Pour some sugar on me...

[BlindFaith]

Alright, I have about a 3.5 to 4 gallon wort fermenting right now. It looks great, smells fine, and I am excited. My question is about sugar. I know the rule of thumb is 3/4 cup of corn sugar for a 5 gallon batch. Would I be right in assuming (being .15 cups per gallon) to use about 5/8 cups or would I be better off with 9/16? I may be overdramatizing this, but I do not want any bottle bombs.

 

[frazier]

You won't get bottle bombs. Or at least, if you do it won't be because of a difference of 1/16 cup of sugar.

Do you have a scale? It's more reliable to measure by ounces, but in either case you will end up with beer.

Cheers!

 

[ChrisJPassarelli]

I would also recommend using weight to measure the sugar; volume isn't especially consistent, but it also won't make the difference between beer and broken glass.

Here's the real way to do it: http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html
That way you can figure out the CO2 vols you want based on your style, and from there figure out the amount of sugar needed.

 

[duboman]

The general estimate is 1oz per gallon of finished beer and some people prefer .75oz per gallon of finished beer. It is preferable to weigh out the sugar instead of measuring by cup because there is a lot more accuracy in weight than volume of measurement.

 

[BlindFaith]

I would also recommend using weight to measure the sugar; volume isn't especially consistent, but it also won't make the difference between beer and broken glass.

Here's the real way to do it: http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html
That way you can figure out the CO2 vols you want based on your style, and from there figure out the amount of sugar needed.

That site is helpful. It is recommending a lot less than what I thought (between 2-2.4 oz.) for a Southern English Brown Ale with CO2 ranges between 1.9 and 2.1. That is only a third of a cup. Why such a discrepancy between the "normal 3/4 cup" and what that site recommends? Even for a 5 gallon batch it is only calling for 2.9 oz for this particular beer.

 

[ChrisJPassarelli]

English ales often have a much lower carbonation level than other beers, IIRC. The vol number there is lower than some of the other styles as you'll see (compare to an American Pale Ale). These are historically mild, creamier beers so that doesn't sound too far off to me.

Sorry I can't account for the full discrepancy, though -- 3/4 cups sure looks like a massive amount in the context of that calculator.

 

[duboman]

That site is helpful. It is recommending a lot less than what I thought (between 2-2.4 oz.) for a Southern English Brown Ale with CO2 ranges between 1.9 and 2.1. That is only a third of a cup. Why such a discrepancy between the "normal 3/4 cup" and what that site recommends? Even for a 5 gallon batch it is only calling for 2.9 oz for this particular beer.

3/4 cup is generally for a full 5 gallons of beer finished volume for bottling or .75-1oz priming sugar per gallon. You only have 3.5-4 gallons so you need to adjust for that or you will over carbonate. Are you sure you are entering the proper finished volume of beer you want to bottle?

In beersmith I am getting 2.19oz for 2.0 Vol for 3.5 gallons and 2.5oz for 4 gallons

 

[frazier]

I use TastyBrew all the time, but they use the "official" values for carb levels, which for British beers are very low by American standards.

My understanding is that most mass-market US beers are carbed around 2.3 to 2.4, so that is what we are used to. A beer carbed at 1.9 would seem flat, even if appropriate to style.

I carb my British beers to 2.0, and my American Ales to 2.3. Eventually, you will come to your own conclusions about how you like it.

Cheers!

 

[BlindFaith]

3/4 cup is generally for a full 5 gallons of beer finished volume for bottling or .75-1oz priming sugar per gallon. You only have 3.5-4 gallons so you need to adjust for that or you will over carbonate. Are you sure you are entering the proper finished volume of beer you want to bottle?

In beersmith I am getting 2.19oz for 2.0 Vol for 3.5 gallons and 2.5oz for 4 gallons

I am using the site recommended by Chris and I am getting about the same as you are, between 2-2.5 oz depending on the desired CO2 level (which I have no real working knowledge or experience with). I am just trying to be cautious and get the most I can out of this batch as it is my first. So, would you guys recommend simply scaling the normal 3/4 cup (6 oz.) down to 5/8 cup (5 oz) or 1/2 cup (4 oz.) or going with the calculations from those sites and keeping it around 2.5 oz or maybe 3 oz?

 

[Yooper]

That site is helpful. It is recommending a lot less than what I thought (between 2-2.4 oz.) for a Southern English Brown Ale with CO2 ranges between 1.9 and 2.1. That is only a third of a cup. Why such a discrepancy between the "normal 3/4 cup" and what that site recommends? Even for a 5 gallon batch it is only calling for 2.9 oz for this particular beer.

That may be "to style", but generally that is the amount of carbonation in cask beers, and 1.9 volumes is pretty flat by our standards. I carb up almost all of my beers at the "standard" amount of 4-5 ounces of priming sugar by weight per 5 gallons. Even if it is "to style" to have less carb in some styles, bottled beer generally is at 2.4-2.6 volumes and that seems to be right to me.

I dislike those priming calculators so I don't use them.

 

[BlindFaith]

That may be "to style", but generally that is the amount of carbonation in cask beers, and 1.9 volumes is pretty flat by our standards. I carb up almost all of my beers at the "standard" amount of 4-5 ounces of priming sugar by weight per 5 gallons. Even if it is "to style" to have less carb in some styles, bottled beer generally is at 2.4-2.6 volumes and that seems to be right to me.

I dislike those priming calculators so I don't use them.

I think I will go with 3 oz just to be safe. I am a fan of both higher and lower carb beers and most Brown Ales have a decent carb level to them, so I should be safe with 3 oz.

 

[ChrisJPassarelli]

I think if you're going for something that will be familiar to our palates and you can share 'em with friends without getting confused looks, then that sounds good to me. 3 oz sounds like a great amount to make some delicious brown ale, especially if you're not doing it for an audience of BJCP judges.

 

[Yooper]

I think if you're going for something that will be familiar to our palates and you can share 'em with friends without getting confused looks, then that sounds good to me. 3 oz sounds like a great amount to make some delicious brown ale, especially if you're not doing it for an audience of BJCP judges.

It seems low to me, but I like my beers to be carbed up when I open a bottle. If you like low carbed beers, then that would be fine. I'd go no lower than 4 ounces in 5 gallons of beer for my taste.

 

[BlindFaith]

It seems low to me, but I like my beers to be carbed up when I open a bottle. If you like low carbed beers, then that would be fine. I'd go no lower than 4 ounces in 5 gallons of beer for my taste.

I only have about 3.5, maybe 4 gallons tops. I'd say closer to 3.5, so that is why I thought 3 would be good. I am a big fan of Avery's, Bell's, and Newcastle Brown Ales. Their ales aren't overly carbed, so keeping it right below average for this brew will suit me fine. I also like ESBs and they are extremely low.

I honestly do not know exactly how much wort I have as I am not experienced enough to do an accurate eyeball measurement on the 5 gal carboy. It looks to be about 3.5 gals. I am going to put my sugar in my bottling bucket (3 oz), siphon wort on top, and actually see how much I have, as I do have measurement markings on my bottling bucket. Then I may add more sugar depending on how much brew I actually have.