Carbonating bottles

So I just attempted carbonating some bottles and opened one last night at a party and the top flew off when I opened it. It really seems like it was too carbonated. Is there any advice on carbonating bottles just right?

Any advice - Loads
A. Make sure that the gravity is as low as it will go before bottling
B. Add about .8oz priming sugar per imp gallon
C. Add priming sugar in solution to bottling bucket
D. Make sure that the prime solution is thoroughly mixed into the whole brew, take your time with this aspect !
E. Sanitation Bottles and caps!
F. No transfer bubbles
G. Keep the bottles at fermenting temps for about a week
H. Store cool for three weeks
I. Enjoy
J. If any good send one to me

http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

Use this, or any other, online priming calculator. There are minor differences between them but so long as your beer has reached its terminal gravity you shouldn't have any more bottle bombs.

Best of luck!

I like this calculator here. It lets you choose the particular style. I have no idea how to find the Volumes per C02, so this one does that for you based on the style you chose. I tend to underprime by about 1/4 oz - 1/2 oz. My first few batches were way overprimed, so I play it safe now and go for less.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/learn/resources/priming-sugar-calculator/

+1 for brewersfriend calculator.
also, be sure you accurately estimate your volume to be bottled. if you only put 5 gallons in your fv to begin with, you won't bottle but maybe 4.5...

What was your process for carbonating this batch?

fartinmartin,

you talked about "transfer bubbles". I have used a secondary bucket to transfer the beer before bottling and the last time I saw a lot of bubble through the plastic tube.

This bubbles are alright,right?

You want to avoid bubbles as much as possible. Introducing too much air at this point will oxidize your beer, which is bad. It will quickly start to develop a moldy, wet cardboard flavor/aroma. Limit that as much as possible.

Safety first: Be super CAREFUL with the rest of that batch. Don't want to lose an eye.

Second, when I bottle, I only add the priming sugar after I've transferred to the bottling bucket. I know, the whole swirling mixing thing doesn't happen then, but I've been burned by uneven carbonation by relying on just that anyway.

I marked graduations on my bucket myself with a sharpie and an accurate pitcher. Don't rely on the factory ones. I then weigh the sugar out (I use Northern Brewers calculator) for the volume that I have in the bucket and add it to a small volume of boiling water that I have ready and waiting. I've been burned by bad transfers and loss of volume before and had over carbed beer. I slowly mix in the sugar with a sanitized SS spoon.

Another tip, use cane sugar. Corn sugar has a tendency to absorb ambient moisture and may affect your desired carbonation level.

Good luck!

alaktheman said:

So I just attempted carbonating some bottles and opened one last night at a party and the top flew off when I opened it. It really seems like it was too carbonated. Is there any advice on carbonating bottles just right?

Click to expand...

Was the beer at a stable FG when you bottled it? Did you chill them at all? I chill mine 5 days to two weeks, depending on the style & whether or not they need some simulated lagering, like my hybrid lagers. Ales also benefit from a decent amount of fridge time, 5 days to a week generally. This gives time for the beer to reach an equilibrium between dissolved Co2 & that in the head space. It also gives any chill haze a chance to form & settle out, & the trub/yeast to compact on the bottom.

mrgrimm101 said:

I have no idea how to find the Volumes per C02...

Click to expand...

For those who may be interested, in John Palmer's book "How To Brew", he uses a device (pre-online calculator era) called a "nomograph", and it's printed in his online book. I use it on occasion along with online calculators. Not that any single calculator is dead-on, but it's simply another source for figuring where you want to be with vol's CO2.

It's literally a graph with 3 columns that looks like this: You hold a straightedge across the temp column to vol's CO2 column you want for a particular style and where it crosses the priming sugar column tells you how much to use. Notice it is sugar by weight, not volume. Primitive by today's standards, but it works.

GHBWNY said:

For those who may be interested, in John Palmer's book "How To Brew", he uses a device (pre-online calculator era) called a "nomograph", and it's printed in his online book. I use it on occasion along with online calculators. Not that any single calculator is dead-on, but it's simply another source for figuring where you want to be with vol's CO2.

It's literally a graph with 3 columns that looks like this: You hold a straightedge across the temp column to vol's CO2 column you want for a particular style and where it crosses the priming sugar column tells you how much to use. Notice it is sugar by weight, not volume. Primitive by today's standards, but it works.

Click to expand...

So how do you decide how much volume of C02 you want? This seems like a good way to find how much sugar, assuming you already know your volume of C02.

Amounts & Vco2 look a little light at 70F or so, compared to newer calculators.

mrgrimm101 said:

So how do you decide how much volume of C02 you want? This seems like a good way to find how much sugar, assuming you already know your volume of C02.

Click to expand...

the style guidelines tell you what the style SHOULD be. I use this:

http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html

as a starting point, then adjust to taste. Me, I just toss in 2.5 oz corn per 5 gallon batch and call it good, but I've had several batches overcarbed due to extended conditioning, so I'm sensitive to too much carb.

I keep the beer in the fridge for 5-7 days. That should help you maintain the CO2 in the Beer and not in head of the bottle.

Yes, absolutely use a priming calculator, I had a batch of Bourbon Barrel Porter that was highly overcarbed, but I didn't use a calculator. I just went with the usual 5 ounces. That, according to the calculator, is over an ounce too much for that style of beer.

glenn514

william_shakes_beer said:

the style guidelines tell you what the style SHOULD be. I use this:

http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html

as a starting point, then adjust to taste. Me, I just toss in 2.5 oz corn per 5 gallon batch and call it good, but I've had several batches overcarbed due to extended conditioning, so I'm sensitive to too much carb.

Click to expand...

Right, I get all that. If you read back, my original quote was "I have no idea how to find the Volumes per C02..."...to which someone posted a chart that did not provide an answer. I was wondering if there was a way to find it without having to refer to a chart.

unionrdr said:

Was the beer at a stable FG when you bottled it? Did you chill them at all? I chill mine 5 days to two weeks, depending on the style & whether or not they need some simulated lagering, like my hybrid lagers. Ales also benefit from a decent amount of fridge time, 5 days to a week generally. This gives time for the beer to reach an equilibrium between dissolved Co2 & that in the head space. It also gives any chill haze a chance to form & settle out, & the trub/yeast to compact on the bottom.

Click to expand...

I don't remember what the gravity reading was unfortunately. I did wait about 2 weeks and by that time the air lock had no noticeable action. I added one teaspoon directly to the bottle. I read somewhere that that was alright. I did have it in the fridge before opening but I think it got to room temp before I opened it because last night I had grabbed another beer carefully opened it expecting for the top to fly off but it opened like any normal beer would.

mrgrimm101 said:

So how do you decide how much volume of C02 you want? This seems like a good way to find how much sugar, assuming you already know your volume of C02.

Click to expand...

Palmer also offers these basic guidelines:

"Here is a list of typical volumes of CO2 for various beer styles:

British ales 1.5-2.0
Porter, Stout 1.7-2.3
Belgian ales 1.9-2.4
American ales 2.2-2.7
European lagers 2.2-2.7
Belgian Lambic 2.4-2.8
American wheat 2.7-3.3
German wheat 3.3-4.5"

alaktheman said:

I don't remember what the gravity reading was unfortunately. I did wait about 2 weeks and by that time the air lock had no noticeable action. I added one teaspoon directly to the bottle. I read somewhere that that was alright. I did have it in the fridge before opening but I think it got to room temp before I opened it because last night I had grabbed another beer carefully opened it expecting for the top to fly off but it opened like any normal beer would.

Click to expand...

1tsp sugar per bottle could be pushing it Vco2-wise. Warm ber has more gas in the head space, it uses the beer & whatever's on the bottom as nucleation points & it foams all over. That's why I stopped using Cooper's carb drops & started bulk priming with a bottling bucket. Cheap & easier to get accurate carbonation. A digital scale will be needed, however, as the priming calculators go by weight, not volume.

don't use carbonation drops. every time I've used them they spoiled the beer