G'day and Dextrose

[Chrismb]

Hi Guys,
great forum you have here, I have been browsing, searching and sucking in as much info as I can over the last week or so.

I have been an on and off brewer for a while now, and kinda gave up after getting a bit sick of what I called the "Home Brew Taste!!", no matter what brew I did it would still have the same lingering aftertaste which was pretty yuk.

After trying a mates brew I was bloody impressed, it was an awesome brew and he reckoned that it was using malt instead of dextrose that made it taste that much better.

I'm sure there are a lot of factors that make a brew taste better, but is it fair to say that dextrose gives the beer that funny "homebrew taste"???

I've just bottled a coopers ale batch using a can of malt and a mix of dry malt and dextrose and 25g of Cascade hops (added just prior to racking for a week) and out of the fermenter it was almost drinkable!! Looking forward to seeing the end results but I hope I am on the right track

Cheers

Chris

[Oliver]

Chris,

It certainly sounds like you're on the right track.

Malt instead of or subsitituted for some of the dextrose/sugar/glucose will make a big difference. Then try adding some grain and extra hops and you'll be amazed.

The world's your oyster!

Oliver

[Dogger Dan]

Concur with Oliver

Dogger

[NickMoore]

hiya chris, been making beer for about 6 months and my first batch made with cane sugar adjunct I gave away because of that "homebrew twang". second with dextrose better. now exclusively do all-malts and would take mine over commericials (even coopers) any day.

if you then take the very easy step to using specialty malts (eg crystal) you'll be amazed at the improvement. so much fresher and smoother. 250 grams of crystal is quite cheap and you just bung it in a sterilised stocking and steep in hot water (circa 70 degrees C from memory) for 20 mins and chuck in the fermenter.

[MHD]

How much fermenter... and how much sugar/dextrose does this replace (ie what affect on the starting gravity)

[Oliver]

Just replace the 1kg (or whatever) of sugar/dextrose with malt.

Or replace it with 500g malt and 500g destrose, if you want a lighter-bodied beer.

The "malt" of which Nick speaks are grains, and are there only to add colour and flavour, and add negligible, if any, fermentables. Therefore, they're in addition to the liquid or dried malt extract and dextrose.

By the way, the use of the term "malt" is used interchangeably by homebrewers to mean "malted grain" or "malt extract", which can be quite confusing!

However, context usually tells you which one (for example you wouldn't put malt extract in water and steep it for 20 mins).

Also, when talking of malt extract, it's usually referred to as "light malt" or "dark malt".

You'll pick it up, I'm sure.

Cheers,

Oliver

[bobbioli]

If anybody cares, I at one time went with the 1 KG of dex, but have now chnged to no more than 6000g of dex. HA anyway I"m havin A Mead as we speak. I know its not ready but I'll jus try

[bobbioli]

MMMMMMM it don't taste to bad just give it 5 more months, that sucks

[NickMoore]

oli makes a good point as usual.

the "specialty malts" come in grain form. they need to be cracked (the shop can do this) and steeped in hot water. the liquid is then added to your brew.

when I say I do "all-malt" beers, that means all malt "extract" - either liquid in a can, or dry in a packet (usually both).

this is different to the "all-grain" brewers, who make their own malt wort through mashing (soaking) cracked malted barley grains, and often specialty grains as well.

but if you just replace the 1kg dex with 1kg dry malt "extract", or 1.2kg liquid malt "extract", you'll be very happy with the result. add some finishing hops and you'll be turning your nose up at carlton crown in no time.

http://www.howtobrew.com is a good site.

[Naikii]

Ive been wondering about this aftertaste as well... I wouldnt say it is bad though.. kinda lingers on your tongue like cream does... strange tho.. so its the dextrose?

[General]

Dextrose is absolutely totally fermentable, meaning:

Dextrose = C6H12O6

Ethanol = C2H6O

Carbon Dioxide = CO2

So, for each kg Dex, once fermented, you get 600g Ethanol, and 400g CO2.

That leaves nothing for an aftertaste.

[Tyberious Funk]

I'm not sure I see the point in dextrose. Like most homebrewers, I used it in my early brews because it was recommended (and easily available). But since it ferments completely, all it does is add alcohol content to a beer. And since I'm aiming for flavour in my beers, rather than a knock-out effect, alcohol content isn't really a consideration.

Up until recently, I was using it for priming. But these days I don't even use it for that either.

[yardglass]

Up until recently, I was using it for priming. But these days I don't even use it for that either.

hey TF,

what are you priming with now ?

yg

[Tyberious Funk]

Up until recently, I was using it for priming. But these days I don't even use it for that either.

hey TF,

what are you priming with now ?

yg

White sugar.

I know it is considered a homebrew taboo to use sucrose, but I've read some literature on the matter. Basically since the volume of sugar being used for priming is quite small, the difference between priming with sucrose versus dextrose versus malt extract is pretty small (in flavour terms, at least).

So consequently, I have used white sugar for my last couple of batches. And they've tasted fine. Admittedly they have been ales... with a fairly robust body and a distinct flavour... so I can't comment on how dextrose would impact on a more subtly flavoured lager. Perhaps others could comment.

[Tipsy]

I'm not sure I see the point in dextrose. Like most homebrewers, I used it in my early brews because it was recommended (and easily available). But since it ferments completely, all it does is add alcohol content to a beer. And since I'm aiming for flavour in my beers, rather than a knock-out effect, alcohol content isn't really a consideration.

Up until recently, I was using it for priming. But these days I don't even use it for that either.

I've heard some brewers say they use it to give the yeast something easy to consume in the early stages of fermentation. Haven't got a clue whether it's true or not.