Does fermentation time dictate carbonation?

Im not a pro brewer by any accord. I just brew the canned kits and i throw in some sugar or DME. Anyway, the first brew i made that i put through 2nd fermentation was a Coopers Wheat (trying to get a Hefeweizen-ish beer). It yielded six gallons so i put a whole cup of Corn Sugar (boiled in water of course) because i like the really carbonated Hefe's. Anyway i tasted it after 5 days not very flavorful or carbbed. Seventh day flavor is there but the carbonation isnt as powerfull as i'd like it to be.

Anyway, i got a coopers IPA that im going to brew either tonight or tomorrow and i have some questions. Does putting it through a secondary fermentation affect its ability to carb?

Its also a six gallon yield so i was wondering what might be a good amount of corn sugar.

and if 2nd fermentation isnt an issue on carbing how long should i leave it in the bottles before its "perfect"

I weigh my corn sugar- and usually use a carbonation calculator to figure out the exact amount- but 1 cup for 6 gallons seems about right.

It can take about 3 weeks at 70 degrees to get decent carbonation, so I think that's the issue here. It just needs more time.

You can leave beers in the clearing vessel for at least a couple of months before worrying about not having enough yeast to carbonate. I've lagered beers for 6 weeks at 34 degrees, and still had good carbonation if it's given enough time to carb up.

Length of time in the pimary or secondary has no bearing on the time needed to carb and condition...the GRAVITY of the beer, ambient temp of the bottlesand size of bottles have a bearing on carbontation.

Generally speaking the 3 weeks at 70 degrees that we recommend is only a guideline, a minimum...the higher the grav, the longer it takes to carb and condition. Don't forget, just because a beer is fizzy doesn't mean it is still not green, and tastes like a$$...

I've had stouts and porters take 4-6 weeks to carb...I have a 1.090 Belgian Strong Dark Ale that is 2.5 months in the bottle and it is barely beginning to carb up, I don't think it will even begin to stop tasting green and like rocket fuel for about another 2-3 months....

Hell during the winter I am lucky if I get ANY BEER to carb up inn 8 weeks, since my loft stays in the low 60 all winter...I wrap them in sleeping bags and other things to keep them warm.

This explains it best...

llazy_llama said:

I made this handy chart a while back for determining the time it takes beer to properly carbonate and bottle condition. Hope this helps!

Click to expand...

hmm alright thanks man. Yeah im dragging my heels on getting a digital scale so i can weight out my sugar.

Hefeweizen is my dads favorite beer and he just cannot wait. Ill have to hide a case

ssjaken said:

hmm alright thanks man. Yeah im dragging my heels on getting a digital scale so i can weight out my sugar.

Hefeweizen is my dads favorite beer and he just cannot wait. Ill have to hide a case

Click to expand...

Hefes are meant to be drunk young.....with the yeast still in supension, you can and should drink them as soon as they are fully carbed. If your temp is 70 or above in your house, I would chill one on the 10th day and if it was carbed then chill more and enjoy, if not try again on the 14th...if the conditions are right, you could be drinking them on the 14th day in the bottle...

Roll the bottles around to re-suspend the yeast.