Do you have to add sugar when bottling?

[richard_langford]

Just curious really as I did my first ever brew today, it's my daughters 3rd bday in 2 weeks time and my father in law is coming to the party, he's just set up a microbrewery in North Cyprus and I'd like him to try some of my brew, only thing is could I just bottle it put it in the fridge and drink it? Is there a quick and cheap method of carbonating the beer?

 

[angryyoungman]

The only way to carbonate beer that i know of is either add sugar or force carb (if kegging) as you're bottling, yes you need sugar. If you just bottle and put it in the fridge you'll get cold flat beer. The basics of carbonating are that you add a little bit of pure sugar that the remaining yeast can digest easily and fast to create CO2. Since it is in the bottle and the bottles are capped, the CO2 cannot escape and it fills the head space, then is forced into the remaining liquid. Then after the yeast digest all the sugar and go dormant you have CO2 and beer. The reason you put it in the fridge is because colder temperatures force gases into liquids, so the CO2 the yeast made from the bottling sugar is forced into the liquid over a few days and you end up with carbonated beer. It's actually a pretty interesting little bit of chemistry that occurs. But in short, yes you absolutely need to add sugar at bottling or there will be no CO2 and therefore no carbonated beer.

 

[homebrewdad]

The only choices you have are to force carb (as in with a keg) or to naturally carb (with priming sugar).

Three weeks @ 70 degrees F is the baseline for carbonation on typical gravity beers (higher gravities or cooler temps can make the process that longer). That being said, quite a few people get carbonation in two weeks.

Bottled beer with no priming sugar is going to be flat as a board. The mouthfeel will suffer badly, and it would make the beer appear watery and less flavorful. Go on, prime and bottle, and keep the beer warm.

 

[Channel66]

The only way to carbonate beer that i know of is either add sugar or force carb (if kegging) as you're bottling, yes you need sugar. If you just bottle and put it in the fridge you'll get cold flat beer. The basics of carbonating are that you add a little bit of pure sugar that the remaining yeast can digest easily and fast to create CO2. Since it is in the bottle and the bottles are capped, the CO2 cannot escape and it fills the head space, then is forced into the remaining liquid. Then after the yeast digest all the sugar and go dormant you have CO2 and beer. The reason you put it in the fridge is because colder temperatures force gases into liquids, so the CO2 the yeast made from the bottling sugar is forced into the liquid over a few days and you end up with carbonated beer. It's actually a pretty interesting little bit of chemistry that occurs. But in short, yes you absolutely need to add sugar at bottling or there will be no CO2 and therefore no carbonated beer.

Pretty much. Chemistry and fluid dynamics dictate the speed I'm which you can bottle carb.

If you want it ready for him and it means that much to you, go to your lhbs and buy a kegging setup so you can force carb, otherwise it won't be ready.

 

[Channel66]

The only choices you have are to force carb (as in with a keg) or to naturally carb (with priming sugar).

Three weeks @ 70 degrees F is the baseline for carbonation on typical gravity beers (higher gravities or cooler temps can make the process that longer). That being said, quite a few people get carbonation in two weeks.

Bottled beer with no priming sugar is going to be flat as a board. The mouthfeel will suffer badly, and it would make the beer appear watery and less flavorful. Go on, prime and bottle, and keep the beer warm.

From my understanding he brewed it today. No way it well ferment and be ready in the bottle in 2 weeks time

 

[BigEd]

Quick? Yes. Cheap? Not exactly but not outrageous either. Other than bottle conditioning you can force carbonate with CO2. Many homebrewers use five gallon soft drink kegs. They are pretty easy to handle, clean and store. You will need the keg(s), a CO2 tank with regulator along with tubing for the gas and the beer service. You will also need a refrigerated space for the keg(s) as the beer needs to be chilled for best carbonation and you probably don't want to drink room temperature beer.

Here is a typical homebrew draft system: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...-systems/5-gallon-keg-system-new-new-keg.html

This is a handy accessory that allows you to carbonate a brew on the spot in a plastic soft drink bottle. http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/kegging/draft-bottling/the-carbonator.html

 

[richard_langford]

Thanks for your replies, so the 2 weeks of fermenting will be up in 2 weeks, I'm new to brewing so bottling is the obvious road I'm going down for cost, I've got a full size fridge set up in my garage ready for the beer/keg if needed, if fermentation is complete within the 2weeks and I did get a keg and carbonate it, could it be drinkable on day 15 after brew day?

 

[Channel66]

Thanks for your replies, so the 2 weeks of fermenting will be up in 2 weeks, I'm new to brewing so bottling is the obvious road I'm going down for cost, I've got a full size fridge set up in my garage ready for the beer/keg if needed, if fermentation is complete within the 2weeks and I did get a keg and carbonate it, could it be drinkable on day 15 after brew day?

What kind of beer is it?

15 would be pushing it close, but if it's a low to medium gravity beer, with a quick yeast I'd say you could pull it off with a keg and force carbing. Definitely search and read up on force carbing, a quick search will get you a ton of information on it.

 

[BansheeRider]

Thanks for your replies, so the 2 weeks of fermenting will be up in 2 weeks, I'm new to brewing so bottling is the obvious road I'm going down for cost, I've got a full size fridge set up in my garage ready for the beer/keg if needed, if fermentation is complete within the 2weeks and I did get a keg and carbonate it, could it be drinkable on day 15 after brew day?

Kegging is a whole different process. When I force carb my beer is ready in 3-5 days. Another method is the "set and forget" method, which normally takes about 2 weeks for the keg to equalize and carbonate your beer depending on temperature. If your beer was done fermenting in 10 days you could have drinkable kegged beer on day 15. However when people do this they complain about having green tasting beer. I personally keg after 3-4 weeks of fermentation if I decide not to use a secondary.

 

[homebrewdad]

From my understanding he brewed it today. No way it well ferment and be ready in the bottle in 2 weeks time

lol... yep. I somehow missed that part. I thought it was already at terminal gravity. Duh.

OP, its not going to be ready in time. Even if you kegged it, it likely would not be ready. I'm thinking that it will still be quite green, even if it were carbed.

Relax and give the process some time.

 

[Channel66]

Kegging is a whole different process. When I force carb my beer is ready in 3-5 days. Another method is the "set and forget" method, which normally takes about 2 weeks for the keg to equalize and carbonate your beer depending on temperature. If your beer was done fermenting in 10 days you could have drinkable kegged beer on day 15. However when people do this they complain about having green tasting beer. I personally keg after 3-4 weeks of fermentation.

Yeah that's what I'm thinking, you could have carbonated beer at best. But it's not likely going to be good enough to be proud of.

 

[richard_langford]

I'm from the uk and its a kinver half centurion OG 1047 FG 1008 5%, EBU 45 EBC 12, meant to be quite a nice beer, I think I'll just wait at the moment for the bottling process to take its course, I am interested in the legging method though, I haven't researched that at all, what would be the best route as a starter kit?

 

[woozy]

I feel your pain.

But it'll be much easier to simply accept that the beer will just not be ready in 15 days in the same way that tomatoes won't be ready until august and the pregnancy is going to take a full nine months. Any false hopes you might grasp at that through some hypothetical reality loophole that it's possible if you use a specific yeast, dry ice, a centrifugal chamber, and dress in reflective mylar when you sip it, that one can create something that can be called beer and drink it within 15 days, are best given up earlier. *Only* disappointment lies in that direction.

Your beer will *not* be drinkable in 15 days. No beer will. Accept that and enjoy the fantastic beer this will be in the early days of august and you'll be much happier then you will be when you look on your father-in-laws look of utter disgust as he forces down something undrinkable and you stammer "well, they told me it would be a long shot but I actually hoped..."

You can hope, but it won't happen.

Trust us. We've all been there. At least metaphorically.

 

[BansheeRider]

I'm from the uk and its a kinver half centurion OG 1047 FG 1008 5%, EBU 45 EBC 12, meant to be quite a nice beer, I think I'll just wait at the moment for the bottling process to take its course, I am interested in the legging method though, I haven't researched that at all, what would be the best route as a starter kit?

This is really all you need for a keg kit..... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00485L32W/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

And of course a fridge to put it in.