things in half to get 1.5 drops per bottle? Thanks all, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Welcome Mike! I definitely wouldn't use two drops in 500ml bottles. Besides the risk of bottle bombs, it will just be too fizzy. I would go with one drop per 500ml bottle and it will still give you enough fizz. If you want to control your priming rates then you may want to get a 2nd FV/bottling bucket and bulk prime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelE2 Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 Welcome Mike! I definitely wouldn't use two drops in 500ml bottles. Besides the risk of bottle bombs, it will just be too fizzy. I would go with one drop per 500ml bottle and it will still give you enough fizz. If you want to control your priming rates then you may want to get a 2nd FV/bottling bucket and bulk prime. Thanks for the help - yes I will be exploring batch priming on future brews! So you think two would definitely be too much fizz, even for a lager? Would trying to use roughly 1.5 be a bit mad? Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 hate to burst the bubble but it's a 'Lager' in name only... not fermented with a Lager Yeast = Not a Lager. Im with Hairy, if it's still in the FV, get a botteling bucket / tub / container and get into Bulk Priming... way cheaper (than drops)and endless control over how carbed the beer will be. Yob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I'm the "Hairy Yob" team![innocent] You really have to bulk prime. It really is one of those early challeges of a home brewer that once you go for it you'll never look back![wink] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Seeing as we're talking about bulk priming now.... Just transferring to a secondary FV by way of the tap is sufficient? I heard you can risk oxidisation doing it this way... If I understand correct, place dissolved sugar in the secondary, transfer beer on top, mix it in, then bottle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Hi Adam, I use a racking cane and siphon hose because I don't have a tap on secondary. I'm sure the tap method works just the same if on better. Don't worry about oxidisation too much. Your method of adding the priming solution to the bottling bucket then rack the brew on top is correct. No mixing needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Coolies - I am going to get another Coopers DIY kit, cos I like the FV, and it comes with the bottles and all that. Solves a few things for me too - like losing the valve for my bottling valve down the plughole. Would it be better to gently transfer the beer to the secondary, by way of a hose, or just dump it, by having the secondary underneath the first...ary? Thanks [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Hi Adam, OH NO! You really do need to use a hose fitted to your tap or the oxidising will be a problem. A real pro move is to give the end of your siphon hose a little curl at the bottom of bucket to prevent splashing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 OK thanks Chad - I thought that might be what was required Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 when I rack to BP, I (I think I got this from Muddy) transfer from tap to tap and go slow at the start till the tap is well covered and then open her up... This avoids having the hose in the bucket. Does a hose fit to the DIY tap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordEoin Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I use 1.5 drops per 500ml bottle. They're easy to split evenly if you use a wood chisel. I bought a cheap one for about \u20ac5 and it does the job perfectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 thats alot of effort [lol] Im too frikkin lazy to do anything like that.... A chisel you say.. is it a Cold Chisel? ... he's not gunna get it is he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordEoin Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 It's less effort than you'd think. 40 bottles primed in about 10 minutes. And I immediately regret youtube-ing Cold Chisel... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 philistine [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelE2 Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 Thanks all for your replies. I don't (yet!) have the wherewithal/equiptment to batch prime, so will probably go down the 1.5 drops route. Now where's me chisel?! Very much like the idea of transferring to a bottling bucket in future using the two taps and a bit of hose - very clever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilboBaggins Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 when I rack to BP, I (I think I got this from Muddy) transfer from tap to tap and go slow at the start till the tap is well covered and then open her up... This avoids having the hose in the bucket. That's freakin brilliant man. The only thing that's been stopping me from bulk priming is my paranoia of having the FV open (no lid or cling wrap) for the duration of racking. You've just changed my mind Yob. Sweet [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.