Priming sugar provides food for yeast to ferment inside each of your bottles. This second fermentation traps carbon dioxide in, and carbonates your beer. Carbonation is an important aspect of beer. It changes the flavor, mouthfeel, and aroma of your beer. Please be careful not to overcarbonate your beer by bottling too early, or by adding too much priming sugar.

To prime your beer, first add your sugar to your bottling bucket. We recommend using ¾ cup corn sugar for each 5 gallon batch. You can use other sugars as well. For table sugar, use 2/3 cup. 1 cup of honey will work well. 1 ¼ cup of either dried malt extract or maple syrup will also carbonate your beer. Siphon your fully fermented beer on top of whichever priming sugar you choose. This will ensure that the sugar is well mixed. Avoid transferring a lot of yeast into the bottling bucket to keep your beer clear. Cover your bottling bucket, and attach your siphon hose to your spigot. Now you're ready to bottle!

If you have any questions about adding priming sugar to your beer, please feel free to call us at 1-800-450-9535, or e-mail us at outpost@homebrewers.com