Too Much or Too Little Sugar

[FlashmanAB]

Hi All,

My last two bottled brews have been made using a primer. One is a pear cider and the other a Blackrock Draught.
My beer brew has too much head, the bottle overflows while I sip at the poured glass, but becomes flat before I get to finish it.
I bottle 23 Litres using a primer made with 300 g of sugar. Is this too much?

 

[FlashmanAB]

I kept brewing notes:

1kg dextrose maltose mix


Safale 04


23 litres


Will use 300 g primer for roughly 22 L.


13.6 g/L


65% more sugar than previous.


I am happy with the carbonation. Update: A lot of head, bottles overflow and beer becomes flat quickly.


I also added a pinch of cloves. You can smell it. Glad I didn't add more though.

 

[manticle]

300 g in 23 L is more than twice what I would use. Depending on preferred carb level, I'd be looking between 100 and 180g dex or table sugar.
Make sure fermentation is properly finished before bottling and get those bottles somewhere safe (fridge preferable, wrapped in glad wrap or covered with heavy blankets) as 300 would be well likely to cause explosions.
Why 300?

 

[sponge]

I'd be tempted to uncap and then re-cap. As mants pointed out, they're on the verge of bottle bombs.

 

[FlashmanAB]

I wasn't sure where to start with regards to the mass of sugar.
We have only just bought digital kitchen scales and prior to that, I measured by the cup. My previous stout was under gassed and I think I have seriously over compensated.
If I vent the bottles, how do I do that and for how long? Do I just bleed them gently?
Thanks for your help in putting me on track.
I forgot to mention that the bottles are in my garage out of harms way.

 

[sponge]

So they're in the plastic bottles with caps? You should be able to open them all the way, bleed completely and re-tighten. There should be plenty of residual sugar to carb them up. How long ago did you bottle?

 

[maaark]

Next time try some carb drops from your LHBS/Woolies - no measuring required.

 

[eMPTy]

I recall when i was looking to brew a fairly high gravity belgian with fair carbonation the spreadsheet was saying only ~170g of dex for 23L

 

[FlashmanAB]

170 g. Well I did a poor job on this one.
I haven't used drops to date because I am too dumb to know how to dose bottles of various sizes. I use 500 mL and 750 mL crown seal bottles.
I will bleed them all on the weekend and hope for the best.
Thanks for the help!!

P.S. I bottled about 3 months ago.

 

[yankinoz]

Next time try some carb drops from your LHBS/Woolies - no measuring required.

Whether you use drops or a batch priming before bottling is a matter of what you find easier. The amount of sugar you need to add for a given carbonation depends on temperature, specifically the temperature the beer reached after active fermentation. It doesn't matter how you add the sugar.

 

[manticle]

The method you are using is fine (known as bulk priming). There are online calculators that can help work out the appropriate amount of sugar. No need to switch method if it suits - just watch the amount.

 

[peekaboo_jones]

Whether you use drops or a batch priming before bottling is a matter of what you find easier. The amount of sugar you need to add for a given carbonation depends on temperature, specifically the temperature the beer reached after active fermentation. It doesn't matter how you add the sugar.

Sorry for the noob question, what do you mean by "The amount of sugar you need to add for a given carbonation depends on temperature, specifically the temperature the beer reached after active fermentation. It doesn't matter how you add the sugar."

Do you simply mean, at time of bottling after fermentation is complete and wort temp is still around fermentation temperature or higher = you do not need as much sugar compared to a cold crashed wort -> bottling at the chilled temp?

 

[yankinoz]

Sorry for the noob question, what do you mean by "The amount of sugar you need to add for a given carbonation depends on temperature, specifically the temperature the beer reached after active fermentation. It doesn't matter how you add the sugar."

Do you simply mean, at time of bottling after fermentation is complete and wort temp is still around fermentation temperature or higher = you do not need as much sugar compared to a cold crashed wort -> bottling at the chilled temp?

The reason temperature matters is that the beer already holds CO2 at the end of fermentation. The amount of dissolved CO2 is higher the lower the temperature of the beer. The more there is in solution, the less you need from priming, and that is why which online calculators take temperature into account. What some do not tell you is that an increase in temperature after active fermentation drives some CO2 out of solution. So if the temperature went up for a day or two before bottling, use the later temperature in the calculation. If you bring it back down before bottling, the beer could pick up some from the headspace, but only a little.