Carbonating

[seasnan]

Hey,
I recently brewed my first batch of homebrew, a southern English Brown Ale. I used a yeast starter from a friends batch due to a unforeseen closure of the local HBS. I used 1/2 cup of corn sugar for bottling 5 gallons of beer. After opening a bottle, I noticed that the flavor was great but there was very little carbonation. The beer had been bottle conditioned for about 4 weeks. I tried my first bottle 1 week after bottling and then every few days after and noticed no change in the carbonation.

My theory is that the yeast had been spent in the fermentation phase and there wasn't enough active cells that made it into the bottles. Is this theory sound or is there something else that could have gone wrong?

Is there a way I can salvage my last 24 beers? Could I add a small amount of new yeast to each bottle?

Slainte!

 

[Yooper]

It's not the yeast that is the problem- it's using only 1/2 cup of priming sugar.

It's most accurate to do it by weight, as .75 ounce of corn sugar by weight per gallon of finished beer is about right for an English brown. I don't know how much that is in "cups" though- maybe 3/4? cup?

I use .75 ounce of corn sugar per gallon for lower carbed beers, and 1 ounce of corn sugar per gallon for more highly carbed beers. Most commercial bottled beers are carbed at 2.2-2.6 volumes of co2 and not "to style". You probably are right in style for a cask style ale (or even overcarbed for a cask ale) but not for bottled beer.

For now, not much you can do as if you uncap and add sugar the nucleation points created from adding sugar to carbonated beer will create a ton of foam. Also, just uncapping will release much of the co2 that is in there.

Perhaps the beer is drinkable, and you just know better for next time?

 

[BigFloyd]

There are plenty of online batch priming calculators to help you with this.

By selecting the volumes desired and measuring by weight (as mentioned by Yooper), you will carb to the desired level given enough time at the right temperature.

 

[seasnan]

Thanks for the information. Next time I will measure the sugar by weight instead of cups and be sure to use the right amount. Yooper, the beer is certainly drinkable, it's just that it's more like a sweetish tea that will get me buzzed rather than beer. I'll just chock it up to a lesson learned and do better next time. BigFloyd, I'll check out those calculators for next time. Do you have any recommendations on which to use?

Is there a way to measure the amount of carbonation in the bottle so i know if it's to style? I'm assuming it would change the hydrometer reading.

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for the information. Next time I will measure the sugar by weight instead of cups and be sure to use the right amount. Yooper, the beer is certainly drinkable, it's just that it's more like a sweetish tea that will get me buzzed rather than beer. I'll just chock it up to a lesson learned and do better next time. BigFloyd, I'll check out those calculators for next time. Do you have any recommendations on which to use?

Is there a way to measure the amount of carbonation in the bottle so i know if it's to style? I'm assuming it would change the hydrometer reading.

I can't speak for others, but I really hate those priming calculators! The reason is that carbing "to style" isn't really practical for those whole bottle. Most commercial bottled beer isn't carbed to style, and here in the US we are accustomed to 2.4-2.6 volumes of c02 for almost all beer styles.

Those calculators might have you prime a Scottish ale .75 volumes (flat), and a lambic to 4.5 volumes (bottle bombs). It's true that you may not want a spritzy stout, but you probably don't want one totally flat either.

Using .75 ounce of corn sugar for lower carbed beers (but not that low!) per gallon up to 1 ounce of corn sugar per gallon for higher carbed beers always works for me, without under- or overcarbing the beer.

 

[seasnan]

Yooper, when you say .75 volumes and 4.5 volumes do you mean .75 ounces and 4.5 ounces corn sugar per gallon or is it a measure of CO2 levels? I just wanted to clarify. What would be the maximum level for safe bottling?

 

[freisste]

That's a measure of CO2 in the beer.

As far as safety, it depends on the bottles. I'm sure there is a rule of thumb someone more experienced can share. Since (as Yooper mentioned) most commercial beer is carbed at 2.5ish volumes, you can safely go there with reused bottles.