dme as priming sugar
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You can use DME as a priming sugar, but you'll need more of it since it is less fermentable than sucrose. Google "bottle priming calculator" for help on amounts. I have no idea how much per bottle you'll need - it is actually recommended that you bulk prime the batch, but I don't know if this is possible with mr beer.
dbreienrk1
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I have never put dme directly in the bottle and have always used corn sugar for priming. I have also never but sugar in a bottle like that. I always dissolve the sugar in boiling water, let it cool, and then add it to the bottling bucket. There are always multiple ways to skin a cat, but putting anything in the beer that hasn't been pasteurized increases the chances for infection.
The rule of thumb is 1 oz (weight) of corn sugar per gallon of beer. This is a very loose guideline and really depends on the style of beer. I often do between 3.5 and 4.5 ounces per 5 gallon patch, but it really depends on the style.
The rule of thumb is 1 oz (weight) of corn sugar per gallon of beer. This is a very loose guideline and really depends on the style of beer. I often do between 3.5 and 4.5 ounces per 5 gallon patch, but it really depends on the style.
I've done both dextrose and dme and do not notice any difference in flavor.
I do not recommend dme however cause i do notice beers
primed with dme tend to end up with more alcohol then originally planed for some reason.
Not that this is a bad thing, just my experience.
Tim
I do not recommend dme however cause i do notice beers
primed with dme tend to end up with more alcohol then originally planed for some reason.
Not that this is a bad thing, just my experience.
Tim
DoubleAught
Well-Known Member
I did a Hefe with DME recently. I like the carb lvl, I'm going to try it again.
Here's a good calculator...
http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html
Here's a good calculator...
http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html
ChessRockwell
Well-Known Member
How do you know? This really shouldn't be the case... unless you used too much, but then they'd be overcarbonated as well.
I am curious too. Can't for the life of me figure out how you could measure something like that....
Pez.
Just-a-Guy
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With a measurometer.
prrriiide
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I've never used anything BUT dme. Great results almost all of the time.
Simply by drinking it, 2 of the exact same beers one primed with dextrose
the other with dme.
The alcohol buzz seamed to hit a little quicker with the
one primed with dme.
making me think it's slightly stronger.Not sure why this is, Could have been a fluke though.
I'm about to brew a Scottish Export 80/- and that calculator says to use 0.5 oz of corn sugar for 5 gallons. I didn't realize they were that low carbonation. It almost seems wrong.
What is really strange is that if I use the calculator at Northern brewer I get about 3.5 oz of corn sugar for 5 gallons.
Simply by drinking it, 2 of the exact same beers one primed with dextrose
the other with dme.
The alcohol buzz seamed to hit a little quicker with the
one primed with dme.
Not sure why this is, Could have been a fluke though.
IF they were carbed to the same level, this is not possible - amount of CO2 produced is directly proportional to the amount of alcohol produced. Besides, bottle priming adds tenths of a percent to the ABV. Any difference that might arise between DME and sugar would be imperceptible - probably hundredths of a percent.
I use it, and it's fine. I haven't noticed difference between it and corn sugar (dextrose).
About those priming sugar calculators, I'm not really a fan. They go by temperature, which is confusing for some people who want to put in the "current temperature" instead of "fermentation temperature" or the highest temperature the beer had reached during or after fermentation. It's because colder fermentations "hold" onto dissolved co2 better, but oftentimes people do allow their beer to get to room temperature (like with lagers and a diacetyl rest). Also, to carb "to style" is sort of difficult for some. Yes, it's true that English bitters on cask are pretty flat- but not bottled beer. Those tend to be carbed.
Even though I appreciate that some beers have more carbonation than others, I still never go under about 2.0 volumes since I do like carbonation in my bottled beer. I also never go over about 2.7, even for traditionally higher carbed beers and I'm not a fan of foaming when the beer is opened. So for me, it's almost always 4-5 ounces of corn sugar per 5 gallons for bottling, regardless of what I'm making.
The thing I do like about priming calculators is to compare the amounts of different sugars. If I'm using 4 ounces of corn sugar, for example, I can see the alternatives and amounts- maybe 3.7 ounces of sucrose. That's helpful if I'm using table sugar.
i switched over to DME a few months ago and really like the results. 9 times out of ten, corn sugar worked fine for me, but sometimes with lighter brews, i noticed the bottled versions seemed to lack something. i started using extra light DME, and have been really pleased with how my bottled brews turn out, if for nothing else the head is more dense, like that of my legged brews. in lighter beers, i no longer notice the lack of body/mouthfeel that i sometimes got when using corn sugar. one thing, DME will take a tad longer to ferment out that CS, so give the bottles an extra week or so to carb up.
Great advice!
momobono
Well-Known Member
Pezman1 said:
If you pop a bottle, let it de-gas for a couple hours in a warm space, then throw your hydromathingamabob in there, you can actually find the true FG of a beer from the bottle - if you're super curious. In my eyes it's not worth it, because like other have said, bottle conditioning yeast add next to zero alcohol. Once carbonated, the co2 level in the beer is too high to allow yeast to poop out more ethanol.
What I was getting at is that the alcohol difference would be so incredibly slight for what drhookmec was talking about that I don't see how you could accurately measure it with the tools available to homebrewers. We might be talking .00001?
Pez.
That would be about right for a draught version, but for bottled, you want to up the carbonation to about 2 - 2.5 volumes CO2
-a.
Viejo
Active Member
I've been curious about alternatives to corn sugar, specifically whether DME produces a smoother, more solid head and better lacing. I had a cask conditioned Marsten Pedigree Bitter at a local pub last weekend, and I loved that faint yet silky smooth carbonation. I wonder how they condition their cask beers.
Well, I'd say that there's a lot more that makes a cask brew what it is than just the priming sugar, but from what I gather the common priming sugars would be either wort (which is what DME would be) or the simple sugars like we use in home brewing; dextrose, sucrose, etc. Casked beers are a thing of beauty, a local pub here in town usually has their IPA on cask and I try to stop in for one whenever I'm in that area. I'd love to be able to replicate that in a bottled beer. DME definitely adds character to a bottled beer, but it's not a guaranteed improvement, when used in the right beer though it's great!
Obviously, it's been awhile since I posted one this thread about DME, so I've used it a lot more. It definitely does give a smoother carb and tends to give the beer a denser head. I usually get great retention regardless of priming sugar or force carbing, so I can't say if DME helps with that. Also, it does lend to the overall malt flavor of a beer, and I don't think it's the best choice for hops forward styles like IPA, or beers that should be quite dry like cream ale or light lager unless you're considering the added maltiness when creating the recipe.
Really, if you're curious, try out some different sugars. I'm still playing around with priming different beers with different sugars. I mainly use DME, dextrose or a blend of the two, but I recently bottled a Burton ale with light brown sugar.
Viejo
Active Member
Great feedback. I started brewing in March, and using BeerSmith's carb calculator has been pretty reliable for all 10 of my IPA series so far. I know there's a lot more to cask conditioning than the sugar, but I wondered if DME contributed additional dimension and creaminess. I also appreciate your thoughts on DME in IPAs.
If I'm conditioning 4 weeks using corn sugar, how much longer will DME take?
If I'm conditioning 4 weeks using corn sugar, how much longer will DME take?
Ya know, I haven't noticed a real increase in time, maybe a week or so. A bit longer in a bigger beer. I'd say my avg. time is 4-6 weeks, depending on the gravity. What I've noticed is that it doesn't really take longer to carb up, it's that it needs a bit of extra time to condition after carbing. Probably due to the extract contributing flavor and not just co2 (?).
IPAs and pales are my thing too.... It will add depth to the beer, and you'll definitely notice it in IPA. It will lower the perceived bitterness a bit, what I try do is just make sure I make my IPAs plenty hoppy, and it doesn't detract from the beer. I use BeerSmith too, and basically what I do is if I want say 50 IBU from the bittering hops, I plug in an amount to get ~52-53, maybe 55. Probably not important, but it makes me feel better and I've never really thought the DME hurt the bitterness of the beer if I consider it while making a recipe. If I'm going for really crisp, I use corn sugar, or table sugar. But if it's a brew that I want a bit more feel to, I'll use DME or a blend (usually a ~50/50 for IPA).
Give it a try, from the sound of it, you'll probably find that it adds something to some of your brews.
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