Sugar and bottling

[TheEagleRising]

So reading up on sugars and bottling I noticed part of the calculation had temp.

How key is that?

Won't the temp fluctuate as you transfer to bottling bucket then into bottles?

I am doing a standard brown ale @ 5gl. I read that Brown sugar can add some flavoring, advice?

Thanks

 

[shoengine]

Anecdotally, I've got nothing. However, according to Brewer's Friend's calculator:

Temperature of Beer used for computing dissolved CO2:
The beer you are about to package already contains some CO2 since it is a naturally occurring byproduct of fermentation. The amount is temperature dependent. The temperature to enter is usually the fermentation temperature of the beer, but might also be the current temperature of the beer. If the fermentation temperature and the current beer temperature are the same life is simple.

However, if the beer was cold crashed, or put through a diacetyl rest, or the temperature changed for some other reason... you will need to use your judgment to decide which temperature is most representative.

 

[Mothman]

Common advice is to use the highest temperature achieved after active fermentation is done.

 

[JimRausch]

I second Mothman

 

[TheEagleRising]

So just so I'm understanding, whatever the final temp is on bottling day use that in the sugar calculator?

 

[kh54s10]

I was under the impression that this is the highest temperature reached while fermenting. If you have a beer that has been cold crashed, then it warms up to ambient. How is it going to gain any carbonation?

 

[JimRausch]

So just so I'm understanding, whatever the final temp is on bottling day use that in the sugar calculator?

No. Use the highest temp that the beer has reached since the end of fermentation. For example with the fluctuating temps lately, the last ale I bottled fermented at 66*. But afterwards I know the basement where I stored it while waiting for bottles to empty, got as high as 75*. 75 was what I entered in the calculator. And YES, it does make a difference. Try adding other temps in the calculator and watch what happens to the amount of sugar you need to add.

 

[JimRausch]

I was under the impression that this is the highest temperature reached while fermenting. If you have a beer that has been cold crashed, then it warms up to ambient. How is it going to gain any carbonation?

Think about the physics. Without getting too technical, CO2 is produced only during fermentation. If you cold crash below your fermentation temp, you won't lose or gain any CO2. But if the temp rises above fermentation temp, then CO2 will be off-gassed to the limit of the new temp and atmospheric pressure. So use whatever your highest temp has been after no more CO2 is being produced. Which if you have great temp. control, may be fermentation temp.

 

[TheEagleRising]

So checking daily temps during fermentation and use highest temp during?

 

[Yooper]

So checking daily temps during fermentation and use highest temp during?

The daily temps shouldn't fluctuate much, so you don't have to be too anal about checking the daily temperatures, and a ballpark is fine. If you fermented at 68 or so, and then it may have gotten up to 70 degrees later, that doesn't matter. If you fermented at 55, then did a diacetyl rest at 70, then lagered at 34, then you'd use the 70 degree temperature to avoid undercarbonation.

for the most part, 66-72 or so isn't going to make much difference but wide temperature variations like 55 to 70 will.

 

[TheEagleRising]

Man I am learning so much in a short span. So truth be told I fermented somewhere between 60-70 honestly didn't record. And when I was checking gravity the other day my room I thought was fairly cool, my temp read 76-78. So I put in a bucket of water and wrapped a towel. And I'm sitting at 72-75 right now I think. Man I hope this works out.

 

[davidabcd]

Man I am learning so much in a short span. So truth be told I fermented somewhere between 60-70 honestly didn't record. And when I was checking gravity the other day my room I thought was fairly cool, my temp read 76-78. So I put in a bucket of water and wrapped a towel. And I'm sitting at 72-75 right now I think. Man I hope this works out.

I'm sure everyone above is correct and very accurate; but, I wouldn't worry. I've found beer very hard to mess up. In four years of making beer, I've never changed the room temperature, cooled the container or warmed it or measured the sugar specifically based on temperature and the beer has been better than fine each time.
I'm not saying don't follow the recipe, but there is a point. Enjoy yourself.

 

[balrog]

I used to worry about degrees also, it's a natural thing for us dataphiles, but as @Yooper says, fret thee not. I'm paraphrasing. Go with 70 and you'll be fine. You'd not notice the difference between 2.37835 volumes of CO2 in a beer from 2.41628 anyway. Furthermore, you'll find slight diffs in bottles anyway. Nature of the beast and all that. Use 70, you'll be fine; heck, many have used kits that have 3/4cup sugar no matter the temp and it's been okay.