HOW TO CARBONATE YOUR HOME BREW | THE MALT MILLER

[@philzvids3577]

Interesting video. I'm still using old school methods and typically split the beer batch as it leaves the fermenter, with some going into individually primed bottles and the rest going into a batch primed pressure barrel with a CO2 injector. The bottles are for sharing with friends or keeping as an 'archive'. Recently some of my brewing buddies (with more experience than me) have been over carbonating in their kegs and bottling clear, over carbonated beer directly from the keg. This seems like a good idea as they end up with clear beer in the bottle and no yeast sediment.

[@doctorsam1953]

Really enjoyed this video. I’ve been batch priming for bottling and have had some really annoying results. Sometimes I get it right but sometimes I get it wrong. It’s certainly inconsistent. Thinking about returning to Rob’s method of priming individual bottles. Is there a calculator for different styles for bottling conditioning? A friend of mine bought me a digital spoon scale for Christmas which might help!

[@markluxton3402]

The amount of sugar for either method should be the same. I do the batch priming, and disagree with there being more issues. By carefully racking to a priming bucket with sugar dissolved in water already in there, and being careful not to splash adding oxygen, I find this to be far more consistent. If you do not rack first, you will get inconsistent bottling and likely trub in some bottles. Another advantage besides consistency, is that you can use several different sizes of bottles and you don't have to figure out anything; just fill your bottles. IMO even adding the lumps of sugar is inaccurate and inconsistent. The lumps may not be correct for your bottle, and what if some of the lump has worn or broken off? Inconsistent.

[@nevillehood1968]

Great vid fellas. I always now spund near the end of the ferment especially with beer that is dry hopped. This way to me works as you get little biotrans when the hops react with the yeast as they have fermentable sugars in them but also contain the aroma somewhat from leaving the fermenter and carbonating at the same time. A win all round I think. Cheers

[@themaltmiller8438]

Sounds great!

[@gbaspatria]

I know it gets a bad rap, but I've had some really good results from 20 litre pressure barrel topped up with adapted soda stream. Cask type condition, better than bottling. Having said that, the reason Im here is that Ive finally buckled and have just ordered a corny keg system. Cant wait. Thanks for the advice!

[@themaltmiller8438]

Glad to have been of help!

[@pricehedgehog4759]

Really helpful video...do you do a similar one on how to Nitro and C02 a Stout in a keg? Be really helpful as I seem to use loads of Nitro cartridges when I do it and would appreciate a video on that aspect if possible?

[@themaltmiller8438]

Noted

[@davec4955]

I've been fermenting under to produce fully carbonated beer for over 3 years, for me it's a no-brainer if you've got the equipment 🍻🍻

[@themaltmiller8438]

Agreed! We’re love this method!

[@aidandalgliesh7750]

I did bulk priming (referred to here as batch priming) for about 10 years. Never had an issue. You don't have to stir. Rack the beer from your fermenter to a bottling bucket with a sanitised silicon hose set up so that it forms a whirlpool. Gradually add your sugar as a liquid (in my case sterile water and dextrose powder). Mixes perfectly and DOES ensure you have exactly the same amount of sugar in every bottle. Alway got way better results vs sugar dosing or carbonation drops. Way more consistent from bottle to bottle. I pressure ferment and carb kegs using CO2 now, so that's all behind me, thank goodness!

[@themaltmiller8438]

Batch priming does give you that more even distribution of sugar but there are so many risks for oxidising your beer when packaging and this adds method adds another layer of opportunity. As you've mentioned, kegging all the way now.. 😉

[@daveycr0ckett]

I’ve been batch bottle conditioning for years,I always mark the last two bottles as they can be a bit more funky than the rest of the batch,never had any issues,use different amounts of sugar depending on the style

[@markluxton3402]

If doing batch priming, why would any of the bottles be different? The batch should be the same throughout.

[@daveycr0ckett]

@ Priming sugar & yeast settles at the bottom of the bottling bucket so makes the last two bottles a bit ‘livelier’ in my experience

[@markluxton3402]

@@daveycr0ckett That does not make sense to me. If you did a batch priming, you racked to a different bucket and left the trub/yeast/hop debris behind. The sugar dissolved will not settle to the bottom. The entire point to doing a batch priming is consistency and cleaner bottling, IMO. I am not expert though.

[@hadfieldp]

If force carbing what temp do you want the beer to be? Colder is better right?

[@themaltmiller8438]

Yep. Ideally around 4c-6c

[@mbarn]

I could never get bottle priming quite right. I tried Brewfather calculations, measuring sugar on very accurate scales, but I’m unable to store bottles at consistent temperatures. Now I just gas up in a keg and use a Beer Gun.

[@jameskeogh6545]

Hi guys great video. Can i ask if when your force carbonating (shaking) and you say to leave it for a period of time are you disconnecting/turning the gas off for this? Or are you truning it down to serving pressure?

[@themaltmiller8438]

I disconnect the gas so the keg is completely sealed.

[@aussievaliant4949]

Fascinating, subscribed!

[@themaltmiller8438]

Awesome, thank you!

[@SaMo9408]

Great video. I have have bottled in the past using the batch prime method. I am interested whether attaching a spunding valve to the fermzilla would generate enough co2 naturally? From there I would transfer to bottles without adding more sugar. I would be doing a Scottish Export style.

[@themaltmiller8438]

Yes, you will be able naturally carbonate with the use of a spunding valve to control the level. You will find that to get the beer out of the fermenter and maintain the carb level, you will need to push the beer out using an external CO2 source, basically CO2 bottle and regulator

[@chriscaul2114]

In the past I didn't always prime bitters if the brew went well and the bottles always ended up carbonated, but when I did prime I always added the priming sugars direct to the bottle. Just recently I have been trying batch priming because it seems the 'modern' way to go, but as mentioned in the video, I've found it to be a little inconsistent and I have ended up with some over-carbonated beers. So I think I will be going back to the teaspoon method again for my British beers - sometimes the old ways are the best.

[@themaltmiller8438]

I am with you, simple is best for me!

[@samchanning22]

Great vlog as always chaps. When bottling I use a sugar solution to pour into the beer and then one sugar drop to each bottle as I find two is too much but one is not enough. I’ve now moved on to all grain brewing and have bought my first keg and pressure fermenter so looking to give it a go with the Munich hells from TMM 👌Can I ask where you get the big bottles of co2 from rather than using the bulbs or soda stream bottles👍

[@themaltmiller8438]

We have a local pub gas supplier called T&J Installations. Look up pub gas suppliers in your local area, they all differ a little in how they operate

[@clubroot3383]

Great detailed video. Wonder how mainstream pubs dispense perfectly carbonated “cask conditioned real ales” using hand pulls (beer engines), without resorting to pressurised carbonation?

[@themaltmiller8438]

Great question. Arguably cask ale is the simplest to package and the most easy to get wrong, normally at the last hurdle. Beer is placed into the cast before it has fully fermented, this is the skill of the brewer. The cask often has finings and dry hops added before sealing. The last of fermentation happens in the cast and provides the carbonation, or condition as it is also known. Serving cask ale is a skill that needs to be well respected, great cellar skills can add to what the brewer has delivered. Real ale, or cask ale casks are tapped to serve, at this point oxygen is able to enter the cask, this is the massive point of difference between cask and keg. The oxygen contact means that the beer has to be drunk quickly. Very tricky for a quite pub to manage without those cellar skills')

[@clubroot3383]

@@themaltmiller8438 Thanks for the reply. I know how genuinely cask conditioned ales are managed, having had the privilege as a student some 40 years ago in buying a firkin from a local brewery in Reading and enjoying ale directly served from it. There are organisations out there with strong voices protecting cask ales, there are also many pubs claiming to offer cask conditioned ales. How many pubs do what you have described or are customers being misled?

[@Teh509]

30psi then shake works for me. When you re connect it you can hear the gas run in. Do it 2 or 3 times will get you upto 2 volumes from residual. Then use a temp/psi chart, about 15psi at 7c in the fridge and it'll sort itself out over a day or so. Gas in the beer out post just doesn't work the way you are thinking. All the gas will just rush to the headspace as the bubles will be too large. 'Henry's law'

[@andrewscargill4492]

Great video and super informative. Thanks! Quick question though. If I am bottle carbonating with priming sugar but have cold crashed at the end of fermentation, should I be adding bottling yeast too?

[@themaltmiller8438]

There should be enough yeast to do the carbonation for you still. Just keep them at ambient temps, it may take a little longer but it will work

[@Adrian-gw1vc]

Hi there do you stock and sell the little “Mesh baskets” (metal filters ?) for floating dip tubes you show at 13.16 into the video. I searched on your website and couldn’t find them. Might just be me being a bad searcher though !!

[@themaltmiller8438]

Sure! We have this one as a single item www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product/floating-dip-tube-filter-80-mesh-304-stainless-steel/

[@johnwescott4750]

Oh dear, so my method of batch priming in a separate bucket with no lid and no co2 was not a good idea? That explains a lot! I've invested in a cheap bottling wand now so will prime each bottle separately. I just wish I could get my plastic barrels to hold pressure it would make life easier. If you have a video for that I'd be very interested as I don't have the space or the funds for a kegerator and corney kegs.

[@themaltmiller8438]

Hey! This video here is the closest to answer you question - kzbin.info/www/bejne/emKqZn-ZnL-Jq8ksi=tFdWRMWvaip9PCDy We don't stock pressure barrels as in our experience they never maintain pressure fully and over time the seal fail and the beer gets wasted. The "Chubby" in this video does a far better job and for us is the modern version of those style or vessels.

[@robertbailey8012]

Great video and some good carbonation methods to try. I'm looking to carbonate a 12l keg for the weekend and use the 'Shaky Shaky' method. I just had one question do I adjust the pressure depending on beer temperature ie if my keg is already refrigerated do I set the psi to 10-15 and equally if the beer is room temp do I go 25-30? Would force carbonating a chilled keg at 30 psi cause over carbonation? Really don't want to end up with a foaming mess!

[@themaltmiller8438]

If you're using the "Shaky Shaky" method then no need to reduce the PSI, just check after your first round of shaking and then adjust the time you do the second shake for. This way is always about trying your beer through the process. You may find you don't need to shake for as long with less beer in the keg mainly

[@SimonJD1000]

I always allow mine to naturally condition in keg or pressure barrel. Not had problems with 'leaking vessels' or lack of condition. I use the minimum amount of light spray malt as my priming sugar. I've never bottled direct from a fermenter. Am interested in the Duotight bottling gun recently featured as a way to bottle bright beer. Have also just done my first experiment with pressure fermentation, could be a game changer for the right beer style. Quick note about avoiding sediment - I've tried floating pick ups with variable success, if the tube is too long it tangles and the opening ends up above the beer surface. Using the MM branded kegs, the opening at the top is too narrow to fit a float through. I've trimmed the metal dip tube and added a section of beer line with a simple sediment trap which has worked well.

[@themaltmiller8438]

Which TMM kegs are you using? The smaller ones with the screw in lid section?

[@SimonJD1000]

I think so - 12 litre? or is it 10, I can never remember! Nice slim fit, you can get 4 in a larder fridge :) @@themaltmiller8438

[@JordanHexican]

If you pressure ferment and keep the CO2 produced from fermentation, would you set the spunding valve a little higher than what you want the final beer to have in it because once the temperature drops in the fridge the pressure will reduce as it finds it easier to dissolve into solution at lower temps?

[@themaltmiller8438]

Yes you can do that, depends on the situation though a little. If you are transferring to a keg after fermentation then no real need as you can top up the pressure in the keg, if however you are looking to serve from the fermenter then yes you may wish to try this method

[@JordanHexican]

@@themaltmiller8438 I don't have a pressure fermenter personally, just thinking through the science of it...I just keg, set and forget... Maybe kick start it at 30psi then drop it after a couple of days to desired volumes at temperature my fridge is it... Long enough lines and never have an issue... Cheers lads

[@cristigheorghe]

Hah, this video came in just perfectly as I usually get under-carbonated beer (that is still ok to drink). I guess I'm too afraid of bottle bombs to add enough priming sugar. Question though: while bottle carbonating, what is the best temperature to store the bottles? Same as fermentation temperature or lower?

[@RichardE-jk4ru]

I usually store the bottles at about 18 degrees for 2-4 weeks and then move them to somewhere cooler ('cellar cool') for further conditioning until they're ready to drink.

[@themaltmiller8438]

Thanks ^. Just to add I would bottle condition at fermentation temp as different yeast throw different flavours out of their temp range. Different styles require different amounts of time. Heavily hopped IPA's much less and you want to drink fresh for the juiciest flavour/aroma. Big stouts really change over time and it's a great experiment to try at different time intervals.

[@markaylingacoustic]

Great video again, cheers! I am completely with Rob on bottle priming. I've tried both methods, and the only way to get consistent priming is to add sugar to each bottle. A full set of SS measuring spoons is invaluable. When you batch prime, it is impossible to know how much sugar is going into each bottle, and I've had bad results with some being over-primed and others underprimed, despite gently stirring the beer (thankfully no bottle bombs though!). You still get homebrewers saying "priming each bottle is inconsistent, batch priming is much more accurate", it beggars belief!!

[@GraveysBrewery]

I've been brewing for 10 years and to this day I still use carbonation drops in the bottle, although depending on the beverage, I've started experimenting between 1 and 2 drops per 500ml bottle. Case in point, stouts, ESB's and milds I'll just use one drop, and for (some) IPA's, lagers and ciders I'll use 2 drops. As I only brew 6 bottle batches, I find this method much easier than messing about with mini kegs and CO2 canisters or attempting to batch prime and ending up with some bottles carbonated and others not.

[@peejangka]

For the 4th methods questions is how long to do carbonate to reach volume of CO2?

[@themaltmiller8438]

It depends on the style, your pressure and the temperature of the beer. Check out the link to the morebeer article for details

[@ferko6]

Can you carbonate your beer by adding a bit of honey or molasses to each bottle instead of plain sugar before you bottle it?

[@themaltmiller8438]

Yes you can, it will empty flavour though so that’s a consideration for the style you’re making. Also dosing into bottles accurately could be a sticky issue with honey. 🍯

[@aledmurphy358]

Dosing each bottle with the right amount of sugar/sugar solution is best. Batch dosing is a bit fraught...you can't take it out again and that's a whole brew at risk.

[@Pocketpatriot]

I'm now really confused, I'm new to brewing and my last brew of lager was really under carbonated, I added a carbonation tab to each 500ml bottle. Tomorrow I'm bottling another batch (my 2nd lager brew) and I was going to batch prime but now I don't know what to do, can anyone please help with exact grams of sugar needed per 330ml and 500ml bottles and please don't type "it depends on your recipe" I actually really do need help with this. Cheers

[@themaltmiller8438]

Hey! When I used to bottle condition I would add one teaspoon to each bottle. Generally this worked for me. The trick is leaving it long enough to fully carbonate up, warm room for a couple of weeks. 18-20c. The carbonation drops are in many cases meant to be dosed at 2 per 750ml… not that most of us use 750ml bottles! Perhaps weigh a teaspoon of sugar and see what the difference is to one of the carbonation drops

[@Pocketpatriot]

@@themaltmiller8438 thank you for the advice,i will be bottling today so fingers crossed

[@devilmaycare2809]

The only thing with forced carbonation is that if one of the seals is not seated properly you can come back the following day and find you have a empty co2 cylinder. Make sure you test the seals before you leave the carbonation to do it's work.

[@themaltmiller8438]

Great watch out!!

[@JPch108]

muito bom Portugal

[@paddingtonblair679]

Great video guys, lots of really good information but its too much. break it down into a series with the practical demonstrations (you are usually so good at it), show the results from each method , explain the pros, cons and variations. I have watched all your videos and will continue too however you can cover this topic far better. Please do

[@themaltmiller8438]

Hey! We've covered some of the methods in other videos before (such as bottle conditioning) but we can do more, I'm sure! The schedule is pretty full for the next little while but we can see what we can cover and when a bit down the line! Thanks for the comment and glad you're enjoying the channel!

[@hetspook666]

been adding a (dissolved in boiling water) sugar solution to the whole batch for the last 15 years, won prises with my beer. you gently stear it in so not much extra oxygen will be added. i have never had a beer bottle exploding. at 04:25 you guys fill that plastic bottle to the top... don't! you wont get good carbonation if any at all, the space that filler tube takes is exactly enough headspace.

[@themaltmiller8438]

Hey! Yes, this does appear as though we have filled to the brim, the reason for this is that with PET bottles we actually squeeze the excess air out form the neck and cap, leaving the bottle looking slightly squashed - as the re-fermentation takes place the bottle expands again, indicating that the re-fermentation has worked. Many folks will have had great success with batch priming however, as with many things in homebrewing there are different or preferred methods for every brewer.

[@hetspook666]

that's not a bad idea, I'm using glass so it's not possible but I can use 1 or 2 old 30cl cola bottles for testing. ​@@themaltmiller8438

[@AnalogueInTheUK]

Fermenting in a keg is fine if: Your beer is reasonably clear before transfer You use a high flocc yeast such as Notts, M42, BRY97

[@peterscandlyn]

About the 10 minute mark....hazy beer = lazy beer. Any fool can make a hazy beer. It takes skill to make a clear beer. Wake up people. Fermzilla batch priming via the hop-bong works for me, FWIW.