[CounterPressure]

I started thinking about using carbo drops instead of bulk priming. I weighed a handful of them on my powder scale, which will go down to 1/1000th of an ounce. I found the nominal mass to be 3.5 grams, or 1.75 grams for a carbo drop cut in half with my Walmart pill cutter.

5 gallons of beer uses 0.8 ounces of priming sugar per gallon, which is 22.6 grams per gallon. Twelve ounces is 0.09375 gallons. 22.6 grams x .09375 gallons is approx 2.12 drops (approx 7.5 grams) per longneck. The blurb on the back of mr. beer/Cooper's carbo drops indicates that one drop is to be used for a 12-ouncer. Who's correct? Me and my elementary school math skills? Or Cooper's-- the guys who make both malt extract and carbo drops?

Just for fun, I calculated that four ounces (113.4 grams) of priming sugar can be replaced with 32.4 carbo drops. Use 32.5 or 33; it's up to you...

I bought some a while back and put one each into 12 oz bottles of Porter. Now I only did a few because I had a little beer left over after putting the rest in kegs, so this was no large scale experiment. But I found them way undercarbed, so my experience mimics your math.


If I was priming an entire batch there is no way I would use them. I would just use the sugar I already have figured out.

[Megary]

I started thinking about using carbo drops instead of bulk priming. I weighed a handful of them on my powder scale, which will go down to 1/1000th of an ounce. I found the nominal mass to be 3.5 grams, or 1.75 grams for a carbo drop cut in half with my Walmart pill cutter.

5 gallons of beer uses 0.8 ounces of priming sugar per gallon, which is 22.6 grams per gallon. Twelve ounces is 0.09375 gallons. 22.6 grams x .09375 gallons is approx 2.12 drops (approx 7.5 grams) per longneck. The blurb on the back of mr. beer/Cooper's carbo drops indicates that one drop is to be used for a 12-ouncer. Who's correct? Me and my elementary school math skills? Or Cooper's-- the guys who make both malt extract and carbo drops?

Just for fun, I calculated that four ounces (113.4 grams) of priming sugar can be replaced with 32.4 carbo drops. Use 32.5 or 33; it's up to you...

I bought some a while back and put one each into 12 oz bottles of Porter. Now I only did a few because I had a little beer left over after putting the rest in kegs, so this was no large scale experiment. But I found them way undercarbed, so my experience mimics your math.


If I was priming an entire batch there is no way I would use them. I would just use the sugar I already have figured out.

Interesting.  I’ve used them quite often and never noticed any that were so obviously under carbonated. 

The simplicity of dropping one in per bottle and then bottling right from the fermenter tap with a short piece of hose makes this the only way I’ll ever go through the bottling process.  A case of beer packaged in 10 minutes with nothing but the piece of hose to clean, or just throw away.

[CounterPressure]

Mine are Coopers diy beer from AU. I just weighed three of them at 3.483, 3.338 and 3.370 G each. That's actually a little more variation than I would have expected. Looks like about maybe 4% so not meaningful to the brewing process, I just expected them to be closer.

I like the simplicity idea, but I would prefer more resolution if I was going to do that on a regular basis. Meaning, it's easier to raise or lower the carbonation level with measured out sugar than it is cutting up pieces of the pills. I also wonder what is all the vehicle that they are using to carry that sugar? The physical volume is far greater than what you would have if you measured out sugar and added it to the bottling bucket. So what else is in there?

[nvshooter2276]

I also wonder what is all the vehicle that they are using to carry that sugar? The physical volume is far greater than what you would have if you measured out sugar and added it to the bottling bucket. So what else is in there?

The back of the bag tells what's in the drops. Indicates the ingredients are "Sugar, Glucose (Wheat)." There's also information about the energy in the drops, the saturated fats, the carbohydrates and the sodium. None of that means a dam-ned thing to me. I just want a simpler way to carb my beer.

Now I'm thinking about dissolving a sufficient number of drops in warm water and using that to prime. Probably an avenue for infection, so maybe not...

[CounterPressure]

I would either just toss them in the bottles or simply use sugar for priming. This seems like a lot of fuss for not much gain.

[nvshooter2276]

I would either just toss them in the bottles or simply use sugar for priming. This seems like a lot of fuss for not much gain.

I wrote that I was thinking about dissolving carbo drops into water for priming. Never said I'd do it. I've been a trucker for over thirty years. I know everything there is to know about huge amounts of fuss for little to zero gain...