I just used 2 different calculators and both say that my target CO2 volume for Dead Ringer IPA should be 2.3, and to get that I should use 3.7 oz of corn sugar. I’m also about to bottle a batch of Innkeeper, which I guess would be a British Pale Ale style (is it?), and am getting 2 totally different amounts ranging from 0.3 oz corn sugar (tastybrew.com) to 3.74 oz (the Beer Recipator). Tasty brew is advising that a BPA’s CO2 volume should be 1.025, whereas the Beer Recipator is saying 2.3. :?
I’ve made Dead Ringer in the past w/o a priming calculator and arbitrarily used 5 oz of corn sugar and cannot complain about the results. The 3.7 oz seems low but not totally out of the park. The 0.3 for the Innkeeper seems totally wrong. :shock:
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Of course I’m literally about to bottle so this issue has me in a tailspin. :evil:
You just need to decide how much carbonation you’d like. At that point all the calculators should give you the same answer. 1.0 vol is almost flat, but if that’s what you want then 0.3 oz is the correct amount. IMHO British ales are better at 1.8-2.0 vol.
I hate flat beer and always use 5oz minimum so far. I would not use less than 5 oz for dead ringer and that is one i have just made. in fact I might go 5.5 next time.
English beers are served with low carbonation, which why you’ll get results like that. I usually aim for about 1.5 with bitters, to try to recreate the low carb of a cask ale. You’ll be fine with what you did, though.
Dead Ringer IPA is an IPA, not a bitter. Tastybrew has a vategory for that, and it says to use 2.7oz of corn sugar for 5gal fermentated at 65F. Much closer than your earlier result.
:? I never said anything was a bitter. I was calling The Innkeeper an British pale ale for lack of a better definition, and Tastybrew went off the deep end with that and advised 0.3 oz of corn sugar. Both of those calculators were telling me to use 3.7 oz of corn sugar for 5 gals of IPA at 65.* So I quasi-averaged my own experience (of using 5 oz corn sugar) with the calculator and decided to use 4 oz for both batches.
make sure you numbers are right. Little typos can really throw off priming calcs.
The Inkeeper should be carbed low, 4 oz will get you beer but be over carbonated IMO.
4oz should be fine for the other but may even be a bit high, depending on the final results of the beer.
Dont worry with what you did you will have adequate carbonation
Adding that much carbonation to an Ordinary Bitter will ruin it, I guarantee.[/quote]
using 5 oz that always comes in kits, is always way overcarbonated in my experience. With kits by the time I bottle I am down to 4.5 gallon or so and usually use no more than 3.5oz maybe 4. All depending on temp/gravity and what I am brewing.
For the record, when I used corn sugar for priming bottles I would use 4 oz maximum. For me, that was a good level and I thought that 5 oz created an overly-lively beer. If making any kind of English beer where the carbonation should be a little less, I might use 3.5oz or whatever. I used to buy kits that came with a 5-oz bag of priming sugar but I eventually just made my own recipes and used a big bag of priming sugar I found at my LHBS and measured out 4 ounces for each batch. Cheers.
:? I never said anything was a bitter. I was calling The Innkeeper an British pale ale for lack of a better definition, and Tastybrew went off the deep end with that and advised 0.3 oz of corn sugar. Both of those calculators were telling me to use 3.7 oz of corn sugar for 5 gals of IPA at 65.* So I quasi-averaged my own experience (of using 5 oz corn sugar) with the calculator and decided to use 4 oz for both batches.[/quote]
Sorry, I looked back and saw the Dead Ringer and didn’t read thoroughly. The Innkeeper is more of a Best Bitter isn’t it? They all call for low carbonation levels though.
I make lots of Best Bitters and will generally use the high side of the recommended volumes of CO2 (1.3vol), but I absolutely do use tastybrew. If you entered the right ferm temp (which is a little dicey, since you need to know your beer temp not just ambient) then it will get you where you need to go. Lower CO2 levels is part and parcel of British pale ales, and so is a 50F serving temp. You get great malt flavors coming through with your hops this way.
[quote=“tom sawyer”]Sorry, I looked back and saw the Dead Ringer and didn’t read thoroughly. The Innkeeper is more of a Best Bitter isn’t it? They all call for low carbonation levels though.
I make lots of Best Bitters and will generally use the high side of the recommended volumes of CO2 (1.3vol), but I absolutely do use tastybrew. If you entered the right ferm temp (which is a little dicey, since you need to know your beer temp not just ambient) then it will get you where you need to go. Lower CO2 levels is part and parcel of British pale ales, and so is a 50F serving temp. You get great malt flavors coming through with your hops this way.[/quote]
I’ll let you slide… this time.
I use those stick-on thermometers from NB, and I feel they are accurate as all 4 of them read the same ambient temp as well as matched the reading of a regular thermometer that I have calibrated (pretty neat seeing the degree or two increase in temps during active fermentation). Since this is my first adventure in tweaking carbonation levels, it is probably a good thing that I didn’t stray too far from what I’m used to doing. I will definitely keep thorough notes on this and go from there. It will be interesting to see how mouth feel affects the taste.
Thanks, Dave!
