So I want to convert to strictly 22 oz bottles.
The gentleman at my local homebrew store told me back when I was having trouble with carbonation (just starting out) that I needed to alter my sugar levels based on the size of the bottle I’m using.
I haven’t had much trouble so far, but I hate tp put so much work into a brew for it to be off.
Should I consider altering my sugar amount? (Usually 2/3 cup of Corn Sugar (dextrose)
Nope, just prime as usual and fill the larger bottles.
+1.
If you’re batch priming, then the size of the bottle is irrelevant.
And while you’re at it, you can save some money by using table sugar rather than dextrose. There’s no flavor difference, it’s considerably cheaper, and you can use less of it to boot.
Base on the theory that you use less sugar when naturally carbonating in a keg, because the combined head space of the bottles is greater than the head space of the keg, the combined head space of 5g’s of 22’s is less than 5g’s of 12’s.
How much less should you use? Good question. It’s going to be based on the residual carbonation of the beer. Dependent on the temp of the beer (warmer beer holds less CO2).
I would purchase a kitchen scale that reads in both oz’s and grams. More precise measuring than with a cup. Start off with 3.5 oz.
[quote=“Nighthawk”]Base on the theory that you use less sugar when naturally carbonating in a keg, because the combined head space of the bottles is greater than the head space of the keg, the combined head space of 5g’s of 22’s is less than 5g’s of 12’s.[/quote]I’ve bottled hundreds of gallons across the range of bottle sizes and there’s no difference in the carbonation, perhaps because the headspace is proportional (22oz = ~2x headspace of 12oz, 2L is = ~5x, etc.).
The displacement of the bottling wand is the same whether it is in a 22oz/12oz/1lt/750ml bottle.
So the total head space of fewer 22oz bottles would be less than the total head space of more 12oz bottles.
Or am I thinking with my big toe?
[quote=“Nighthawk”]The displacement of the bottling wand is the same whether it is in a 22oz/12oz/1lt/750ml bottle.[/quote]Well, that’s true on the 12 v 22 size, but the bigger bottles (1L and 2L) get filled to about 2" below the lip, so there is much more headspace in there. But no matter what the reason, the volume of the container does not, IME, have any impact on the carbonation level as long as you fill to a reasonable level (way under-filled will obviously yield less CO2 for the space and result in an under-carbed beer).
Thanks Guys. I appreciate the info.
Like I said, I haven’t had any trouble so far, but am always looking to improve.
