Anybody willing to share their experience when bottle priming the Innkeeper kit from NB or other types of British Bitters? The priming calculator from TastyBrew.com recommends 0.4 oz of corn sugar for a 5 gallon batch. This freaks me out because I am used to using 3-5 oz with previous batches I have made. This beer is a fairly malty session beer.
Priming the Innkeeper
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Shake
Active Member
I just looked at the inn keeper spec sheet and it calls for 2/3 cup. I used that amount with my tap a draft system and definatly over carbed.
British Bitters styles require 0.8-1.3 volumes of CO2, which is pretty dang low. I got 1.4 oz of corn sugar when using the 1.3 value. What temp do we use. The highest temp it reached during fermentation. I like to start my beer at the cool end of the optimum yeast temp and then warm it to 70 or so the last few days. Do I use the 64 degree temp or 70 for the calculator?
Have you ever had a commercial English Bitter? If so, then why are you freaked out? They're not that carbed...well, when carbing to style, this is how you achieve that. Less sugar, means less farting by the yeast of co2...Nothing to worry about. Carbing to style is fun....What do you think's going to happen, other than having a lightly, and correctly carbed beer.
I guess what I was worried about was having a super flat beer. I have not had a bitter in quite some time. I know British ales tend to be less carbonated. It just seemed to be such a drastic difference than my other brews. I'll go with it. Do I use the highest temp acheived during active fermentation (64 degrees) or what its sitting at now (70degrees).
cervezarara
Well-Known Member
Use the higher temperature. This is for correcting for how much residual CO2 is idissolved in the beer before priming. Since it is sitting at 70F, that is the temp that
will determine how much CO2 will have been off gased.
Cheers.
will determine how much CO2 will have been off gased.
Cheers.
Well...I don't know how this is gunna sound,but here goes. I was working on improving a can kit for a more traditional English pale ale. While it did come out a beautiful amber color,the hop additions (so far),combined with the amount of priming sugar,are making it more like the Salvator Doppel Bock. Very close. So the two styles must be closely related,just different interpretations. Only when I pour the first will I know for sure.
I have done 2 best bitters. The first was WAY too carbonated for a bitter. The second I used about 0.3-0.4 oz corn sugar in 5 gallons. It is RELATIVELY "flat". By that I mean it is carbonated like the cask best bitters I have had.
Bitters should seem "flat" to those of us used to American beers. And they should be served warmer than we are used to.
Bitters should seem "flat" to those of us used to American beers. And they should be served warmer than we are used to.
3.2 oz of sugar is WAY too much for a bitter.
In all honesty if you are trying to emulate a real bitter, it should be less than an ounce of priming sugar. The bottled bitters we get in the states are far too carbonated. The companies make them this way because, apparently, that is what we want. But it is certainly not authentic.
I guess it depends what you are going for.
In all honesty if you are trying to emulate a real bitter, it should be less than an ounce of priming sugar. The bottled bitters we get in the states are far too carbonated. The companies make them this way because, apparently, that is what we want. But it is certainly not authentic.
I guess it depends what you are going for.
+1 on the temps. A coworker of mine who had been to 'nam wound up in England. He strolled into a pub,& ordered a beer. It was "piss warm" as he described it. He asked if they had any cold,& the bartender gave him an ice cube,saying "don't ask for another".
so you're right there. They serve brews at a cool basement kind of temp that we aren't used to. But I've noticed that you do get more of the aroma/flavor of the brew that way. Just around 50F to me.
so you're right there. They serve brews at a cool basement kind of temp that we aren't used to. But I've noticed that you do get more of the aroma/flavor of the brew that way. Just around 50F to me.
ayoungrad
i hear ya. thats what i seem to be reading everywhere. just nervous cuz thats way less than i ever used in other batches (however sum of them finished a little to carbed, no gushers or bombs) but hadda pour gently. norther brewer(where i got the kit) calls for 2/3 cup corn sugar. this is only batch #14 for me. all others have been brewers best kits which call for and provide 5oz corn sugar for priming. 10 days in primary and my hydrom says (temp corrected) that my G is 1.004. best ferment ive had so far. pitched a nice starter. only had a lag time of 3 hours ( a personal best)
tasted beer today. its great. im afraid of blowing it in the home strectch by way under/ or over carbing. not so concerned about sticking to style exactly. just wanna share with my coors light/ yuengling/ miller lite drinking friends and try to enlighten them that theres more to beer
i hear ya. thats what i seem to be reading everywhere. just nervous cuz thats way less than i ever used in other batches (however sum of them finished a little to carbed, no gushers or bombs) but hadda pour gently. norther brewer(where i got the kit) calls for 2/3 cup corn sugar. this is only batch #14 for me. all others have been brewers best kits which call for and provide 5oz corn sugar for priming. 10 days in primary and my hydrom says (temp corrected) that my G is 1.004. best ferment ive had so far. pitched a nice starter. only had a lag time of 3 hours ( a personal best)
tasted beer today. its great. im afraid of blowing it in the home strectch by way under/ or over carbing. not so concerned about sticking to style exactly. just wanna share with my coors light/ yuengling/ miller lite drinking friends and try to enlighten them that theres more to beer
Draught English bitters are carbed to very low levels, and served warm (by American standards - about 55 - 57F).
Bottled versions are carbed to about 2.0 volumes CO2, and have a very different character than the draught versions.
-a.
Bottled versions are carbed to about 2.0 volumes CO2, and have a very different character than the draught versions.
-a.
So after 3 weeks in the primary and 3 weeks conditioning in the bottle, my beer is finally ready for consumption. I ended up using a little over 2 oz of corn sugar. it is very lightly carbed and is definately a guzzler with a nice malty backbone. I do notice a sharpness or slight saltiness to it. Is this normal for a British Bitter? I used bottled spring water from the store and have used 5.2 Buffer in my first couple all grain batches (going to try without next time). I have not noticed any of this taste with my other all grain batches, which were the Patersbier and Bender. Is this a 5.2 Buffer issue or is it a characteristic of a Bitter?
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