stupid bottling question

[mjc393]

Hello,

I brewed my first beer ever (all grain edwort kolsch) two weekends ago. I am going to be letting it sit for another 2-3 days in the primary and then plan to bottle.

I have been collecting bottles since brew day and should have enough to handle my kolsch and apfelwein (although the apfelwein has another 2-3 more weeks before bottling)

The bottles are different sizes, so here is my question. If I am boiling an amount of sugar for a certain CO2 volume does it matter if I use different sized beer bottles? I am assuming no, as the bottle size shouldn't matter since I am adding the priming solution to the batch itself and not to individual bottles. Let me know if I am wrong as i would hate to ruin my first batch because of bottling.

btw this site is fantastic and has been very helpful (most of my questions throughout the brewing process were already answered here)

 

[likwidbliss]

It should make no difference if you are adding a sugar solution to your bottling bucket. Each bottle should get the needed volume. Make sure though you stir the beer after adding sugar. Don't splash it!

This is how I do it. I use 12 oz, 22 oz and 1 liter flip tops from the same batch, all carb fine.

 

[pwndabear]

You'll be ok as your primining solution is going to be evenly distributed throughout the whole of the beer, so you don't have to worry about how much is getting into your bottles as the correct ratio will be in there to begin with.

I really think you should send me a bottle though, just to make sure you did everything ok

 

[Grinder12000]

Actually there is a difference but for your purposes it will make no difference. For instance - Party Pigs need 1/3 less sugar for the same carbonation. I have found that bombers are a tiny bit more carbonated then the same 12 oz bottles but not enough to care about.

The larger the container the less sugar you need. Don't ask me about the reason - I knew at one time but I believe I killed those cells a few weeks ago. My bad.

A Party Pig is a brain fry though for math experts. Half the batch needs 1/3 less sugar

 

[Revvy]

You boil the same amount of sugar regardless of the bottle size. The beer doesn't know what size container it is going into and doesn't need to. It's going to produce the same volume of co2 in each bottle and that is based on the the amount of sugar fed to the beer.

Now what will happen is that the smaller size bottles will be ready sooner than the larger sized. I have some pints, 22 oz bombers and other sizes that I often use, but since I enter contests I usually also do a sixer or two of standard 12 ouncers for entering. And inevitably the 12 ouncers are done at least a week faster than the larger bottles....some times two weeks ahead of time...

Also the rule of thumb is 3 weeks at 70 degrees for a normal grav 12 ounce bottle....to carb and condition....It takes longer for the yeasties to convert the larger volume in the bigger bottles to enough co2 in the headspace to be reabsorbed back into the solution...A ration I don't know how much...

Big Kahuna gives a good explanation here...

Simple. It's the ration of contact area just like in a keg. The c02 will need to pressurize the head space (Which takes LESS TIME) in a bigger bottle (More Yeast and sugar, roughly the same head space) but then it has to force that c02 into solution through the same contact area...thus it takes longer.

There's a lot of good tips on bottling and info on carbing and conditioning, here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/

 

[tvtoms]

I just bottled using 12 ounce, 16 ounce, 22 ounce, and a couple of plastic 25 ounce. I like the smaller better because they are ready sooner. I've used a mix before and it seems pretty universal. The larger ones take longer due to less surface area to volume ratio or some such mathematical wizardry.

 

[Nate5700]

Revvy: I've seen you mention a few times here that 3 weeks at 70 degrees for carbing/conditioning is what you want. I've seen in some other places to do 2 weeks at 70 degrees and then a week in the fridge, since CO2 absorbs better in cold solution. Do you think it makes a difference?

The 2 at 70, 1 in the fridge seems to make some sense. You have 2 weeks for pressurizing the bottle and then a week in the fridge for absorption into the liquid. But, the yeast probably go to sleep during the week in the fridge, so they don't make any more CO2 during that time. The other way you get an extra week of fermentation, so more CO2, but you're still at a higher temperature so you don't get the higher absorption rate.

It almost seems like it would be a wash, but if you put it in the fridge earlier you have cold beer faster. But I just started this so I don't know. Thoughts?

 

[Revvy]

Revvy: I've seen you mention a few times here that 3 weeks at 70 degrees for carbing/conditioning is what you want. I've seen in some other places to do 2 weeks at 70 degrees and then a week in the fridge, since CO2 absorbs better in cold solution. Do you think it makes a difference?

The 2 at 70, 1 in the fridge seems to make some sense. You have 2 weeks for pressurizing the bottle and then a week in the fridge for absorption into the liquid. But, the yeast probably go to sleep during the week in the fridge, so they don't make any more CO2 during that time. The other way you get an extra week of fermentation, so more CO2, but you're still at a higher temperature so you don't get the higher absorption rate.

It almost seems like it would be a wash, but if you put it in the fridge earlier you have cold beer faster. But I just started this so I don't know. Thoughts?

You still need to generate the co2 before you can absorb it, AND you need warm temps in order to CONDITION your beer. If you chill it the yeasties go dormant....and no more co2 is produce and little if any conditioning may occur. The 3 weeks is an average for average beers, obviously lower grav beers may reach carbonation in a shorter time, as well as higer grav beers taking longer. Some may take months.

If you read the threads that I answer on a daily basis, 99% of the posters saying their beer is un carbed are openning them at around two weeks, so it's not too hard to fathom why we suggest 3 weeks....