Brown Ale Carbonation

[rdude6]

I will be preparing to bottle my fourth ever batch of beer and it is the first one that I actually enjoyed tasting throughout the brewing process. My other beers tasted ok (I'm finally doing things right) but I have had serious problems getting the correct level of carbonation in my brews. I have only primed with cane sugar. I want this beer to be the batch that actually carbonates correctly. Any advice to get a correctly carbonated beer?

Note: I do not have the space right now to keg. I would love too though.

 

[stevo155]

American Brown or Northern/Southern English Brown ale?

American and Northern English, I'd shoot for 2.4 volumes of CO2. Southern English should be lower, say around 2.

Assuming you have 5 gallons, 2.4 volumes of CO2, in beer that is room temperature ( around 70 F ) would require 4.2 oz of corn sugar or 5.87 oz of DME. I have no experience with cane sugar, but I hear it cna make things a little cidery.

Put you cooled sugar mix in the bottling bucket and rack on top of it without splashing but direct your tubing so it swirls it around as it fills. I used to take a sanitize spoon and gently swirl before starting to bottle. Keep at room temperature for about 7 days, and then test ( or 5 days if you're impatient like me ). Leave it if the carbonation isn't there yet, cellar or chill them if it is.

 

[rdude6]

I was hoping to make something close to Newcastle Brown Ale so I will stick with the northern England style of carbonation.

 

[stevo155]

BJCP guidelines put that style in the 2.2 to 2.7 range for carbonation, so 2.4 volumes is a good middle ground. I'm using Beersmith to run the numbers but there are several calculators on the internet. Or you can get a 21 day trial of Beersmith from their site.

 

[frazier]

I think you really need to give it three weeks minimum (although early sampling is something everyone does). I have found that my beers were well carbed after only one week, leading me to discount the "three week" advice. I would also find that two weeks later, those beers were overcarbed. Go figure.

 

[rdude6]

I am posting my recipe so you can advise me with what to do now?

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Wyeast 1318
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Starting Gravity: 1.035
Original Gravity: 1.050
Final Gravity: 1.012
IBU: 28
Boiling Time (Minutes): 90
Color: Brown
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14 @ 68 F

Grain Bill
7.5 lbs Breiss 2-row Pale Malt
2.0 lbs Amber Malt
0.5 lbs Crystal 60 L Malt
0.5 lbs Chocolate Malt
1.0 tsp Irish Moss (15 min)
1.0 oz Nugget hops (60 min)
1.0 iz Cascade hops (15 min)
Wyeast 1318 (2 Packs or Starter)

Mash grain at 152 for 60 minutes. Collect 8.5 gallon of wort boil for 90 minutes. Ferment at 68.


I took gravity readings the past two days and they remained at 1.012. My beer has been in the primary since July 29, I have finished the primary fermentation but, What now??? Is there any benefit to letting it sit on the yeast any longer, or should I just bottle sooner and be that much closer to enjoying my beer.

 

[Yooper]

If it's been in the fermenter a couple of weeks and it's pretty clear, I'd go ahead and bottle.

 

[steelersrbrun]

Bottle Priming Calculator

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

 

[stevo155]

Sounds like it's ready to bottle.