my chief complaint

So everyone that tries my beers has the same general comment. "tastes great but its a little flat".

i have been using The Beer Recipator - Carbonation

i am about to bottle a porter today and wanted to double check the number i get from running that calc.

It says to add 5oz of corn sugar. i desperately do not want another lightly carbonated beer, But on the other hand i do not want exploding bottles.

So given my less than stellar results with this carbonation calc, should i add 6-7oz?

Thanks for the help! And if anyone would like to refer me to a better way of determining priming sugar or techniques (i just dump the sugar in and lightly mix), then please share with me!

I've used 5oz by weight on all of my 5 gallon batches and haven't had any carbonation issues. How long have they been bottled? I give mine at least 3 weeks in the bottle before opening.

i normally allow them to bottle condition for ~2 weeks, then there are ones that will sit for a month or so before i get to refrigerate/drinking (i have really noticed a difference in flavor maturity so i try my very best not to drink them right away)

but i think im leaning toward at least 6oz of priming sugar this time... i dont want another of my friends referring to my beer as "flat" or "English style". 70 min till they are sanitized in the dishwasher - wish me luck, will post exploded bottle photos if it comes to that

Are you capping or using grolsch style bottles? If capping, are you using twist off bottles? Over time, grolsch seals and twist offs can leak. So that may be an issue you're dealing with.

Also, most calculators factor in "residual CO2" or what is still dissolved in solution after fermentation is done. If your beer has warmed up a lot after fermentation is done or you've not been gentle in your siphoning, you may have driven off a good portion of the residual CO2. So you might want to kick up the sugar a bit if you think this is happening.

Finally, it's possible that you and your friends are used to higher carbonation in your beers than the styles you're making. Some beers are meant to be "flat" in comparison to others. Excessive carbonation adds to the bitterness and bite of a beer and maltier beers will not be balanced if too carbonated.

Cheers

Just curious, but what style of beer are your friends saying is too flat? Also, what kind of beer are they comparing yours to? BMC is carbed quite a bit, and if that's what their used to, or expect all beers to be like, they'll think that a properly carbed beer of a different style is flat, even though it isn't.

Get a few of your bottles up to 80F for a few days and see if that makes a difference. It's possible that your yeast isn't finishing.

i use bottles and a Red Baron Bottle Capper. I dont think the styles that i normally drink are excessively carbonated. I like IPA's, pale ales, brown ales, ESB's and the occasional lager. Ive brewed a pale ale, IPA, bohemian lager and now the porter is ready for bottles. i hope to knock this one out of the park (its my first AG).

my temp remains constant (room temp ~70F) from conditioning to bottling/storage until i refrigerate and drink.

Would head space in the bottle have a large effect? i generally eye it and try to do it like the commercial beers i drink. Its probably about a inch of head space...

Devantf said:

And if anyone would like to refer me to a better way of determining priming sugar or techniques (i just dump the sugar in and lightly mix), then please share with me!

Click to expand...

5 oz should be plenty (5 gal batch, right?) If you're not boiling that sugar in a couple cups of water prior to adding it to your bottling bucket I'd think your carbonation might be uneven bottle to bottle. If you do add more sugar I'd go easy. A couple tablespoon could make a pretty big difference.

sounds like your friends are all used to the hugely carbonated bmc's that they probably have had forever... Your doing it right i'm sure.

best thing for me about kegging is getting the carbonation exactly how I want it. I had the most difficult time trying to bottle condition beers. I had a Wit that didn't carbonate in 2 months so I kept it over the winter and it is very carbonated now, maybe a bit too much. I tried raising the temperatures, swirling the bottles, etc., but nothing seemed to speed up the process for me.

Not a solution, but you're not alone. Getting the carbonation right is tricky. The best solution is brew a lot so waiting for the beer to be near the desired carbonation isn't much of an issue.

Your scale could be off a bit, too - I found that out with the little cheapie I bought at the LHBS. I checked it when I had similar carbonation problems and found that it says I have an ounce when I really have about 7/8s - and the more I measure the more correction I have to account for. Every measured ounce loses about 1/8 oz, so my 5 ounces of priming sugar was actually about 4 1/3 oz. The next batch I used 6 ounces per the scale (it was really just over 5) and had much better carbonation results.

are you using a bottling bucket and wand?

Make sure to chill your beers for at least 24-48 hours before serving, especially just a couple of weeks after bottling. That will allow the CO2 to dissolve better into the beer, instead of coming out quickly in the crack of the top and the pour.

Not sure that it'll solve your problem, but it might help...

Devantf said:

i use bottles and a Red Baron Bottle Capper. I dont think the styles that i normally drink are excessively carbonated. I like IPA's, pale ales, brown ales, ESB's and the occasional lager. Ive brewed a pale ale, IPA, bohemian lager and now the porter is ready for bottles. i hope to knock this one out of the park (its my first AG).

my temp remains constant (room temp ~70F) from conditioning to bottling/storage until i refrigerate and drink.

Would head space in the bottle have a large effect? i generally eye it and try to do it like the commercial beers i drink. Its probably about a inch of head space...

Click to expand...

How are filling your bottles. A bottling wand will give the correct head space. Fill with bottling wand until the beer is @ the top of the bottle. When you remove the wand from the bottle viloa, perfect head space.

Devantf said:

So everyone that tries my beers has the same general comment. "tastes great but its a little flat".

Click to expand...

I agree with others that some of these people may just be used to BMC fizzy water. Most of the people that I've introduced to craft beer complain that it's too warm and a little flat too... I typically use 3oz/5 gallon batch and end up with acceptable carbonation.

Do you think that your beer is a little flat? If not, keep on doing what you're doing and advocate craft/home brewed beer and explain the differences between good beer and fizzy BMC :cross:

I think homebrew is always more highly carbonated than BMC. So, if your friends are BMC drinkers and they think your brew is a little flat, they are probably right.

5 oz. is more that enough. I go 3/4 cup always, and I get excessive foam in most beers. Anything over 7 ABV will be less carbed, but totally acceptable (no one would say my beers are under carbed). High ABV beers always take at least two weeks to carb. Sometimes more. I had a stout that didn't carb for a month (I used DME that one).

Make sure you are not getting any oils of any kind in your beer. Nuts of any kind might cause problems.

Make sure your glasses are clean. Makeup smudges or generally dirty glasses are a problem. I have heard of glasses with some soap scum left on them killing the head.

Try shaking some bottles up, letting them sit for a day, then chill and drink. That worked for me once.

I would NOT go over 5 oz. Check your weight... this should be a little more than 3/4 cup.

If you can, wash your bottles in the dishwasher with NO soap. If you dishwasher has a high-temp scrub mode, use it. Soap left in the bottles will be a problem.

I don't agree with homebrew always being more or less carbonated than BMC. Carbonation, with the right calculations and amount of sugar, is completely in control of the homebrewer. I carbonate all of my beers to style, bottle conditioned, with corn sugar. I use Beersmith and a decent scale.

Couple of points made here that should be summed up.

1.) First and foremost make sure your beer is done fermenting. Obvious I guess but crucial.

2.) Make sure your measurements are accurate, especially volume of the beer in your bottling bucket and check your scale. Find an accurate gallon container and make your own graduations on the bucket. The marks that come with the bucket are way off.

3.)+1 on refrigerating your beer a few days, a week even better, before opening it. The amount of CO2 that can dissolve in the beer varies greatly with temperature. It takes a couple days minimum for the gas in the headspace to dissolve into your beer, so even if you throw the 75F bottle in the freezer and get it down to 40F, most of the gas will come out when you crack it.

4.)+1 on checking your capper.

5.)DOUBLE CHECK YOUR MEASUREMENTS AGAIN!!! I had problems with my first two batches because of bad gallon graduations on my buckets and bad measuring cups.