Carbonation Calculators

Carbonation is what transforms flat, finished beer into the lively pint you pull at your local. For UK homebrewers, getting carbonation spot-on is especially important because British styles vary enormously — a cask-conditioned best bitter might sit at just 1.5 volumes of CO2, while a wheat beer or Belgian-style ale could need 3.0 volumes or more. Our priming sugar calculator helps you dial in the exact amount of dextrose, table sugar or dry malt extract needed for your target CO2 level, accounting for residual carbonation left over from fermentation temperature.

If you have moved on to kegging — increasingly popular with UK homebrewers thanks to Cornelius kegs and affordable CO2 setups — the forced carbonation calculator and keg pressure calculator let you set precise PSI for your serving temperature, so you get a perfect pour every time. Balancing a draught system also means getting your beer line length right; too short and you will get nothing but foam, too long and the beer pours flat. The line length calculator takes the guesswork out by factoring in line diameter, serving pressure and height difference.

For bottle conditioning, patience is key. Most ales reach good carbonation in two to three weeks at around 18-20°C, but stronger beers and lagers benefit from longer conditioning. Use the bottle conditioning calculator to plan your timeline, and always check with the CO2 volume calculator to confirm the right target for your style — whether that is a gently carbonated ordinary bitter served in an imperial pint glass or a sparkling saison for a CAMRA festival entry.