Priming for Wheat beer

invaderzimirl

just a question, I'm about 3 weeks away from bottling my first wheat beer.

i have been doing some reading that says i should prime the bottles with more then what i would for a normal beer IPA (my first) for example, i have added 1 Carbonation drop to most of the bottles but tried 2 in some to get a reference point.

what is the best and most common way to prime a wheat beer should i buy Carb drops or use sugar (if so which type) and more importantly how much?
using 500ml coopers screw cap bottles (before you ask)


Now it must be said i think i made a slight mistake on this brew, i took a coopers kit (threw away the instructions first of all :-) ) and made it from the kit and 1 Kg of wheat malt extract.

i was expecting the original gravity to be higher but it was only 1.041 so after i added the yeast i did some net research and i read i prob should have added 1.5Kg or wheat malt extract, which would have raised the original gravity and final ABV (but this is not a major concern as its my first just for completeness im giving details)

thanks for any advice on this

KAGY

invaderzimirl wrote: »

just a question, I'm about 3 weeks away from bottling my first wheat beer.

i have been doing some reading that says i should prime the bottles with more then what i would for a normal beer IPA (my first) for example, i have added 1 Carbonation drop to most of the bottles but tried 2 in some to get a reference point.

what is the best and most common way to prime a wheat beer should i buy Carb drops or use sugar (if so which type) and more importantly how much?
using 500ml coopers screw cap bottles (before you ask)


Now it must be said i think i made a slight mistake on this brew, i took a coopers kit (threw away the instructions first of all :-) ) and made it from the kit and 1 Kg of wheat malt extract.

i was expecting the original gravity to be higher but it was only 1.041 so after i added the yeast i did some net research and i read i prob should have added 1.5Kg or wheat malt extract, which would have raised the original gravity and final ABV (but this is not a major concern as its my first just for completeness im giving details)

thanks for any advice on this

Wheat beers are meant to be fizzy so you'd be looking at 5-6g of sucrose (table sugar) maybe up to 7 of dextrose (brewing sugar) per bottle, if you're using malt extract even more still . Btw that's twice the amount of a pale ale. you can use any sugars, the thread on turbo cider recommend Apple juice! I haven't used drops since I used up those in the kit. I just use a medicine spoon and a small funnel. It's not perfectly consistent but works.

Check your hydrometer in room temp water. Mine was off by 5 points. Your reading might also be lower because the batch wasn't fully mixed especially that little bit in the tap, or there was bubbkes on the hydrometer - I push it down and tap it off the bottom of the trial jar before taking a reading

invaderzimirl

Thanks man, ill try that prob the sugar/funnel will be best for me too. I don't know about adding apple juice to a wheat beer would that mess with the flavours?
With some im going to attempt a frulii clone.
Ill post results when I get to that stage.

KAGY

invaderzimirl wrote: »

Thanks man, ill try that prob the sugar/funnel will be best for me too. I don't know about adding apple juice to a wheat beer would that mess with the flavours?
With some im going to attempt a frulii clone.
Ill post results when I get to that stage.

No, the Apple juice was to prime the cider :-)
I'm still a relative noob too, and not a fussy one at that, so the sugar and funnel works for me. I used to make a sugar solution with boiling water to sterilise the sugar and "inject" it in to the bottles with a neuerofen syringe but have nt bothered with the last few kits with no bad effects. Many others suggest racking the beer into another bucket with all the priming sugar in to be more consistent and to reduce the sediment in the bottle