Amount of Sugar for Priming

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TTodd

TTodd

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I have a Maibock that has been lagering for about 2-3 months. I'm ready to bottle it soon. The instructions on the kit that I used (from RiteBrew.com) says to use 4.3 oz table sugar. Several online calculators are saying that if the temp is 35 to use between 2.1-2.5 oz of table sugar.

The instructions say nothing about what temperature the beer should be at when it's primed. Should I follow the instructions on the calculators and go with the 2.1-2.5 oz, or go with the instructions on the recipe and use 4.3 oz?

I'm assuming that I should just prime and bottle the beer at the lagering temp (34-35 degrees). Is that correct?

Thanks
 
The beer is not going to prime in the 30's, no way. The yeast can't function that low. Also, I don't understand what you mean by temperature affecting the amount of priming sugar. That amount should stay the same. Use the 4 ounces you got, and let the bottles prime at room temperature.
 
That's one of the reasons I HATE those priming calculators! They way they work is two fold- first to prime "to style", they give you a certain volume of co2 to shoot for. Secondly, they try to guestimate the amount of residual co2 you have in suspension by having you enter the temperature. That almost never works!

Here's why- in a beer like a lager you may start at 50 degrees, and then do a diacetyl rest at 64 degrees and then lager at 34 degrees. Well, the proper temperature to enter in that calculator would be 64 degrees. You have to think about it, and that's why I don't like it. The reason I'd choose 64 degree is that co2 will off gas during higher temperatures, plus no new c02 would be created that wouldn't off gas. And then, lagering at 34 degrees means that no new co2 would be created either (since fermentation has been long finished).

For almost all beers, I use a standard 1 oz of priming sugar per finished gallon of beer. This gives great results, as well as a dependable amount of carbonation each and every batch. There are a few batches where I want a wee bit less (but not as flat as some of the priming calculators have you add), and so I use .75 oz per finished gallon.

If you use 2 oz of priming sugar, your beer will be flat. 4.5-5 oz would be more proper and give you a decent carb level like you'd expect in a lager.

You can bottle and prime at 30 degrees, and there is no need to warm up the beer before bottling. But keep the bottles at room temperature until they carb up!
 
bottlebomber said:
The beer is not going to prime in the 30's, no way. The yeast can't function that low. Also, I don't understand what you mean by temperature affecting the amount of priming sugar. That amount should stay the same. Use the 4 ounces you got, and let the bottles prime at room temperature.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response. The 2 calculators that I checked (http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator and
http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html) both take as input the temperature.

I actually tried it again specifying the temperature of 68 (temp of my basement) - it suggests 4 oz.

So would you suggest I take the carboy out of the fridge tonight and let it come up to room temperature and do the priming and bottling tomorrow?

Thanks
 
TTodd said:
So would you suggest I take the carboy out of the fridge tonight and let it come up to room temperature and do the priming and bottling tomorrow?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I would, if only for the sole reason that beer oxygenates much easier at colder temps. It's better to work with it at room temperature.
 
TTodd said:
So would you suggest I take the carboy out of the fridge tonight and let it come up to room temperature and do the priming and bottling tomorrow?

Thanks
Click to expand...

No, definitely not. The cold temperature means that the yeast cake and trub will stay nice and compact. Simply rack off of the trub, and bottle and don't worry about the temperature of the beer at all.
 
Maybe I can piggy back off this post...

When adding to 4-5 oz is that the same as 2/3 of a cup?

It seems like a lot when putting the sugar in the measuring cup (noob )
 
Yooper said:
No, definitely not. The cold temperature means that the yeast cake and trub will stay nice and compact. Simply rack off of the trub, and bottle and don't worry about the temperature of the beer at all.
Click to expand...

Shouldn't the beer have been off the yeast cake and trub before the lagering process? The beers I've lagered had not more than an 1/8 of sediment on the bottom...
 
thesmithsera said:
Maybe I can piggy back off this post...

When adding to 4-5 oz is that the same as 2/3 of a cup?

It seems like a lot when putting the sugar in the measuring cup (noob )
Click to expand...

I don't know. I've always gone by weight with a little kitchen scale. It could be about 2/3 cup. That seems about right.

bottlebomber said:
Shouldn't the beer have been off the yeast cake and trub before the lagering process? The beers I've lagered had not more than an 1/8 of sediment on the bottom...
Click to expand...

Yes, but there is still some trub on the bottom and any haze and polyphenols would drop out during the lagering. I just don't see any reason at all to "warm up" the beer before bottling, unless keeping it cold is inconvenient.
 
Yooper said:
That's one of the reasons I HATE those priming calculators! They way they work is two fold- first to prime "to style", they give you a certain volume of co2 to shoot for. Secondly, they try to guestimate the amount of residual co2 you have in suspension by having you enter the temperature. That almost never works!

Here's why- in a beer like a lager you may start at 50 degrees, and then do a diacetyl rest at 64 degrees and then lager at 34 degrees. Well, the proper temperature to enter in that calculator would be 64 degrees. You have to think about it, and that's why I don't like it. The reason I'd choose 64 degree is that co2 will off gas during higher temperatures, plus no new c02 would be created that wouldn't off gas. And then, lagering at 34 degrees means that no new co2 would be created either (since fermentation has been long finished).

For almost all beers, I use a standard 1 oz of priming sugar per finished gallon of beer. This gives great results, as well as a dependable amount of carbonation each and every batch. There are a few batches where I want a wee bit less (but not as flat as some of the priming calculators have you add), and so I use .75 oz per finished gallon.

If you use 2 oz of priming sugar, your beer will be flat. 4.5-5 oz would be more proper and give you a decent carb level like you'd expect in a lager.

You can bottle and prime at 30 degrees, and there is no need to warm up the beer before bottling. But keep the bottles at room temperature until they carb up!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the education. What you're saying makes sense. I believe the priming calculators are written for ales that do not ferment at such low temps
 

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