British Bitter Priming Instructions - Way Off?

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oljimmy

oljimmy

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I'm using Northern Brewer's British Bitter Kit, and the instructions call for 2/3 cup of dextrose to prime 5 gallons. That sounded like a lot to me. So I put the style of beer into their own priming sugar calculator it tells you to use 1/4 cup... how can the instructions be overshooting by 267%?

Are they just assuming most North Americans won't like the lower-carbed Bitter style and compensating? Or is it just laziness in not adjusting the kit instructions to the style?

EDIT: I will be priming by weight, I was just comparing the instructions to the calculator.
 
The priming sugar calculator assumes 1.5 volumes CO2. While this may be reasonable for a draught beer, it is totally inadequate for a bottled beer. For bottling, I would aim for a minimum of 2.2 volumes CO2, but if you keg, I get good results with no priming sugar or forced carbonation at all.

-a.
 
Thanks ajf, I assume you are familiar with the style and will follow your instructions. I am going to shoot for 2.2, as I actually like the low-carb style. That's still half a cup as opposed to 2/3rds, but it's not quite so far off.
 
I generally use less priming sugar than 4.5 oz for 5 gallons. I normally use 0.75 oz for stouts and porters, and on my last ESB, I used 0.85 oz per gallon, as I like my lighter style beers a bit more "fizzy" to make up for the mouth feel that the ESB's and such don't have.
 
oljimmy said:
I'm using Northern Brewer's British Bitter Kit, and the instructions call for 2/3 cup of dextrose to prime 5 gallons. That sounded like a lot to me. So I put the style of beer into their own priming sugar calculator it tells you to use 1/4 cup... how can the instructions be overshooting by 267%?

Are they just assuming most North Americans won't like the lower-carbed Bitter style and compensating? Or is it just laziness in not adjusting the kit instructions to the style?

EDIT: I will be priming by weight, I was just comparing the instructions to the calculator.
Click to expand...

Northern Brewers calculator uses 3.5 oz of corn sugar per cup. Two-thirds cup would be 2.32 ounces.

There is carbing to style and carbing to American preference. 1.5 is carbing to style, 1.74 ounces of corn sugar in five gallons. Most Americans do not care for carbing to style when the CO2 volume is very low.

Nor do most Americans care for carbing to style when the style CO2 volume is very high.
 
If your making an English bitter (even bottled) do not over carb, those recipes were designed to be low carb. You get a bigger flavour and mouthfeel in a bitter when it's got low carbonation, too high and your'll lose a lot of the quality a bitter has. Also drink it cool and not cold about 16C is the right temp.

Trust me I'm British and have drunken a lot of bitter.
 
Queequeg said:
If your making an English bitter (even bottled) do not over carb, those recipes were designed to be low carb. You get a bigger flavour and mouthfeel in a bitter when it's got low carbonation, too high and your'll lose a lot of the quality a bitter has. Also drink it cool and not cold about 16C is the right temp.

Trust me I'm British and have drunken a lot of bitter.
Click to expand...

16°C is 61°F. That's tepid lake water. I wouldn't drink a beer over 12°C.
 
oljimmy said:
Thanks ajf, I assume you are familiar with the style and will follow your instructions. I am going to shoot for 2.2, as I actually like the low-carb style. That's still half a cup as opposed to 2/3rds, but it's not quite so far off.
Click to expand...

Ye, I am very familiar with the style. It's been my go-to beer for over 50 years.

flars said:
Northern Brewers calculator uses 3.5 oz of corn sugar per cup. Two-thirds cup would be 2.32 ounces.

There is carbing to style and carbing to American preference. 1.5 is carbing to style, 1.74 ounces of corn sugar in five gallons. Most Americans do not care for carbing to style when the CO2 volume is very low.

Nor do most Americans care for carbing to style when the style CO2 volume is very high.
Click to expand...

Actually, NB uses ~7 oz corn sugar per cup.

I'm also not sure that most Americans don't care for low carbed beer, judging by the number of Americans that have tried my Bitters, and then came back for more.

-a.
 
Since its going this way.. Most Americans drink Light commercial lagers that are not only highly carbed but also drink em near the point of freezing so.. Depends on who is drinking your beer. I have only myself to please so I carb everything to my specs!
 
flars said:
16°C is 61°F. That's tepid lake water. I wouldn't drink a beer over 12°C.
Click to expand...

LOL

I wouldn't drink american beers over that temp. An APA or IAPA or even you brown ales and stouts taste better cold. Normally because they are more highly hopped.

But English styles arn't as highly flavoured and generally taste better warmer. Hell I drink English stouts at about 19C, you get the full chewy flavour of the roasted malts
 
flars said:
Northern Brewers calculator uses 3.5 oz of corn sugar per cup. Two-thirds cup would be 2.32 ounces.

There is carbing to style and carbing to American preference. 1.5 is carbing to style, 1.74 ounces of corn sugar in five gallons. Most Americans do not care for carbing to style when the CO2 volume is very low.

Nor do most Americans care for carbing to style when the style CO2 volume is very high.
Click to expand...
hi Flars, technically this is mistaken, it's definitely ~7 oz per cup.
 
oljimmy said:
hi Flars, technically this is mistaken, it's definitely ~7 oz per cup.
Click to expand...

You don't have to put it so nicely. This matches my other greatest brewing boo-boo.
I use Muntons Extra Light. On my scale one cup weighs 5.9 ounces. I spoon fill not scoop. Scale could be off or scooping may pack the DME a bit more.
 

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