Bottle priming calculation

[MLAllier]

Hello,

Does anyone know of an online tool, an Excel file, or best practices to calculate the adequate amount of priming sugar for bottle refermented beers?

We are getting varied results by simply using the Beersmith tools and the Beer Carbonation Tester: http://www.gwkent.com/beer-carbonation-tester.html

We are considering buying a Zahm & Nagel CO2 volume meter but we are unsure about the best process to calculate the proper dextrose amount to ensure perfect carbonation.

THX!

[rdcpro]

If your beer is carbonated well under 1 volume (less than 3500 mg/l) prior to bottling, you can use a carbodoseur to measure the initial volume. I think getting a handle on how much CO2 you're starting with is necessary here. While a Zahm might be perfect for carbonated beer, measuring low CO2 volumes in an essentially still liquid isn't going to be very accurate with it. A carbodoseur is a pretty inexpensive device used in the wine industry to measure lower levels of CO2.

Regards,
Mike Sharp

[dick murton]

There are lots of calculators out there on the web, often homebrewers' ones, but if you go to the fermentis website and look in tips and tricks, thye have quoted a really simple one on page 10. Note that you need to know how much fermentable sugar you have in the beer at the point you add extra sugar, and of course a good idea of the dissolved CO2 level at that point.

I think this is the simplest version I have seen - so got to be worth a try.