Priming sugar calculator temp

[mrpiggy]

I've got some newbie confusion regarding all the priming sugar calculators out there. They all ask for the temperature of the beer, some with slightly different wording. I'm unsure if they are asking what the temperature of the beer is when its bottle conditioning, or what temp it will be served at, or some other value. For example, I'm planning on bottling my beer and have it sit at room temp, about 20C. After that is done I'll move a few at a time to the fridge which is about 4C. With that in mind, what temp value are these calculators asking for?

Thank you

 

[beermanpete]

The temperature used for this calculation should be the highest temp the beer experienced just as fermentation was ending and/or afterwards during any clearing/aging period. This is because temperature affects how much CO2 will dissolve into the beer and therefore how much needs to be added via priming to achieve the desired carbonation level in the finished beer.

 

[homebrewer_99]

They're instructing you to let the bottle s sit at room temp (around 70F) for a period of time, usually 4-14 days, to let the priming sugar ferment and create carbonation in the bottle.

When you sample a bottle after 4-5 days and determine the carbonation is what want. At that time you have to put all the bottles in the fridge to stop any further fermentation/carbonation. If you don't you run the possibility of bottle grenades (if bottled too soon and/or overprimed) and gushers when pop the top.

 

[flars]

They're instructing you to let the bottle s sit at room temp (around 70F) for a period of time, usually 4-14 days, to let the priming sugar ferment and create carbonation in the bottle.

When you sample a bottle after 4-5 days and determine the carbonation is what want. At that time you have to put all the bottles in the fridge to stop any further fermentation/carbonation. If you don't you run the possibility of bottle grenades (if bottled too soon and/or overprimed) and gushers when pop the top.

This will not work. Chilling the beer will not kill the yeast. May cause dormancy or just slow the work of the yeast producing CO2. Bottle bombs are still possible if too much priming sugar is used or the initial fermentation was not complete when the beer was bottled.

In a carbonation calculator like this one https://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/
As @beermanpete has said use the higher temperature whether the fermentation temperature or the temperature the beer rested at after the fermentation was finished.

 

[homebrewer_99]

This will not work. Chilling the beer will not kill the yeast. May cause dormancy or just slow the work of the yeast producing CO2. Bottle bombs are still possible if too much priming sugar is used or the initial fermentation was not complete when the beer was bottled.

In a carbonation calculator like this one https://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/
As @beermanpete has said use the higher temperature whether the fermentation temperature or the temperature the beer rested at after the fermentation was finished.

The "if's" are exactly what I said. I have bottled beer that is over 8 years old and it has never been in the fridge or have exploded. Apparently, they were done fermenting and not over primed.

I checked the site you referenced and observed that not all of the information is correct. Volumes for most beer are within a range. I don't plan on being a stickler, but when only one volume is used in a calculation and you can't change it it becomes an absolute. Thanks for the link though.

 

[mrpiggy]

Thanks all. I really appreciate the advice. Its interesting that the general answer isn't either the bottle conditioning temp or the serving temp, but the warmest temp before I add it to the priming sugar.

 

[ESBrewer]

The temperature used for this calculation should be the highest temp the beer experienced just as fermentation was ending and/or afterwards during any clearing/aging period. This is because temperature affects how much CO2 will dissolve into the beer and therefore how much needs to be added via priming to achieve the desired carbonation level in the finished beer.

Here is the essential information. What comes to the amount of priming sugar, temperature where the bottles are kept does not matter at all (but it matters for carbonation, you want to keep the bottles at room temperature (at the suggested fermentation temp of the yeast strain in question) for a couple of weeks so that yeast remains active and carbonates the beer).

There is actually one more thing that can complicate the process of choosing the best temperature for calculations. If the temperature of the beer (primary fermenter) at the end of fermentation is, say 70F, there is often quite a bit of carbon dioxide in the large headspace of the primary fermentation vessel. If you then cool it down heavily, say you are cold crashing (in the very same primary vessel) to 33F, some of the head space CO2 will redissolve in the beer and for optimal carbonation results (to avoid some excessive carbonation), you should use somewhat lower temperature than the 70F (given that you don't let it warm up again before bottling). In such case, you should probably use something in between 70 and 33. But in general, the highest beer temperature post fermentation (before bottling) is your choice.

 

[mrpiggy]

Here is the essential information. What comes to the amount of priming sugar, temperature where the bottles are kept does not matter at all (but it matters for carbonation, you want to keep the bottles at room temperature for a couple of weeks so that yeast remains active and carbonates the beer).

There is actually one more thing that can complicate the process of choosing the best temperature for calculations. If the temperature of the beer (primary fermenter) at the end of fermentation is, say 70F, there is often quite a bit of carbon dioxide in the large headspace of the primary fermentation vessel. If you then cool it down heavily, say you are cold crashing (in the very same primary vessel) to 33F, some of the head space CO2 will redissolve in the beer and for optimal carbonation results (to avoid some excessive carbonation), you should use somewhat lower temperature than the 70F (given that you don't let it warm up again before bottling). In such case, you should probably use something in between 70 and 33. But in general, the highest beer temperature post fermentation (before bottling) is your choice.

That explains my confusion. Now I understand it better. Thank you.

 

[doug293cz]

Here is the essential information. What comes to the amount of priming sugar, temperature where the bottles are kept does not matter at all (but it matters for carbonation, you want to keep the bottles at room temperature (at the suggested fermentation temp of the yeast strain in question) for a couple of weeks so that yeast remains active and carbonates the beer).

There is actually one more thing that can complicate the process of choosing the best temperature for calculations. If the temperature of the beer (primary fermenter) at the end of fermentation is, say 70F, there is often quite a bit of carbon dioxide in the large headspace of the primary fermentation vessel. If you then cool it down heavily, say you are cold crashing (in the very same primary vessel) to 33F, some of the head space CO2 will redissolve in the beer and for optimal carbonation results (to avoid some excessive carbonation), you should use somewhat lower temperature than the 70F (given that you don't let it warm up again before bottling). In such case, you should probably use something in between 70 and 33. But in general, the highest beer temperature post fermentation (before bottling) is your choice.

The amount of CO2 reabsorbed during cold crashing is usually insignificant, unless you cold crash for more than 2 - 3 days. I did a full analysis of CO2 reabsorption during cold crashing (warning lots of math and physical chemistry.) Turns out even if you cold crash long enough for the headspace and beer CO2 to come into equilibrium (a week or more), the error in target carbonation level is not much.

Brew on