Booster Question

i have moved on from the mr beer setup to 5 gal setup. when i first started with the mr beer i ordered 15 packets of their "booster" on accident. first off what exactly is "booster". is it corn sugar? and what can i do with it now that im entirely into the 5 gal batches and on my way to the all grain in the future.

thx

Its probably corn sugar. I'd use it for priming sugar.

Boster is actually a mixture of Maltodextrine and corn sugar.

If you have a lot of it you can use it in other beers for body and a boost in ABv, but you can also use it in ciders. I used a half pack of it in place of straight malto dextrine in a batch of Ed wort's Apfelwein.

It also may be great for priming and work somewhat like "heading powders" (such as Kreamyx) which some folks use as priming sugar to get creamy heads.

so i can use it for priming sugar, will the malto dextrine affect the carbing at all?

BMWMK2 said:

so i can use it for priming sugar, will the malto dextrine affect the carbing at all?

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I think I answered that in the above post.

maltodextrine is unfermentable, the complex sugars are too large to get through the cell membrane. (that is if my membrane is still working). it will add fullness to the mouthfeel.

you would have to make sure that you added ENOUGH of the booster to get the proper amount of priming sugar.

brewmonk said:

maltodextrine is unfermentable, the complex sugars are too large to get through the cell membrane. (that is if my membrane is still working). it will add fullness to the mouthfeel.

you would have to make sure that you added ENOUGH of the booster to get the proper amount of priming sugar.

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The corn sugar will act as the priming agent while the maltodextrine would give the head/ creamy mouthfeel.

I can't remember if the packaging tells the % of malto to corn sugar, but if you know that you can calculate how much to use in priming.

AH HA!! from the mr beer website...
Use Booster™ to add alcohol and body to any recipe without the dry, cidery taste that comes from using sugar. Each pouch of Booster™ adds about 1.3% abv per batch.

Booster™ is made from corn syrup solids, and is ideally suited for use as a brewing adjunct. It provides a full and balanced range of both fermentable and unfermentable sugars that is designed to mimic the carbohydrate profile of all-malt wort, consisting of 8% glucose, 56% maltose, 16% maltotriose, and 20% dextrins.

soooo... how much do i use for 5 gals for priming?

hey, interesting! I would have never thought it was anything other than straight corn sugar. If you don't use it to prime, you can always do what Rev suggested and add it to ciders.

so if i add a some of this to any of the extract kits it will just boost the alcohol content and add mouth feel to the beer? again im new to this and learning
thanks

BMWMK2 said:

so if i add a some of this to any of the extract kits it will just boost the alcohol content and add mouth feel to the beer? again im new to this and learning
thanks

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Yes just like it would in your mr beer. Except you would use twice as much as you would in a 2.5 gallon Mr beer batch.

Did anyone ever figure out how to use the booster to prime? I too have assloads of it and don't know what to use it for.

BMWMK2 said:

so if i add a some of this to any of the extract kits it will just boost the alcohol content and add mouth feel to the beer? again im new to this and learning
thanks

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It will definitely boost the alcohol content. However, I'm not sure how much to add to 5-gallon recipes. You want to make sure that you don't add too much, because you wouldn't want to change the color/taste/mouth feel too far from your anticipate beer style.

I just called Mr Beer and the lady told me she has no idea what the ratio would be for priming. She also said that the amount of maltodextrin would be so negligible you probably wouldn't notice a difference between using the booster vs corn sugar. I don't know if I buy that.

I think im going on the safe side and going to order some muntons can extract and just use it up in those recipes , theres calls for a similar "add pack".


"This kit requires an extra 2 pounds of fermentable sugar to reach its optimal flavor and alcohol content. Because our Beer Kit Add Pack is a blend of dried malt extract, malto dextrin, and corn sugar, it will provide the best results, much better than regular granulated table sugar. Add the complete canned kit upgrade and receive our Beer Kit Add Pack, priming sugar, and detailed instructions."

i would hate to ruin a $50 beer kit

AHS has something called BrewVint Alcohol Boost:
A 14 oz (392g) bag.
The BrewVint Alcohol Boost is 55% maltose and 45% glucose. This dry sugar adjunct will boost the alcohol content without changing the taste, color, or aroma of the beer. One 14 oz bag will boost the beer 1% ABV.
Usage: Add during boil with rest of sugars and adjuncts.


For less then $2 you can crank up the potency of your brew without impacting your beer's characteristics.

Has anyone else tried this before with good results? Does this effect your OG reading?

I also have a handful of this leftover that I'd like to use for something, ideally priming but I have no idea of the ratio either.

RyanK2 said:

I just called Mr Beer and the lady told me she has no idea what the ratio would be for priming. She also said that the amount of maltodextrin would be so negligible you probably wouldn't notice a difference between using the booster vs corn sugar. I don't know if I buy that.

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I am guessing then there is no way to use this as a priming solution if Mr. Beer doesn't know this information. Per Palmer I think all I would need is the % of fermentability and percent solids.

Then compared to cane sugar it would be...

(3.7 oz)*(100% ferment)*(46 PPG) for sugar DIVIDED BY (____ oz) (XX% ferment) (XX PPG).

You could use it for priming, and after a couple of goes, you might figure out what the right amount to use is.

I'd suggest replacing 12 ozs of LME with a single booster packet in a 5 gallon batch to get rid of it. They have the same gravity points, and similar fermentables, and 12 ozs in 5 gallons will account for about .005 gravity.

OR, just add a pack of booster to any recipe to increase nthe gravity by .005.

I don't think you would want to use any more than a single pack in a single 5-gallon batch.

I think Revvy probably has the best suggestion. Use it in cider to add a little sweetness. And if you have not brewed any cider before, it is easy!

Revvy said:

The corn sugar will act as the priming agent while the maltodextrine would give the head/ creamy mouthfeel.

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You will have to introduce me to this girl "maltodextrine"


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