Carbonation Calculator

[mgortel]

I was wondering if someone could enlighten me as to why the sugar required for a certain carbonation level when bottling is higher if the temperature is higher?

Example....when I use the carbonation calculator in Beersmith:

For beer temp of 62F, and 2.6 volumes CO2...need 4.63 oz corn sugar

For beer temp 70F, and 2.6 columes CO2...need 4.97 oz corn sugar.

I assume the temperatur input is for the temp at whcih the beer will be stored for carbonation>?

 

[Yooper]

the temperature you use is the temperature that the beer reached during or after fermentation. The reason is because more co2 is released at higher temperatures, while more co2 is dissolved and remains in solution at cooler temperatures.

Honestly, though, my experience with priming calculators hasn't been great. The calculator doesn't really know how much dissolved co2 remains in solution.

I'd suggest just priming with a "standard" amount unless making a beer that you want to have a certain carb level for- like an English bitter which Americans would consider almost flat. I use 4 ounces of corn sugar, by weight, for 5 gallons of beer for almost all styles and temperatures with perfect results.

 

[mgortel]

ahhhhh.....excellent explanation....and advice...thanks alot!

 

[diS]

...I use 4 ounces of corn sugar, by weight, for 5 gallons of beer for almost all styles and temperatures with perfect results.

Great explanation, thanks!
Is this amount refer to 5 gallons of pure beer, or 5 gallons of beer with trub on bottom of fermenter?
Also, how much of trub can we expect from 5 gal recipe (approximately)?

 

[tvtoms]

Brewing is so much fun isn't it with all these cool variables you can tweak?

Last batch I did, I forgot to get corn sugar for priming and only had table sugar. So I checked a priming calculator and weighed out the amount of table sugar recommended with all the variables punched in. Good enough! Came out great and disappeared as fast as ever.

How much trub is an interesting question, but why? You'd have to weigh it after each batch to get an average idea, and then it's going to vary anyway depending on ingredients of each batch. If you started with the bucket on a scale, it should read the same when it's done no matter how much trub is there, or would the yeast multiply so much to weigh more?

 

[diS]

Maybe I am just over-complicating it, my question was does weight of priming sugar depend on total batch volume (in my fermentor) or just volume of beer that will end in bottle.

 

[JuanMoore]

Maybe I am just over-complicating it, my question was does weight of priming sugar depend on total batch volume (in my fermentor) or just volume of beer that will end in bottle.

The amount that will end up in your bottling bucket and get mixed with the priming sugar.

 

[diS]

That makes much more sense, thanks!