Too little priming sugar

[colhep67]

So I have a pumpkin ale that I let ferment for 14 days and cold crash for 7 days. I bottled 2 weeks ago and there is just a slight hiss when I open a bottle.

Now I know it can take a lot longer to bottle condition but here is my main question.......

Since I was cold crashing the temp of the beer was around 38'F. When I put the info in my calculator (2.4 vol CO2, 4 gallons, 38'F) it gave me a total of 2.41 oz of corn sugar. But at 68'F it gives me a total of 3.51 oz.

Did I royally mess this up by adding only 2.41oz?

Now my total batch size came out a little larger at 4.4 gallons and from what someone on here told me, it looks like I'm set around 1.9 vol CO2.

What can I do to increase total volume CO2? Do I need to lightly pour into a keg and force carb?

 

[myndflyte]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but you should have calculated your priming sugar based on the temp you are going to carb at. You can just open the bottles, add the correct amount of sugar and recap. It sucks to have to do it to every bottle though

 

[progmac]

it's going to be lightly carbed. i'd let it carb up for 3 weeks and then try it before determining that the carb is insufficient. it might be fine.

in the future, the temperature parameter with priming sugar relates to fermentation temperature. fermentation generates co2, some of which remains trapped in the beer. colder beer traps more, warmer beer much less. if you've ever degassed wine that has fermented at 60 and then degassed wine that fermented at 72, you can see the difference first-hand.

 

[Likefully]

fermentation generates co2, some of which remains trapped in the beer. colder beer traps more, warmer beer much less.

This is true for force carbing - the colder it is the quicker it will absorb the CO2.

But I have learnt not to factor in temperature in when calculating priming sugar - just go on the volume to be bottled. There is a long thread about this somewhere on HBT.

 

[fartinmartin]

You are keeping it in the warm after priming arnt you ? The bottles need to be at fermentation temperature to carbonate !

 

[colhep67]

Yes they are warm for the carbonation. Ok only for cold for the cold crash.

Thank you for all your help!

 

[colhep67]

If I do need to recarb, how would I go about doing this? Carb tabs maybe? Or just keg and force carb? Any ideas?

 

[myndflyte]

Get one of these things: http://www.mrbeer.com/sugar-measure

Just use the small end for a 12 oz bottle and it fits perfectly into the mouth of the bottle. No need for funnels or anything like that. Yeah you can't adjust your carbonation level but it's something simple that'll get the job done.

 

[colhep67]

Cool ok. It will be three weeks tomorrow bottle carbing and I'm gonna let one sit in the fridge for a couple days then try it. If it has a small amount of carbonation should I reduce the amount of sugar added?

 

[cjgenever]

Temp is based on the max temp reached after ferment has ended. Dissolved Co2 evolves out of solution as temp rises.

 

[Yooper]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but you should have calculated your priming sugar based on the temp you are going to carb at. You can just open the bottles, add the correct amount of sugar and recap. It sucks to have to do it to every bottle though

I say all the time how much I hate those priming calculators! First, most people who buy commercial beer don't expect beer carbed to "style" in most cases. Most people expect a certain amount of carbonation. The calculators would have you carb up some beers totally flat (stout, 1.5 volumes) or make bottle bombs (weizen, 4 volumes). Sure, cask ales are pretty flat, but bottled beer generally isn't.

The other part that screws it up is the temperature. The temperature is meant to help guestimate the amount of residual c02 already in the beer. Since no new c02 is generated when cold crashing, that is NOT the temperature to use. Same is true with the temperature the bottles are stored at- that's not the temperature to use, either, as any co2 that was expelled during fermentation won't return in a closed bottle. The proper temperature to use is the highest temperature the beer reached during or after fermention, when the c02 would have more readily off-gassed.

In my opinion, adding .75-1 ounce of priming sugar per finished gallon is ALWAYS correct. It doesn't matter the temperature, the style, etc, really, but for something lower carbed I'd use .75 ounce per gallon, and for a really nice carb level like in a light lager, I'd use 1 ounce. Super easy, and never wrong, and never once an undercarbed beer or a bottle bomb.

 

[fartinmartin]

Yup, bang on Yooper
I always use .8 per finished gallon

 

[funnelweb]

Have You tried to flip the bottles gently a few times each? This re-activates the residual yeast in the bottles and might give you a little more Co2. And then power up the temp!

Best Regards

Folke

 

[colhep67]

So my question is at an average temp of 78' (I'm in AZ) for just the bottle conditioning, how much more sugar should I add per bottle. I know that tool that @myndflyte told me about but some sugars already got eaten. Do I reduce the amount of sugar added? Or just put full amount of sugar measured for a full 12oz bottle?

I'm sorry guys I'm really confused.....

 

[fartinmartin]

If you insist on trying this, which I wouldn't ! I would just do one bottle.
I recon that given time you will have drinkable beers, and that after opening , adding more sugar and recapping they will be horrible.
So just try doing it on one.
I have in the past, blended a dodgy brew with a fresh fermentation brew and that did work.

 

[cjgenever]

So my question is at an average temp of 78' (I'm in AZ) for just the bottle conditioning, how much more sugar should I add per bottle. I know that tool that @myndflyte told me about but some sugars already got eaten. Do I reduce the amount of sugar added? Or just put full amount of sugar measured for a full 12oz bottle?

I'm sorry guys I'm really confused.....

THE ONLY TEMP THAT IS IMPORTANT IS THE MAX TEMP THE BEER REACHED AFTER FERM HAS ENDED. That will dictate the level of residual Co2.

I.e... If I pitch@64° and ramp to 70°, then cold crash, the temp input would be 70°.

It is simple and the people that are upset with the temp option are misunderstanding how it works. I find it very useful whether I carb to style or taste. Carbonation is a HUGE part of mouthfeel and perception of flavors.

 

[Likefully]

So my question is at an average temp of 78' (I'm in AZ) for just the bottle conditioning, how much more sugar should I add per bottle. I know that tool that @myndflyte told me about but some sugars already got eaten. Do I reduce the amount of sugar added? Or just put full amount of sugar measured for a full 12oz bottle?

I'm sorry guys I'm really confused.....

when i bottled my very first batch I didn't add anything to a few bottles as an experiment - those bottles were all flat so i opened them and dropped carbonation tablets in and recapped them. They all came out fine in the end. However, my starting point was zero, which is different to where you are now.

 

[Likefully]

If you insist on trying this, which I wouldn't ! I would just do one bottle.
I recon that given time you will have drinkable beers, and that after opening , adding more sugar and recapping they will be horrible.
So just try doing it on one.
I have in the past, blended a dodgy brew with a fresh fermentation brew and that did work.

Has anyone gained any experience since this thread died? Since reading Yooper's comment I have stuck with that advice and my carbonation has been spot on.

However, before reading that I bottled a maibock and added about 45grams too little sugar (for 22L of beer - i added 105g, when 150g would have been right).

This was the second batch I made following exactly the same recipe - the first came out nicely (well balanced all round), but this second (under carbed) batch is too sweet - I think more priming sugar would have dried it out.

I bottled at the beginning of August (2014) so can't see it drying out more on its own (i.e. without adding some sugar).

The beer is not flat, but not as fizzy as I would like it.

Should I try out adding sugar or is that not likely to dry it out?

 

[ncbrewer]

Has anyone gained any experience since this thread died? Since reading Yooper's comment I have stuck with that advice and my carbonation has been spot on.

However, before reading that I bottled a maibock and added about 45grams too little sugar (for 22L of beer - i added 105g, when 150g would have been right).

This was the second batch I made following exactly the same recipe - the first came out nicely (well balanced all round), but this second (under carbed) batch is too sweet - I think more priming sugar would have dried it out.

I bottled at the beginning of August (2014) so can't see it drying out more on its own (i.e. without adding some sugar).

The beer is not flat, but not as fizzy as I would like it.

Should I try out adding sugar or is that not likely to dry it out?

I can't see an extra 45 grams drying it out enough to notice. Also, adding more after conditioning is questionable. If it was me, I would go with it as it is. Homebrew doesn't always come out perfect - at least mine doesn't.

 

[fartinmartin]

I think we are at a different gig .
Of course you will make mistakes , we all do, still.
But the idea is to get it near right, rather than correct a cock up.
How on earth has your second brew not been drunk yet , mine are all gone within four weeks of bottling .
My suggestion for you is to brew more and get the hang of it .
I don't brew enough, I have a batch 44 bottles capped for 8 days now, and two FVs of about 22litres and resorting to vodka and scotch as I have run out of homebrew, don't you like beer ?

 

[Likefully]

My suggestion for you is to brew more and get the hang of it .
.... don't you like beer ?

I love the stuff so much I planned ahead...I stock piled hence I have some beers that are even older...and they are special.

 

[Likefully]

... I bottled a maibock and added about 45grams too little sugar (for 22L of beer - i added 105g, when 150g would have been right).

This was the second batch I made following exactly the same recipe - the first came out nicely (well balanced all round), but this second (under carbed) batch is too sweet - I think more priming sugar would have dried it out.

I bottled at the beginning of August (2014) so can't see it drying out more on its own (i.e. without adding some sugar).

Some feedback. I took the beers out the fridge, turn them upside down and left them like for 5 days, then turned them the right way and left them for another 5 days (i have kept most out of the fridge). The few I have tasted since doing this are way way better.

The sickly sweetness has disappeared.