I must admit that after brewing for a few years I am still a supermarket brewer and don't really know dick about brewing (except that it can taste good sometimes but always gets you spastic). I was just wondering about the different sugars. I usually use dextrose as this is what a mate said to use when I started out and sometimes I use Coopers brew sugar or brew enhancers when I am feeling rich. I would like to know a bit more though as I have noticed a few recipies on this use glucose and honey etc. and mates have used golden syrup and stuff (a mate has said that I need to stick to simple sugars but I don't know how to determine this). Does the sugar have much influence on the final taste? Is it just a matter of trial and error in finding a sugar that you like and are their bad sugars that I should avoid? What do you guys use? Can I just use the cheapest sugar off the shelf or is this just asking for punishment?
Thanks
Sugars and the quest for a tastier drop
Sugars and the quest for a tastier drop
This is the writ of the Baron, thou art truly blessed.
Some observations I have made over the course of a couple of brews
White sugar will do the job, but can leave cidery tastes, and usually the head is not as good.
Raw sugar (as the only additional fermentable to a tin of Coopers Draught) was a bad plan. This was the first beer I had had to tip out in about 10 years of brewing. Although some unrefined sugar worked well in a stout.
Malt both light and dark will change the flavour profile of a beer, IMHO for the better.
Dextrose will brew right out without affecting the flavour of a beer. Will give a fairly dry if thin beer. Great for hot day lagers, (Coopers Bavarian and 800g Dextrose)
Maltodextrin adds body without altering the flavour. Is not fully fermentable, I;ve heard varying numbers on how fermentable.
Suggestions
When I first try a new tin I use 1kg Bodybrew / BE#1 (both 600g Dextrose, 400g Maltodextrin).
For normal brews I use either Brewbooster / BE#2 (both 500g Dextrose 250g LDME 250g Maltodextrin) or Ultra brew (500g LDME 250g Dextrose 250g Maltodextrin) These brews are great for everyday drinking and will also suprise you with the number of brews that will impress your friends.
A good one for darker ales is Liquid amber (500g Dextrose 300g LDME 200g Dark malt)
I Played around with the sugar mixes then found myself at the HBS buying seperate bags of light and dark malt, dextrose maltodextrin etc to mix up my own variations.
Experiment, find what works really well for you and let us know.
Cheers,
Greg.
White sugar will do the job, but can leave cidery tastes, and usually the head is not as good.
Raw sugar (as the only additional fermentable to a tin of Coopers Draught) was a bad plan. This was the first beer I had had to tip out in about 10 years of brewing. Although some unrefined sugar worked well in a stout.
Malt both light and dark will change the flavour profile of a beer, IMHO for the better.
Dextrose will brew right out without affecting the flavour of a beer. Will give a fairly dry if thin beer. Great for hot day lagers, (Coopers Bavarian and 800g Dextrose)
Maltodextrin adds body without altering the flavour. Is not fully fermentable, I;ve heard varying numbers on how fermentable.
Suggestions
When I first try a new tin I use 1kg Bodybrew / BE#1 (both 600g Dextrose, 400g Maltodextrin).
For normal brews I use either Brewbooster / BE#2 (both 500g Dextrose 250g LDME 250g Maltodextrin) or Ultra brew (500g LDME 250g Dextrose 250g Maltodextrin) These brews are great for everyday drinking and will also suprise you with the number of brews that will impress your friends.
A good one for darker ales is Liquid amber (500g Dextrose 300g LDME 200g Dark malt)
I Played around with the sugar mixes then found myself at the HBS buying seperate bags of light and dark malt, dextrose maltodextrin etc to mix up my own variations.
Experiment, find what works really well for you and let us know.
Cheers,
Greg.
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Oliver
- Administrator
- Posts: 3424
- Joined: Thursday Jul 22, 2004 1:22 am
- Location: West Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Does the sugar have much influence on the final taste, you ask.
Definitely. As Greg says, if you just add glucose you pretty much only add alcohol to the beer, with no body or taste. Adding light malt will change the taste, add sweetness and increase body (i.e. the beer won't be as thin), depending on how much you use. Using dark malt will add that lovely burnt flavor associated with stouts and other darker beers. I could go on hours about this ...
Go to the main website at http://www.homebrewandbeer.com and see Ingredients under the Homebrew heading for more information about malt and other ingredients.
Part of the beauty of homebrewing is that you can add different ingredients to create different tastes and styles of beer.
Happy brewing.
Cheers,
Oliver
Definitely. As Greg says, if you just add glucose you pretty much only add alcohol to the beer, with no body or taste. Adding light malt will change the taste, add sweetness and increase body (i.e. the beer won't be as thin), depending on how much you use. Using dark malt will add that lovely burnt flavor associated with stouts and other darker beers. I could go on hours about this ...
Go to the main website at http://www.homebrewandbeer.com and see Ingredients under the Homebrew heading for more information about malt and other ingredients.
Part of the beauty of homebrewing is that you can add different ingredients to create different tastes and styles of beer.
Happy brewing.
Cheers,
Oliver
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geoffclifton
- Posts: 239
- Joined: Thursday Oct 19, 2006 10:40 am
- Location: Nowra NSW
Re: Sugars and the quest for a tastier drop
Gooday Greg.
Your statement about Coopers Draught and raw sugar is of course true for YOU but mate it is not a blunt fact.
I'm into the years and hundreds of brews now. All K&K with untold variations of boiling, steeping, sugars, hopping etc.
My biggest problem was striking a crisp clean taste. No sweet syrup after taste etc,
I did not like Dex for brewing or priming. For me it has a sherbet twang. White sugar made a sweeter beer at 1Kg and thin at 0.5Kg. Extra malt is nice in winter beers but too sweet for summer quaffers.
Enter 18* temp controlled fridge brewing. Coopers Draught on 0.5Kg of raw sugar and primed on 150g of white sugar. This is a nice crisp 4% ABV summer beer which has got the nod from many visitors.
PM me when you are coming down the Hiway and I shout you a schooner.
Cheers, Geoff.
Your statement about Coopers Draught and raw sugar is of course true for YOU but mate it is not a blunt fact.
I'm into the years and hundreds of brews now. All K&K with untold variations of boiling, steeping, sugars, hopping etc.
My biggest problem was striking a crisp clean taste. No sweet syrup after taste etc,
I did not like Dex for brewing or priming. For me it has a sherbet twang. White sugar made a sweeter beer at 1Kg and thin at 0.5Kg. Extra malt is nice in winter beers but too sweet for summer quaffers.
Enter 18* temp controlled fridge brewing. Coopers Draught on 0.5Kg of raw sugar and primed on 150g of white sugar. This is a nice crisp 4% ABV summer beer which has got the nod from many visitors.
PM me when you are coming down the Hiway and I shout you a schooner.
Cheers, Geoff.
Re: Sugars and the quest for a tastier drop
So Greg do you still stand by that statement you made six years ago? 
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geoffclifton
- Posts: 239
- Joined: Thursday Oct 19, 2006 10:40 am
- Location: Nowra NSW
Re: Sugars and the quest for a tastier drop
Of course I never looked at the date. It came up unread and I wasn't logged on
Geoff.
