Carbinating beer

[crookedsnoutbrewry]

I need help on making sure I use the right amount of priming sugar to bottle my beer. I saw an article that the amount of priming sugar is based on your beer temp. The highest temp for my beer during Fermi nation was 80 degrees. Also, i have 5 gallons of beer in my fermentor. How much priming sugar do I need?

 

[kev211]

Fermi nation. ha!

Use THIS for a priming sugar calculator.

What kind of beer was it? 80 degrees is way too warm IMO even for a diacetyl rest

 

[kh54s10]

I have in the past read that the temperature to use in the calculators is the highest reached during fermentation. More recently I see references to the highest temperature the beer reaches after fermentation. Warmer temperatures allow the beer to hold higher levels of co2 in solution. This input is to account for the co2 already in the beer. It will adjust the amounts of sugar to use.

I use Northern Brewer's calculator. http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator

If your beer reached 80 degrees during fermentation, I agree with kev211. That is too high, look into controlling your fermentation temperature. Mid sixties is best for most ale yeasts.

 

[Biscuits]

Warmer temperatures allow the beer to hold higher levels of co2 in solution.

I think it is the other way around...but yes..you need to adjust for the temperature of the beer. As the wort ferments CO2 is a byproduct of the yeast, but after fermentation, as the temperature of the beer rises, this CO2 comes out of solution which makes it necessary to add more priming sugar to bring it up to the correct carbonation volume.

 

[kh54s10]

I think it is the other way around...but yes..you need to adjust for the temperature of the beer. As the wort ferments CO2 is a byproduct of the yeast, but after fermentation, as the temperature of the beer rises, this CO2 comes out of solution which makes it necessary to add more priming sugar to bring it up to the correct carbonation volume.

Probably, but it IS a correction for the amount of co2 already in solution.

I haven't notice much difference in carbonation from when I thought it was the highest in fermentation and I put 70 degrees and when I had the fermenter in ambient and put in 80 degrees.

Might have to sit with one of the calculators some day and mess with the numbers and see how much difference in the quantities of sugar it suggests.

If in doubt undershoot the priming sugar. Low carbonation is better than exploding bottles.

 

[Biscuits]

It's probably not much...but again I would say you have it backwards...under carb'ing beer sucks, but over carb'ing allows for a little wiggle room. I mean, when you carb a wit you carb to pretty high volume something like 3.0...which most bottles can tolerate. I'd say it is better to slightly over carbonate than it is to under carbonate...if the carbonation is more than you like, just let the beer sit for a few minutes until some comes out of solution.

 

[crookedsnoutbrewry]

My fridge crapped out for 1 day but got it working. I'm making an American porter

 

[crookedsnoutbrewry]

The 80 degrees was only for a 24 period. Once I fixed my fridge it was 48 degrees.

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

Warmer temperatures allow the beer to hold higher levels of co2 in solution.

Yeah have to agree with others this is opposite the way it works. Here is a carbonation chart for temp and psi to get desired volume of co2. As you can see the colder it is the less psi it takes to reach the same volume of co2 in solution. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1473209748.160636.jpg

 

[Yooper]

The 80 degrees was only for a 24 period. Once I fixed my fridge it was 48 degrees.

You didn't ferment a porter at 48 degrees- do you mean it's stored at the temperature after hitting 80 degrees earlier?

I hate those priming calculators for that reason- which temperature is "right"?

If you use .75 ounces of corn sugar per gallon of finished beer, you'll be all set. For higher carbed styles, I use 1 ounce of corn sugar per finished gallon of beer. Carbing "to style" is odd for bottled beer- a stout would be 1.6 volumes of c02 (totally flat) while a weizen might be 4.5 volumes (bottle bombs) if you follow the calculator. Most people who buy bottled beer are accustomed to a "medium" carbonation level and would find it odd to have a flat beer by carbing to style in in a non-cask conditioned ale or a bottle bomb in a weizen.