A customer just sent us a note asking about why we recommend 1.5 cups of corn sugar for bottling on our recipes when many others say 3/4 cup or 1 cup.  Carbonation levels vary by style of beer.  They also vary by personal taste.  So determining the “right” number is a difficult thing to do.  Since we largely support beginning and early stage brewers here at One Hour Brewing, we have posted recipes that are going to be good from the first try.  We also have posted sugar levels that are likely to please on the first try.  So here’s the general logic behind the numbers.

Most people who are getting into brewing expect to refrigerate their beer.  Many brewers prefer cellar temperature, but it’s fairly safe to say that most beginning brewers are putting their beer in the fridge.  Personally I like some beers at cellar temperature and some at fridge temperature, but that’s another topic.  So for now assuming that we intend to refrigerate finalized bottles (after carbonation) we need to get a level of carbonation that will withstand the lower temperature.  That means a higher level.  We have been quite disappointed with the level of carbonation in some beers at that temperature using less sugar.  Trial and error has shown that 1.5 cups works well for this for many recipes.

Style plays a huge part in how carbonated a beer should be.  A flat hefeweizen or a highly carbonated English ale, for example would not be as pleasant as one would expect.  Hence there is no “right” number for all recipes.  The recipes we have posted so far tend to be style where decent carbonation is required.

The final variable in the equation is how long you let the bottles sit before drinking.  A longer bottling period will allow smaller amount of sugar to ferment completely and generate a good level of carbonation.  Drinking within a few weeks of brewing, however, may not allow that to happen, and the higher sugar level will get better results more quickly.  That is not to say that you will have hugely over-carbonated bottles later on, but it is to say that it helps early on.

Lastly, that number is not enough to damage bottles in our long experience.  We have had glass bottles sitting for several years at this level without any difficulty whatsoever.

As always we’re aiming for the best experience for people using our instructions and recipes.  Let us know if you have feedback!