Mr Beer - Read all about it and ask questions

dmoore714---completely on the same page with you at the moment. I just cracked my first wcpa (1st batch ever) and it tasted cidery and like said grandmothers may be discussing g-children while knitting. I only cracked the first 1L bottle early (letting it sit in cold garage for 4 days) because i wanted to test the waters (or beer) on where the batch was at...but it was beer.

I have 1 other at about a week conditioning in the G-rage, and the other 6 soldiers waiting in warm conditions. Time should prove to taste.

I also do have my second batch waiting in the fermenter now (irish stout), so I hope that turns out well...

Also, just purchased the MB Imperial Pilsner from their seasonals and plan to add additional centennial hops...suggestions?

--Patience is a virtue--

bpgreen said:

In my opinion the best sugar to use is plain white sugar. The purpose of adding sugar at bottling is to give the yeast something to eat and convert to CO2. If you want to add flavor, body etc, the time for that is when you're making he wort in the first place.

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cool thanks!

Helm said:

dmoore714---completely on the same page with you at the moment. I just cracked my first wcpa (1st batch ever) and it tasted cidery and like said grandmothers may be discussing g-children while knitting. I only cracked the first 1L bottle early (letting it sit in cold garage for 4 days) because i wanted to test the waters (or beer) on where the batch was at...but it was beer.

I have 1 other at about a week conditioning in the G-rage, and the other 6 soldiers waiting in warm conditions. Time should prove to taste.

I also do have my second batch waiting in the fermenter now (irish stout), so I hope that turns out well...

Also, just purchased the MB Imperial Pilsner from their seasonals and plan to add additional centennial hops...suggestions?

--Patience is a virtue--

Click to expand...

Helm, IMO, a beer should never taste cidery, and even though aging may make it more palatable, something went wrong with that brew. Probably temps, maybe something else.

RE the seasonal. I'd suggest doing it as is unless you really know adding the Centennial hops is a good addition.

Good luck with your Stout. Let us know how it is.

Justibone said:

Cinnamon was an interesting decision. It's a strange flavor for a beer sometimes, though, so it was definitely a risk. The carbonation will improve the aroma, but I'm afraid with only a single can of malt it will always taste a bit thin. You can either use less water next time, or more malt, but if you follow the MrB recipes to the letter the beer is not what you would normally expect from craft beer.

I've bottled with brown sugar, and liked the result, so maple sounds kind of interesting. If you think brown sugar sounds too sweet, it's not -- it leaves a kind of caramelly, toasty flavor that's hard to describe. If the beer is too thin for your taste, though, leave out the booster (that dries the beer out -- the opposite of malty) and add more extract. All sugars that are not malt dry the beer out, except for lactose (milk sugar), which is unfermentable and does taste sweet.

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Thanks for the tips. I will defintiely never do another batch of MrB with only one can of HME again. The result is just disappointing. The clarity of this one was much better in the bottle. It clouded up when I poured. This one has not been in the fridge yet though. Maybe that will help.

The cinnamon was a last minute thought. Its one of the spices suggested in the MrB book that came with the kit. If I ever do cinnamon again I will use less... maybe steep some whole sticks of it in the wort instead.

I did use brown sugar in this batch, again as suggested by MrB. It wasn't very noticeable though. Maybe some molasses would have been better. Also would have helped with the color.

My current batch - the bullseye beer - has 2 cans of HME in it, plus some special yeast (and more of it) than the recipe called for. The next batch will be based off the maple wheat, but without the maple. I might do a cherry wheat instead.

The best way to do fruit in a beer is to do a secondary, which is clearly not practical with MrB. The second best way is with artificial flavoring (I've used lemonade packets to make a shandy), but color is an issue. The third best way is to put the fruit in a steeping bag, and after the major part of primary fermenation is over (about a week), steep the fruit in the beer for about a week (of course the fruit should be sterilized first - either by soaking in metabisulfite or by boiling... I don't know how boiled cherries taste).

So, fruit beer is not necessarily as straightforward as one would thing. If you want to add a flavor that schnapps comes in, well, that's pretty danged easy, as you can well imagine.

Hi, I just joined the forums. I had a question about home brewing. Well it's more of a dilemma I suppose.

I have done 3 home brews using Mr. Beer kits.
1st- Scottish Wee Heavy which turned out pretty good for the first home brew effort. My buddies and I enjoyed it and it came out ok.
2nd oatmeal stout- came out way too heady. When I popped it, it overflowed like it was shaken up and when I poured it, the head was over1/2 the pint glass. Taste was ok though.
3rd pumpkin ale- same problem with the head.

Question... What might be causing the excess headiness?

My next beer is going to be a coffee beer, and I wanted to try to fix this issue.
Thanks,
Jig

Ps- you cam pm me if you don't want to clog the boards. Thanks

dmoore714 said:

Thanks for the tips. I will defintiely never do another batch of MrB with only one can of HME again. The result is just disappointing. The clarity of this one was much better in the bottle. It clouded up when I poured. This one has not been in the fridge yet though. Maybe that will help.

The cinnamon was a last minute thought. Its one of the spices suggested in the MrB book that came with the kit. If I ever do cinnamon again I will use less... maybe steep some whole sticks of it in the wort instead.

I did use brown sugar in this batch, again as suggested by MrB. It wasn't very noticeable though. Maybe some molasses would have been better. Also would have helped with the color.

My current batch - the bullseye beer - has 2 cans of HME in it, plus some special yeast (and more of it) than the recipe called for. The next batch will be based off the maple wheat, but without the maple. I might do a cherry wheat instead.

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If you don't have a second keg to ferment in you can still make a cherry wheat. Here is what you do:
Ferment the malts normally and after 5-7 days sterilize a blender, pour in the can of cherries and puree it. Then open the keg, pour in slowly and close the lid. Prop a cd case or two under the front of the keg to help stuff settle away from the spigot. Let it go for 2 more weeks then cold crash the keg for 3-5 days then bottle as normal.

Question about a recipe modification I have thought out...
Looking to brew the Junkyard Dog IPA from Mr. Beer.
-----
Junk Yard Dog IPA
MAKES APPROX. 2 GALLONS OF BEER IN ABOUT 3 WEEKS TIME.
Suggested lager time is 2 to 3 months.

Beware the junk yard dog, he may sneak up and bite you when you're not looking. Like the mongrel that bears its name, the junk yard has some of everything thrown in. But given patience and time, this junk yard will ultimately reveal to you the treasure of its taste.

RECIPE INCLUDES:
1 Can Englishman's Nut-Brown Ale
1 Can Pale Export UME
1 Pouch Booster™
1 Packet Dry Brewing Yeast (under lid of beer mix)
1 Packet Northern Brewer Pellet Hops
1 Packet Centennial Pellet Hops
2 Muslin Hop Sacks
1 Packet One-Step™ Sanitizing Cleanser

YOU PR0VIDE:
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
-------

It seems like there is a lot of sugar in this recipe though. Could I replace the booster with a can of Mellow Amber UME or would that change the beer away from an IPA too much? Unfortunately, I don't have a spare can of Pale Export UME sitting around, but the last beer I used the booster in tastes sort of cidery(it's young though).

Also, I have 1 oz of each of the hops asked for instead of the 1/2 ounce generally used and I'm tempted to hop it more... Thoughts?

jig said:

Hi, I just joined the forums. I had a question about home brewing. Well it's more of a dilemma I suppose.

I have done 3 home brews using Mr. Beer kits.
1st- Scottish Wee Heavy which turned out pretty good for the first home brew effort. My buddies and I enjoyed it and it came out ok.
2nd oatmeal stout- came out way too heady. When I popped it, it overflowed like it was shaken up and when I poured it, the head was over1/2 the pint glass. Taste was ok though.
3rd pumpkin ale- same problem with the head.

Question... What might be causing the excess headiness?

My next beer is going to be a coffee beer, and I wanted to try to fix this issue.
Thanks,
Jig

Ps- you cam pm me if you don't want to clog the boards. Thanks

Click to expand...

It sounds like the beer was over carbonated. How long did you ferment and at what temperature? You may have bottled before fermentation was finished. Do you have a hydrometer?

You may need to ferment longer and/or use less sugar when you prime.

I can't speak to the hops as I'm not a hophead, but the Booster will be fine in that recipe. With two cans of malt, the Booster won't take anything away from this beer and will add some ABV. Think of it as a neutral add in some sorts.

I'll defer to just about anybody else on the hops question.

Garyx said:

Question about a recipe modification I have thought out...
Looking to brew the Junkyard Dog IPA from Mr. Beer.
-----
Junk Yard Dog IPA
MAKES APPROX. 2 GALLONS OF BEER IN ABOUT 3 WEEKS TIME.
Suggested lager time is 2 to 3 months.

Beware the junk yard dog, he may sneak up and bite you when you're not looking. Like the mongrel that bears its name, the junk yard has some of everything thrown in. But given patience and time, this junk yard will ultimately reveal to you the treasure of its taste.

RECIPE INCLUDES:
1 Can Englishman's Nut-Brown Ale
1 Can Pale Export UME
1 Pouch Booster™
1 Packet Dry Brewing Yeast (under lid of beer mix)
1 Packet Northern Brewer Pellet Hops
1 Packet Centennial Pellet Hops
2 Muslin Hop Sacks
1 Packet One-Step™ Sanitizing Cleanser

YOU PR0VIDE:
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
-------

It seems like there is a lot of sugar in this recipe though. Could I replace the booster with a can of Mellow Amber UME or would that change the beer away from an IPA too much? Unfortunately, I don't have a spare can of Pale Export UME sitting around, but the last beer I used the booster in tastes sort of cidery(it's young though).

Also, I have 1 oz of each of the hops asked for instead of the 1/2 ounce generally used and I'm tempted to hop it more... Thoughts?

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I'm not big on IPAs, but the original recipe doesn't look much like an IPA to me. I think adding a can of UME would improve it, but you may want to boil some hops with one of the cans of UME and 6-8 cups of water.

Thanks Kealia and bpgreen.
And bpgreen, you're totally right about the recipe, when I plug it into beer calculus it seems closest to an American Pale ale or an American Brown (only thing off is the SRM) so maybe I'll just use the can of mellow amber I have and see how it turns out.

Any other thoughts?

[edited for styles]

bpgreen said:

It sounds like the beer was over carbonated. How long did you ferment and at what temperature? You may have bottled before fermentation was finished. Do you have a hydrometer?

You may need to ferment longer and/or use less sugar when you prime.

Click to expand...

I follow the instructions that come with the kits very closely. I typically add an extra week or two ( for a total of 5-6 weeks ) of fermentation in the keg the warm room temp (70 degrees) storage after bottling for 2-3 weeks and cold storage for 7-10 days.

What is a hydrometer? Lol sorry newbie brewer here.
Thank you for your insights.
Rich

jig said:

I follow the instructions that come with the kits very closely. I typically add an extra week or two ( for a total of 5-6 weeks ) of fermentation in the keg the warm room temp (70 degrees) storage after bottling for 2-3 weeks and cold storage for 7-10 days.

What is a hydrometer? Lol sorry newbie brewer here.
Thank you for your insights.
Rich

Click to expand...

I'm not sure I'm following. An extra week or two in the fermenter would be two to three weeks, not five to six. Or do you mean two to three in the fermenter and two to three in the bottle?

Either way, it should have been long enough that it finished fermenting.

Many people consider the Mr beer recommendations for priming to be too high. You may want to cut back on the amount if priming sugar you use.

A hydrometer measures the specific gravity of a liquid. It can be use to measure the actual amount of alcohol in the . It can also be used to be sure fermentation has finished. When the reading stops dropping and stays the same for three consecutive days, you know fermentation has stopped.

bpgreen said:

I'm not sure I'm following. An extra week or two in the fermenter would be two to three weeks, not five to six. Or do you mean two to three in the fermenter and two to three in the bottle?

Either way, it should have been long enough that it finished fermenting.

Many people consider the Mr beer recommendations for priming to be too high. You may want to cut back on the amount if priming sugar you use.

A hydrometer measures the specific gravity of a liquid. It can be use to measure the actual amount of alcohol in the . It can also be used to be sure fermentation has finished. When the reading stops dropping and stays the same for three consecutive days, you know fermentation has stopped.

Click to expand...

What I normally do when brewing is this:
6-8 weeks total (mr. Beer says 3-4)
3-4 in the keg. ( mr beer 2-3)
2 weeks room temp (mr beer 7 days)
and 7-10 days cold. (mr beer 7 days)

I'll try cutting back on the sugar for the next one though. I appreciate the tips and am sorry I was confusing in r total weeks thing. If you have anything else as far as tips I'm all ears. As I said I'm a newbie still.
Rich

Just tasted my WCPA after one week of fermenting. Very sweet still.... but I will give it another week then taste it again.... made me excited though its my first brew I could taste and smell the beer a lot but still sweet. Can't wait!

jig said:

Hi, I just joined the forums. I had a question about home brewing. Well it's more of a dilemma I suppose.

I have done 3 home brews using Mr. Beer kits.
1st- Scottish Wee Heavy which turned out pretty good for the first home brew effort. My buddies and I enjoyed it and it came out ok.
2nd oatmeal stout- came out way too heady. When I popped it, it overflowed like it was shaken up and when I poured it, the head was over1/2 the pint glass. Taste was ok though.
3rd pumpkin ale- same problem with the head.

Question... What might be causing the excess headiness?

My next beer is going to be a coffee beer, and I wanted to try to fix this issue.
Thanks,
Jig

Ps- you cam pm me if you don't want to clog the boards. Thanks

Click to expand...

so you followed the instructions to the letter, with only a n extra week or two in primary - totally reasonable.
do you use a priming calculator such as tastybrew or equivalent? these calculators account for the residual CO2 that develops the longer you leave a beer in a fermentation chamber prior to bottling. if so then i don't have a clue what you're doing to cause such unruly head issues (heh). if not, then i suggest giving them a try. it is very possible (this happened to me as i do lengthy primaries) that the amount of priming sugar called for in the MrB instructions simply created too much CO2 given the residual quantity already dissolved into the beer from your lengthy primary. the MrB priming instructions are very one dimensional, with my first few brews they were WAY over carbed and the head was massive, although quick to dissipate.
good luck with your dilemma!!!

Just a quick question about the mr beer bottling process.

I don't know a whole lot about brewing so bare with me. Once the beer ferments in the fermentor for a few weeks, when I transfer it to the bottles is that considered the secondary fermentor or if that is even needed for the standard mr beer recipe?

Also I know adding sugar causes for the beer to carbonate, which is called priming or conditioning? I also heard that carbonating in bottle isn't as good as other methods. What are those methods (I don't have a keg)?

Sorry if these are ridiculous questions. I'm just trying to figure it all out. I just started and I don't want to start with bad habits that will need to be unlearned later.

lagalaxy said:

Just a quick question about the mr beer bottling process.

I don't know a whole lot about brewing so bare with me. Once the beer ferments in the fermentor for a few weeks, when I transfer it to the bottles is that considered the secondary fermentor or if that is even needed for the standard mr beer recipe?

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Nope. A secondary is another fermentor. It is rarely necessary, and not at all necessary for MrB recipes.

The other way to carbonate is to use artificial carbon dioxide from another source. Without a keg or a soda bottle adaptor (such as http://www.fizzgiz.com/, but there are others), you cannot carbonate artificially, to my knowledge. I suppose you could try the old baking-soda-and-vinegar method (), but I wouldn't personally.

Also I know adding sugar causes for the beer to carbonate, which is called priming or conditioning? I also heard that carbonating in bottle isn't as good as other methods. What are those methods (I don't have a keg)?

Click to expand...

Adding sugar to the beer before bottling is called "priming". You are priming the beer for carbonation, by giving fermentable sugars to the yeast still in the beer. They eat the sugar and create a slight additional amount of alcohol in addition to the carbon dioxide, which is what you are really after by that step.

If there are still sugars left from the primary fermentation (in the MrB keg) then you will have too much sugar, hence too much carbon dioxide, hence too much carbonation.

Sorry if these are ridiculous questions. I'm just trying to figure it all out. I just started and I don't want to start with bad habits that will need to be unlearned later.

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No biggie. That's what the board is for.

I have found the mr beer priming amounts to be almost twice what they should be. That is a likely source for your bottle erupting and being so hady.

I batch prime and use tastybrew to calculate how much sugars to add.

Just made my first batches using hop additions. I guess I wasn't aware that the pellets would completely dissolve into dust. What methods do you guys use for transferring your boil into the keg? Do you use a strainer to strain out a majority of the hop particles? Use a cheesecloth sack to make removal easy (IDK is this would even work)? Or just dump it all in? I tried to strain it, but the strainer instantly clogs up. It was nearly impossible to use. It would have taken me hours to pour my gallon of boil through it, emptying the strainer every 2 seconds. And I would have lost half my boil mass.

Just had to share an experience over the weekend. Had a buddy come over that has been brewing over 6 years, has won awards at homebrew competitions, and is in the process of becoming BJCP certified. I shared a bottle of my Whispering Wheat with him and he said it was "Awesome!". I added a lb of wheat DME to the batch, still used the booster, tossed the Mr Beer yeast into the boil for yeast nutrient, and used Danstar Munich yeast. Lesson learned, Mr Beer makes great beer with just a little tweaking.

firebirdude said:

I batch prime and use tastybrew to calculate how much sugars to add.

Just made my first batches using hop additions. I guess I wasn't aware that the pellets would completely dissolve into dust. What methods do you guys use for transferring your boil into the keg? Do you use a strainer to strain out a majority of the hop particles? Use a cheesecloth sack to make removal easy (IDK is this would even work)? Or just dump it all in? I tried to strain it, but the strainer instantly clogs up. It was nearly impossible to use. It would have taken me hours to pour my gallon of boil through it, emptying the strainer every 2 seconds. And I would have lost half my boil mass.

Click to expand...

You can get special hop sacks at the homebrew store. I use nylon paint strainers from the paint store for hops and grains.

firebirdude said:

Just made my first batches using hop additions. I guess I wasn't aware that the pellets would completely dissolve into dust. What methods do you guys use for transferring your boil into the keg?

Click to expand...

They sink. As long as you don't use too many, and bottle carefully, they aren't a problem. Even with a hops bag, some will get out. (Side note: hops will stain bags green if you boil with them, so don't use a bag you really, really like.)

You can buy whole leaf hops, and those won't leak out of a hops bag, but they are more limited in selection (usually) and are a bit more expensive. YMMV.

Justibone said:

Nope. A secondary is another fermentor. It is rarely necessary, and not at all necessary for MrB recipes.

The other way to carbonate is to use artificial carbon dioxide from another source. Without a keg or a soda bottle adaptor (such as http://www.fizzgiz.com/, but there are others), you cannot carbonate artificially, to my knowledge. I suppose you could try the old baking-soda-and-vinegar method (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S1sKtifKZw&feature=related), but I wouldn't personally.



Adding sugar to the beer before bottling is called "priming". You are priming the beer for carbonation, by giving fermentable sugars to the yeast still in the beer. They eat the sugar and create a slight additional amount of alcohol in addition to the carbon dioxide, which is what you are really after by that step.

If there are still sugars left from the primary fermentation (in the MrB keg) then you will have too much sugar, hence too much carbon dioxide, hence too much carbonation.



No biggie. That's what the board is for.

Click to expand...

So for now would you suggest, at least until I get a keg, to just to in bottle priming?

Thank you for your help I really appreciate it.

lagalaxy said:

So for now would you suggest, at least until I get a keg, to just to in bottle priming?

Thank you for your help I really appreciate it.

Click to expand...

Yes.

gtlaw10 said:

so you followed the instructions to the letter, with only a n extra week or two in primary - totally reasonable.
do you use a priming calculator such as tastybrew or equivalent? these calculators account for the residual CO2 that develops the longer you leave a beer in a fermentation chamber prior to bottling. if so then i don't have a clue what you're doing to cause such unruly head issues (heh). if not, then i suggest giving them a try. it is very possible (this happened to me as i do lengthy primaries) that the amount of priming sugar called for in the MrB instructions simply created too much CO2 given the residual quantity already dissolved into the beer from your lengthy primary. the MrB priming instructions are very one dimensional, with my first few brews they were WAY over carbed and the head was massive, although quick to dissipate.
good luck with your dilemma!!!

Click to expand...

I followed the oatmeal stout pretty closely and the pumpkin ale to the letter. I'm getting the ingredients ready for the "coffee brew". I'll try to use the tastybrew calculator and follow this recipe again. I'll keep everyone posted.

On another note I have enjoyed reading different stories on here thanks to all who've contributed.

I am thinking about using brown sugar to prime for an irish stout because i was unhappy with the way the use of table sugar worked in priming my first WCPA.

Was it because the amount used from the mb instructions is too much? or could there have been residual sugar left to be fermented in the keg?

Helm said:

I am thinking about using brown sugar to prime for an irish stout because i was unhappy with the way the use of table sugar worked in priming my first WCPA.

Was it because the amount used from the mb instructions is too much? or could there have been residual sugar left to be fermented in the keg?

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Well, *why* were you unhappy with the carbonation? Too much, or too little?

Too much could have been either of the things you mentioned (unfermented sugars, too much priming sugar), or it could also have been letting the bottles carb for too short of a time, or an infection. (You would either taste or smell an infection, so don't get paranoid, fellow MrB brewers!)

Too little carbonation is almost always too little priming sugar, but it can also be dead yeast, or carbing in a cold spot, or too little time to carb.

One to two weeks is recommended for carbing with MrB bottles. I've also heard they might need longer, as in 3-5 weeks...

Helm said:

I am thinking about using brown sugar to prime for an irish stout because i was unhappy with the way the use of table sugar worked in priming my first WCPA.

Was it because the amount used from the mb instructions is too much? or could there have been residual sugar left to be fermented in the keg?

Click to expand...

I've not found any difference in priming agents. With the little amount of sugar being added you're not really going to notice a difference with other sugars.

I've heard people say that they get smaller, finer bubbles by priming with honey. I'd love to know how that works. Those bubbles are CO2 and I would love to hear a scientific explanation on how one type of sugar creates smaller CO2 bubbles than another. To my knowledge, the molecular structure of CO2 is what it is.

As others have noted, look at other things:
- Amount of sugar
- Temp
- Time

Basically I feel I was unhappy with the carb due to a quick fizzy head (no pun) and a very carbed beer...The bottles were fully carbonated but I just want advice on correctly priming the next batch.

http://www.mrbeerfans.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.PrimingFAQ

This was helpful though.

Justibone said:

Well, *why* were you unhappy with the carbonation? Too much, or too little?

Too much could have been either of the things you mentioned (unfermented sugars, too much priming sugar), or it could also have been letting the bottles carb for too short of a time, or an infection. (You would either taste or smell an infection, so don't get paranoid, fellow MrB brewers!)

Too little carbonation is almost always too little priming sugar, but it can also be dead yeast, or carbing in a cold spot, or too little time to carb.

Click to expand...

Helm said:

Basically I feel I was unhappy with the carb due to a quick fizzy head (no pun) and a very carbed beer...The bottles were fully carbonated but I just want advice on correctly priming the next batch.

http://www.mrbeerfans.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.PrimingFAQ

This was helpful though.

Click to expand...

To me, that sounds like you're just unhappy with the priming amounts that Mr Beer recommends. Many people find them to be too high. If I remember correctly, the amount I settled on was about 2/3 of what Mr Beer recommended. There are priming calculators available, although I think most of them are designed for batch priming and tend to use weight rather than volume (I do the same, which is part of why I forget exactly how much I use compared with the Mr Beer recommendations)

Helm,

What did you make (recipe/ingredients)?

St. Patricks Irish Stout from MB, with one can additional creamy brown UME. Boiled and added Hops for a short period of time (20 min) since i thought it would be sweet with the additional UME. Trying my best to let it sit for 3 weeks now..

Kealia said:

Helm,

What did you make (recipe/ingredients)?

Click to expand...

Helm said:

St. Patricks Irish Stout from MB, with one can additional creamy brown UME. Boiled and added Hops for a short period of time (20 min) since i thought it would be sweet with the additional UME. Trying my best to let it sit for 3 weeks now..

Click to expand...

I thought you used WCPA as the base of the beer you were unhappy with?

Kealia said:

I've not found any difference in priming agents. With the little amount of sugar being added you're not really going to notice a difference with other sugars.

I've heard people say that they get smaller, finer bubbles by priming with honey. I'd love to know how that works. Those bubbles are CO2 and I would love to hear a scientific explanation on how one type of sugar creates smaller CO2 bubbles than another. To my knowledge, the molecular structure of CO2 is what it is.

Click to expand...

CO2 is CO2, but all beer is not created equal, and yeast eats sugars differently. It's been suggested that honey is not completely fermentable, just mostly, so I could well believe that the traces left behind are enough to change the texture, which can be enough to hold the carbonation to smaller bubbles. Also, if you keep it carbed longer, the gas has longer to diffuse over the entire body, versus building up all in the top and being released in one big burp. If you're not dissolving table sugar first, perhaps it doesn't have enough time to diffuse unless you allow the bottle to sit for several weeks longer than honey might need.

Purely speculation, but enough that I wouldn't dismiss the anecdotal evidence out of hand.

Raenon said:

CO2 is CO2, but all beer is not created equal, and yeast eats sugars differently. It's been suggested that honey is not completely fermentable, just mostly, so I could well believe that the traces left behind are enough to change the texture, which can be enough to hold the carbonation to smaller bubbles. Also, if you keep it carbed longer, the gas has longer to diffuse over the entire body, versus building up all in the top and being released in one big burp. If you're not dissolving table sugar first, perhaps it doesn't have enough time to diffuse unless you allow the bottle to sit for several weeks longer than honey might need.

Purely speculation, but enough that I wouldn't dismiss the anecdotal evidence out of hand.

Click to expand...

And I agree with most of what you said.
Here's my thought: Let's use cane sugar and honey for comparison. Cane is 100% fermentable and will produce CO2 leaving nothing behind (except alcohol of course!). Let's call honey 80% fermentable and agree that it will leave behind either more complex sugars that the yeast can't eat or "the rest of the honey that isn't sugar). How does that affect the CO2 that is produced? How can a CO2 molecule/bubble be a different size based on what creates it?

I won't argue that the same level of CO2 can feel different in different beers (a thinner beer versus a heavier beer) but I'm not buying into the 'different bubbles" until somebody can explain that to me.

At that point, I will gladly remove foot from mouth

bpgreen said:

There are priming calculators available, although I think most of them are designed for batch priming and tend to use weight rather than volume (I do the same, which is part of why I forget exactly how much I use compared with the Mr Beer recommendations)

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they are all designed for batch priming, but a simple calculation allows you to easily convert to amount per bottle - assuming you have ability to weigh grams at least to the tenth.
28.3 grams to an ounce.
(28.3X)/Y = per bottle amount
where X = amount priming calculator gives you, and
where Y = number of bottles.
to carb 2.4gal (24 bottles) of an APA to style (2.5 vols CO2) that is ~65F, tastybrew gives us 2.0oz sucrose (white and brown sugars and all variants thereon). you would then add 2.4g per bottle.

My guess is surface tension caused by the viscosity of the wort/beer would be a large deciding factor in the size of your bubbles and head retention of your beer. So you would have to ask, how much additional viscosity is added with the honey? Very little if starting with a thin beer already.