What's Better: Corn Sugar or Powder Malt Extract

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gERgMan

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What's better for priming/conditioning of bottled beer, corn sugar or powdered malt extract? I imagine the corn sugar gives a slightly sweeter taste, does the malt extract give a more "beer" taste? Would the ratios be the same (i.e. would 125g of malt extract be equivalent to 125g of corn sugar for 5 gal batch)?
 
You should really do a search. This has been discussed many times this month alone.

Corn sugar does not give a sweeter taste. The sugars ferment...that's the point of putting them in there. In general, your priming sugar doesn't contribute much flavor at all because there is so little of it.

I think corn sugar is the best because it ferments quickly and cleanly and doesn't contribute any flavor, which is what you want. Priming sugar is for priming, not flavor.

Do a search and you'll see a wide range of opinions.
 
being relatively new and having never read any of the previous debates, I will humbly give you my two cents from having done both back in the days when I bottled. My personal opinion is that for some unknown reason, dme produces slightly tighter bubbles which I prefer over corn sugar. To me it gives a slightly better body and finish to the beer, but in the grand scheme does nothing to actual flavor...

I have been kegging since 2000 though, so this is just my distant recollection.
 
I only use DME b/c I am a purist. No other reason, really. Plus, it's one less thing I have to buy.
 
Normally it will take a little more DME for priming. I believe most recipes call for about 1 1/4 cup per 5 gallons? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm away from my books and haven't done it in a while.
 
Imperial Walker said:
yup. 0.75 c corn sugar or 1.25 c DME is the "baseline" carbonation amount.

-walker

I used .75 corn sugar in my wheat. I like it but it seems to be getting more carbonated as it ages... wondering if I should have used .5 cup. This is probably a preferance thing though....
 
Priming sugar is a fine and inexpensive way to prime your bottled beer. From reading many of the other threads it is the way to go, and as Rhoobarb (who has helped me personally on a lot of questions) says, DME is used because of choice. Priming doesn't add any, OK maybe a little, taste. It adds carbonation, the remaining yeast uses it pretty much all of it... Its not really a big argument, use what you want to, but IMVHO use priming sugar, its inexpensive, easy and simple. It gets the job done.
 
gERgMan said:
Albert Einstein defines insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

:off:

...which is why Einstein was all but irrelevant for the last thirty odd years of his career, while Dirac, Heisenberg, Pauli etc. developed an incredibly impressive and accurate physical theory (quantum mechanics).

Anyhoo...
 
For 15 years I have used Priming Sugar.

Tomorrow I am going to be brewing a Wheat batch. When I bottle it (In about 5-6 weeks), I will FINALLY try the DME route. I am hoping for tighter bubbles.
 
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