Carbonated

[spunk]

What makes some beer more carbonated than others. I plan to make some someday. I make wine but want to venture to beer making someday I like the less carbonated smooth beers. Really sometimes all that carbonation in beer I buy bothers my belly. I really like trying the craft beers.i would try to use real additives I think maybe part of my problem is the natural flavorings at which could be anything.thanks

 

[maurtis]

Beer is usually brewed flat (like wine) and then carbonated. If kegging, you can carbonate with CO2 or nitrogen. If bottling, you add priming sugar to your bottling bucket, rack the beer onto it, then bottle. The residual yeast in the beer uses that priming sugar to create a little more alcohol and CO2, the carbonation.

So you can tune the amount of carbonation in the bottle by using more or less priming sugar.

 

[BernardSmith]

When I make beer I usually add a scant 1 oz sugar per gallon but as Maurtis says there is no law that you need to carbonate that much. If you make your own beer you can decide to ignore carbonation altogether or you can try carbonating with say 12 gms / gallon (an ounce is about 24gms) or 18 or 6 or ??? Alternatively, you can use standard carbonating practice, pour your beer but allow it to sit open in the glass for fifteen - thirty minutes before you drink it - much of the CO2 will have flown the coop.

 

[spunk]

Thanks I have a lot of reading to do before I jump into this. Last winter I saw a gal kit to make beer. Midwest wine I think. Maybe a good way to start?

 

[Boatboy24]

Thanks I have a lot of reading to do before I jump into this. Last winter I saw a gal kit to make beer. Midwest wine I think. Maybe a good way to start?

Not the most economical, but I think it's a good way. Check out Brooklyn Brew Shop too. They've got a nice selection of all grain, 1 gallon kits. I do a few each year.