Gauging How Much Sugar to Use in Bottle Conditioning

I have an Imperial IPA that has been fermenting for 8 days. The airlock is still "popping", I am concerned that when I go to bottle on Saturday that I will use too much corn sugar for bottle conditioning and wind up with bottle grenades.

Should I be concerned about this? Will an Imperial IPA produce more bottle pressure (and carbonation) than other brews?

What you should be concerned about is that the beer is probably not going to be ready on Saturday.

You have to realize YOU are working within the time constraints of the yeast you are growing. They could give a shiat if you want to bottle on Saturday. They might all still have hot dates lined up. You want to bottle them up, fine. Expect consequences.

You are on the beer's schedule, not yours. Much easier if you just follow the lead of the beer. Kind of like having a wife actually. Ain't going to happen till She's ready and if you force the issue it never turns out very well.

Chill my friend, it all works out over time.

Hold on a sec there, 2 weeks in the fermenter? Thats pushing it for most beers, not to mention an Imperial IPA. Wait!

id wait atleast a month before you bottle

How some of this stuff isn't common knowledge is beyond me, but stop the press either way.....

wait at least 3 (4 really) weeks before bottling that beer. Besides that, your beer is done when steady and unchanging hydrometer readings days apart say so. That should cover mine and everyone else's $.02.

Wait a couple of more weeks and use this to determine you carbing/sugar levels. No worries about bombs then.

http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator/carbonation.html

Hammy71 said:

Wait a couple of more weeks and use this to determine you carbing/sugar levels. No worries about bombs then.

http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator/carbonation.html

Click to expand...

so that calculator tells me to add 7 oz of corn sugar to my 5 gallons of honey weizen. This seems like a lot. Will I have bottle bombs with 3.6 volumes of CO2??

duckmanco said:

How some of this stuff isn't common knowledge is beyond me, but stop the press either way.....

wait at least 3 (4 really) weeks before bottling that beer. Besides that, your beer is done when steady and unchanging hydrometer readings days apart say so. That should cover mine and everyone else's $.02.

Click to expand...

I'll give you credit for at least sharing knowledge. Everyone else commenting so far has been all lip with no actionable information. I've not seen that here before, probably because this subforum is for beginners.

maltoftheearth said:

I'll give you credit for at least sharing knowledge. Everyone else commenting so far has been all lip with no actionable information. I've not seen that here before, probably because this subforum is for beginners.

Click to expand...

Everyone is telling you to wait, and that is good advice. You should not bottle an Imperial after only 8 days. That is just plain impatience and it is inviting disaster. Let it sit in the primary for at least 21 days preferrably 28 days. Then bottle.

Every reply I have read is just people trying to help you.

I am a beginner, but the first thing I learned by reading the experienced people on this forum is "Patience." That cannot be stressed enough. Buy some beer from the store, drink it and wait on this beer to be ready.

Hammy71 said:

Wait a couple of more weeks and use this to determine you carbing/sugar levels. No worries about bombs then.

http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator/carbonation.html

Click to expand...

This is just what i've been looking for!

THANK YOU