We’ve been struggling a bit with our bottle conditioning. The main issue is that we’re not thoroughly stirring in our corn sugar & water mixture into the beer and as a result we’re getting variation in the amount of carbonation in our beers.
But we just finished our first batch of Saison and surprisingly got it nice and dry with a 1.010 FG. Now I’m on pins and needles to get the right carbonation on this beauty. I realize that if we bottle condition we might not be able to safely get the carbonation appropriate for a Saison since we don’t use thick glass or corks. With this in mind we may just put it onto gas and drink it that way.
But if we do put this monster into bottles I want to make damn sure we get the carbonation right. Thankfully BYO.com provides this very handy chart to insure proper carbonation with dextrose monohydrate (corn sugar).
To get the level of carbonation you desire in your homebrew, choose a level of carbonation (from Section A) and subtract the amount of residual carbonation in your beer after fermentation (from Section B). This is the amount of carbonation you to add via priming sugar. The amount of carbonation produced by three different priming agents (anhydrous glucose, glucose monohydrate and sucrose) in 5 gallons (19 L) of beer is given in Section C.
For example, let’s say you fermented an American pale ale at 68 °F (20 °C) and plan to carbonate it with corn sugar (glucose monohydrate). From Section A below, you decide that you want your carbonation level to be 2.4 volumes of CO2. From Section B, you see that you should have 0.85 volumes of CO2 in your beer after fermentation at 68 °F (20 °C). Subtracting 0.85 from 2.4 gives you 1.55 volumes of CO2, the amount of carbonation required from the priming sugar. From Section C, you see that adding 4.5 oz. (128 g) yields 1.53 volumes of CO2, which is pretty close.
Section A: Levels of Carbonation in Various Beer Styles
| Style | Volume of CO2 |
|---|---|
| American ales | 2.2–3.0 |
| British ales | 1.5–2.2 |
| German weizens | 2.8–5.1 |
| Belgian ales | 2.0–4.5 |
| European lagers | 2.4–2.6 |
| American lagers | 2.5–2.8 |
Section B: Residual Carbonation Left Over After Fermentation
| Temperature (°F/°C) | Volumes CO2 |
|---|---|
| 47 °F (8.33 °C) | 1.21 |
| 50 °F (10.0 °C) | 1.15 |
| 53 °F (11.7 °C) | 1.09 |
| 56 °F (13.3 °C) | 1.04 |
| 59 °F (15.0 °C) | 0.988 |
| 62 °F (16.7 °C) | 0.940 |
| 65 °F (18.3 °C) | 0.894 |
| 68 °F (20.0 °C) | 0.850 |
| 71 °F (21.7 °C) | 0.807 |
| 74 °F (23.3 °C) | 0.767 |
| 77 °F (25.0 °C) | 0.728 |
| 80 °F (26.7 °C) | 0.691 |
| 83 °F (28.3 °C) | 0.655 |
Section C Carbonation Levels Added to 5 gallons (19 L) of Beer by Priming Sugar
C1.) Priming with anhydrous glucose (anhydrous dextrose)
| Glucose (oz.) | Glucose (g) | Volumes CO2/19 L |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 28.3 | 0.37 |
| 1.5 | 42.5 | 0.56 |
| 2.0 | 56.7 | 0.75 |
| 2.5 | 70.9 | 0.93 |
| 3.0 | 85.0 | 1.12 |
| 3.5 | 99.2 | 1.31 |
| 4.0 | 113 | 1.49 |
| 4.5 | 128 | 1.68 |
| 5.0 | 142 | 1.87 |
| 5.5 | 156 | 2.05 |
| 6.0 | 170 | 2.24 |
| 6.5 | 184 | 2.43 |
| 7.0 | 198 | 2.61 |
| 7.5 | 213 | 2.80 |
| 8.0 | 227 | 2.99 |
| 8.5 | 241 | 3.17 |
| 9.0 | 255 | 3.36 |
C2.) Priming with glucose monohydrate (dextrose monohydrate)
| Glucose.H20 (oz.) | Glucose.H2O (g) | Volumes CO2/19 L |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 28.3 | 0.34 |
| 1.5 | 42.5 | 0.51 |
| 2.0 | 56.7 | 0.68 |
| 2.5 | 70.9 | 0.85 |
| 3.0 | 85.0 | 1.02 |
| 3.5 | 99.2 | 1.19 |
| 4.0 | 113 | 1.36 |
| 4.5 | 128 | 1.53 |
| 5.0 | 142 | 1.70 |
| 5.5 | 156 | 1.87 |
| 6.0 | 170 | 2.04 |
| 6.5 | 184 | 2.21 |
| 7.0 | 198 | 2.37 |
| 7.5 | 213 | 2.54 |
| 8.0 | 227 | 2.71 |
| 8.5 | 241 | 2.88 |
| 9.0 | 255 | 3.05 |
C3.) Priming with sucrose
| Sucrose (oz.) | Sucrose (g) | Volumes CO2/19 L |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 28.3 | 0.39 |
| 1.5 | 42.5 | 0.59 |
| 2.0 | 56.7 | 0.79 |
| 2.5 | 70.9 | 0.98 |
| 3.0 | 85.0 | 1.18 |
| 3.5 | 99.2 | 1.37 |
| 4.0 | 113 | 1.57 |
| 4.5 | 128 | 1.77 |
| 5.0 | 142 | 1.96 |
| 5.5 | 156 | 2.16 |
| 6.0 | 170 | 2.36 |
| 6.5 | 184 | 2.55 |
| 7.0 | 198 | 2.75 |
| 7.5 | 213 | 2.95 |
| 8.0 | 227 | 3.14 |
| 8.5 | 241 | 3.34 |
| 9.0 | 255 | 3.54 |
To download a PDF file (156KB) of this document, click here.