I think I finally found the right amount of corn sugar for my carbonation tastes

[jigidyjim]

After almost a year being unsatisfied with the carbonation in my beers, I think I've finally got my system down. The last 3 beers I've used between 120-125 g of corn sugar. That, combined with letting them carb in the room for 3 weeks (where the ambient temperature hovers around 68 degrees due to the heater being on) instead of in a closet where it's probably 10 degrees cooler, has led to beers that are well carbonated and actually have some head when I pour them!

 

[dougf]

Congratulations! Sometimes finding what works and what you like is an exercise in patience

 

[jruffatto]

My first batch of IPA sat in a closet at a near-constant 68 for 3 weeks. the head that my beer produced was too much though...even on a slow pour with a tilted glass, see to get almost half of it being foam. beer tastes great, i think it's pretty well carbonated but i'm not sure what I can do about the foam. is it OK, or should I do something about it? I'm just starting out so i've only been using the brewer's best kits which come with the priming sugar. the Kolsch i'm bottling next has 5 oz...should i use less?

 

[IceFisherChris]

This is good Jim, but can I ask how much sugar were you trying before?? 125 grams is less than what ingredient kits give you (5 ounces.)

jruffatto - 5 ounces of priming sugar will not overcarbonate. It is usually a really good amount for most beer styles. I stick to 5 ounces most most of my beers. You may not have let fermentation totally finish.

 

[jigidyjim]

This is good Jim, but can I ask how much sugar were you trying before?? 125 grams is less than what ingredient kits give you (5 ounces.)

Interesting - I haven't used kits since my first few brews. I had been using "3/4 cup sugar" since that's what most recipes say. I think part of the reason I had so much carbonation trouble in the past was that that 3/4 cup is a pretty inaccurate measuring tool, and I was scared to go above that because of bottle bombs.

So now that I've switched to using weight instead, i've gotten much more consistent results. I think when I initially switched to weight, 3/4 cup sugar ended up being around 3.5 ounces... Now I"m up somewhere around 4.2 to 4.3. Maybe I'll push it higher closer to 5 and see what happens?

 

[elkdog]

Given how the temperature at bottling will affect things (namely, the amount of c02 already in solution), I use this site to calculate my sugar additions. You could do it retroactively to figure out how many volumes you carbonated it to, and then use that site to calculate it in the future- the best way (other than kegging, which I can't do right now) to assure consistent bottle carbonation.

 

[KevinW]

Way to go jim, it is definitely more art than science sometimes!

+1 for what IceFisherChris said!

2-3 weeks in the fermenter, 2-3 weeks(or more) in the bottle/keg! Patience can really pay off sometimes!

This is just my humble opinion of course!

 

[IceFisherChris]

Weight will give your more consistent results but I don't see anything wrong with using volume. I use 1 whole cup of corn sugar (just scooped out of the bag and leveled off, I don't pack it into the cup)
I believe 1 cup gives me almost exactly 5 ounces and 1/8 cup gives me 0.625 ounces.

Just jump right up to 5 ounces (142 grams) and I bet you will be more than happy with the results. I use less priming sugar for my darker beers. Everything else gets 5 grams.

 

[jruffatto]

jruffatto - 5 ounces of priming sugar will not overcarbonate. It is usually a really good amount for most beer styles. I stick to 5 ounces most most of my beers. You may not have let fermentation totally finish.

It seemed like it was done based on the hydrometer readings.

 

[jigidyjim]

Weight will give your more consistent results but I don't see anything wrong with using volume.

You are right, if you have a good way to measure volume. I was basically eye-balling 3/4 cup in a full cup. Plus, with all these recipes saying to use 3/4 cup, it took me more than 6 batches to realize that this was only turning out to be 3.5 ounces for me, which was low...

I don't know if the recipes say 3/4 cup just to be safe, or if 3/4 of a cup actually gives some people the right amount.

 

[Yooper]

I always weigh my priming sugar, and almost always use 4 ounces for 5 gallons (113 grams). That's the perfect carb level for me. I ferment my ales in the low 60s.

 

[DaveMcPhee]

BeerSmith, the brewing application (well worth the $25) contains many calculators, including a carbonation calc. You tell the style of beer you want to carbonate, how much liquid you have, and whether using corn sugar or DME, and it will tell you exactly how much to use. Never tried it but I have no doubt it works. Try downloading a free trial and checking it out for yourself.

 

[wonderbread23]

BeerSmith, the brewing application (well worth the $25) contains many calculators, including a carbonation calc. You tell the style of beer you want to carbonate, how much liquid you have, and whether using corn sugar or DME, and it will tell you exactly how much to use. Never tried it but I have no doubt it works. Try downloading a free trial and checking it out for yourself.

I use the calculator in beer tools and it seems to hit a bit low for my tastes. If I type in 2.5 volumes prime and age (say for a good pale ale), when I crack a beer the carbonation seems more like in the range of 2 (more like a English bitter or so). I now tend to bump my desired volume of CO2 by .2 or .3 and seem to get better results.

 

[Captain Damage]

BeerSmith tells you the most likely range in volumes of CO2 for the style you're brewing. You plug in your target volume and whether you're using dextrose or DME and it calculates the weight required for that volume.

 

[KevinW]

I always weigh my priming sugar, and almost always use 4 ounces for 5 gallons (113 grams). That's the perfect carb level for me. I ferment my ales in the low 60s.

I am right there with you. I measured 3/4 cup of priming sugar and it was so close to 4oz I just with that amount.

I like a fair bit of carbonation though so I do not usually concern myself with the "style" guidelines in BeerSmith so I don't use that calculator!

If being judged on carbonation, I will probably lose points if I do a classic English Ale but I'm OK with that

 

[Captain Damage]

Carbonation is an "ingredient" that affects flavor just as much as hops, malt and yeast, etc. Carbing all your beers, regardless of style, to e.g, 2.5 volumes makes as much sense as only hopping your beers with 2oz of fuggle.

 

[elkdog]

Carbonation is an "ingredient" that affects flavor just as much as hops, malt and yeast, etc. Carbing all your beers, regardless of style, to e.g, 2.5 volumes makes as much sense as only hopping your beers with 2oz of fuggle.

Unless you brew primarily American style beers. Most of what I brew falls into the APA/AAA/A-IPA range, so 2.5 volumes works fine for these beers. My bitters, of course, get dialed down to 1.5 or so, but most American ales are great at 2.5.