Pour some Dextrose on me?

So there I am standing at “the Thirsty Brewer” collecting some of the assorted “stuff” I was missing…ie an auto siphon, more “crowns” or bottle caps, a cylinder, carboy brush, priming sugar…wait what? I looked at Tom the master brewer of the shop and I know I gave him the deer in the headlights look. I thought sugar was sugar, you know the white stuff that is in pretty much everything? He then proceeded to talk about sucrose and dextrose and went into the differences. This is where things kinda got blurry. Not that he did a bad job explaining it but rather that my mind started on its own journey. The fact that sugar affected my beer was something i had never thought of. This was what i needed to write about, a better understanding about the different types of sugar and it’s effects on my beer. I wondered what I’ve been using all along…that was easy, it was the stuff in that bag. You know the stuff you buy at the Homebrew supply store….priming sugar, but what is this priming sugar?

Hope you have a minute because I will try to explain it without getting into too much detail. Now the reality is that there is a lot to know about the different types of sugar. The interesting thing about sugar is that it is considered an adjunct or a flavoring when it comes to beer brewing. So let’s see…where do I even start? I guess I should start by saying that I’ve read a couple different books and will try to sum it all up. So here goes…

Let’s talk about processed sugars or refined sugars. The first one that I seem to find in many products is Fructose. Fructose may sound familiar because it is, it’s what you find in fruits. This type is 1 1/2 times sweeter than that of refined white sugar or sucrose which we will talk about shortly. Next we have Dextrose, this one I hope rings a bell unlike for me until now! Dextrose or Corn Sugar which by the way is also a refined sugar is probably the most popular choice among home brewers for use in priming. The reason for it being so popular is due to it being highly fermentable and that is what you need in order to create the carbonation in your beer bottles. If you’re not familiar with how this happens I suggest reading “Homebrewing for Dummies” by Marty Nachel as a good way to catch up. Now another plus to using Dextrose is that it’s inexpensive and easily found. Last but not least it does not affect your brews taste, but then again since you’re not using much none of them really do. Next is Glucose which is like a brother to Dextrose and is also found in many fruits. This one only has half the sweetness of ordinary sugar or sucrose and is also referred to as starch syrup. Then comes Sucrose which primarily makes up ordinary or table sugar. This what is found in sugar cane, sugar beets, sorghum, and malted grain. A quick note here about table sugar is that it can be used as a substitute in a pinch but keep in mind that it contains a little Fructose which is a more complex sugar and so will take a little more time to be broken down by your yeast. The flip side to this is that it will leave a sharp or hot flavor in your beer, so consider this one before using. Also keep in mind you will not need as much as you would normally use if you were to use dextrose. Lastly there is Lactose which at first glance says this is in milk, why put it in your beer. Interestingly a little lactose 4 ounce in 5 gal will add some body and a little sweetness to your brew. Now lactose is unfermentable milk sugar so you only want to use enough to sweeten your brew. All in all you don’t want to use this one for anything but sweetness.

Now I know I said I would try to keep it short so I will forgo the rest of the sugars which are natural sugars such as honey and maple syrups…..they are not used for priming anyway. I will leave those for my next post. In the mean time crack open another one of your home brew’s, sit back, relax and enjoy unless you haven’t finished bottling!

~ by beerandcake on June 10, 2012.