alchol booster

Williams 728
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Mostly corn sugar and dry malt extract. Offered there only maybe because they are the first to think of it, or think people want to buy it.
 
Austinhomebrew said:
Our Alcohol Boost is not DME, LME or corn sugar. It is a blend of 55% Maltose and 45% Glucose. Corn sugar is Dextrose.

Many breweries use this sugar as an economic way to boost alcohol content without effecting flavor.

This blended sugar is more expensive than simple corn sugar, that is why there is a price difference.

Forrest
Austin Homebrew Supply
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http://homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=18059&highlight=boost
 
So those sugars should not effect the flavor of the beer, except the fact that there is 1% more alcohol.
 
Beerrific said:
So those sugars should not effect the flavor of the beer, except the fact that there is 1% more alcohol.
Click to expand...

[My 2¢]It is the opinion of this brewer that the alcohol is indeed part of the flavor profile of a beer. In a lot of beers, a 1% increase may not change it much but I know I've made beers where I added enough corn sugar to boost the 1% and notice a significant flavor difference. If you want more alcohol, drink more... or make bigger beers, I don't see a need to have a 6%ABV hefe or a 7% blonde.... [/My 2¢]
 
I always thought an alcohol booster was someone who supports the consumption of alcohol through money donations :cross:
 
Beerrific said:
Mostly corn sugar and dry malt extract. Offered there only maybe because they are the first to think of it, or think people want to buy it.
Click to expand...

Not true. The alcohol booster is a complex high maltose corn sugar. It is not ordinary corn sugar. Because this sugar is high maltose you only need 14 oz. to acheive a 1% alcohol boost. If you use regular corn sugar you will need much more to achieve the same alcohol. Since you don't have to use as much the flavor and color are not effected.

This sugar is also call Brewers Crystals. Many breweries use these crystals to boost the alcohol in their beers while keeping costs down and maintaining the color. We order it in large amounts from a huge distributor of grain. Sometimes when we order they are out because the manufacturer can't keep up with production. The breweries keep buying it as fast as they can make it. At least that is what we are told by the distributor.
 
Austinhomebrew said:
Not true. The alcohol booster is a complex high maltose corn sugar. It is not ordinary corn sugar. Because this sugar is high maltose you only need 14 oz. to acheive a 1% alcohol boost. If you use regular corn sugar you will need much more to achieve the same alcohol. Since you don't have to use as much the flavor and color are not effected.

This sugar is also call Brewers Crystals. Many breweries use these crystals to boost the alcohol in their beers while keeping costs down and maintaining the color. We order it in large amounts from a huge distributor of grain. Sometimes when we order they are out because the manufacturer can't keep up with production. The breweries keep buying it as fast as they can make it. At least that is what we are told by the distributor.
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That was your 14th post and I'd bet at least half of them are dedicated to defending the 1% ABV "kicker".

That's cool. I appreciate someone who can step in and talk about their product. HOWEVER, as a homebrewer, I hope you take what I have to say next into consideration:


One of the reasons I brew, one of the reasons I love it, is because I get to know exactly what I'm putting into my beer. I know the exact ingredients to the nearest fraction of an ounce and in most cases, I even know their chemical make-up. So when I see something that is described merely as a "kicker", I become highly skeptical. I think I speak for a lot of brewers here when I say that I would be far more inclined to purchase/experiment with it if I knew what it was. At least then I would be knowledgeable enough to read up on it and learn what it is and what happens when I add it.

To a great degree, homebrewing is about knowledge. Anything that attempts to obfuscate the information or limits knowledge, rightly IMHO, ought to be shunned.


That's just my humble opinion. No offense intended. I hope you at least think about adding a better description to the product....


Cheers!
 
Damn Squirrels said:
That was your 14th post and I'd bet at least half of them are dedicated to defending the 1% ABV "kicker".

That's cool. I appreciate someone who can step in and talk about their product. HOWEVER, as a homebrewer, I hope you take what I have to say next into consideration:


One of the reasons I brew, one of the reasons I love it, is because I get to know exactly what I'm putting into my beer. I know the exact ingredients to the nearest fraction of an ounce and in most cases, I even know their chemical make-up. So when I see something that is described merely as a "kicker", I become highly skeptical. I think I speak for a lot of brewers here when I say that I would be far more inclined to purchase/experiment with it if I knew what it was. At least then I would be knowledgeable enough to read up on it and learn what it is and what happens when I add it.

To a great degree, homebrewing is about knowledge. Anything that attempts to obfuscate the information or limits knowledge, rightly IMHO, ought to be shunned.


That's just my humble opinion. No offense intended. I hope you at least think about adding a better description to the product....


Cheers!
Click to expand...

It is simply a product that people want. I am not defending the product per se. Once a month on some forum someone asks what it is without asking us. Then everyone posts answers that are wrong. I am just trying to explain what it is.

No offense taken. We don't hide what the ingredients are. You should know exactly what goes in your beer. I am with you 1000%. It is a blend of 55% Maltose and 45% Glucose. It is a highly fermentable sugar. Simply that.

It is an extremely popular product. Over 6000 sold so far this year. A customer told us about it and said he would like us to carry the product. I didn't think it would be that popular, but you never know.

The product is not a necessity for sure. People just want it. You don't have to buy it. But when people misrepresent what the product is by just guessing, I feel I need to explain. I am not trying to push the product, it takes care of itself. But as you made clear, people should know what the product is, not speculation from people that haven't used it.
 
Austinhomebrew said:
It is simply a product that people want. I am not defending the product per se. Once a month on some forum someone asks what it is without asking us. Then everyone posts answers that are wrong. I am just trying to explain what it is.

No offense taken. We don't hide what the ingredients are. You should know exactly what goes in your beer. I am with you 1000%. It is a blend of 55% Maltose and 45% Glucose. It is a highly fermentable sugar. Simply that.

It is an extremely popular product. Over 6000 sold so far this year. A customer told us about it and said he would like us to carry the product. I didn't think it would be that popular, but you never know.

The product is not a necessity for sure. People just want it. You don't have to buy it. But when people misrepresent what the product is by just guessing, I feel I need to explain. I am not trying to push the product, it takes care of itself. But as you made clear, people should know what the product is, not speculation from people that haven't used it.
Click to expand...

Instead of explaining time and again as I know you have... why not just post the information on your website and kill all the speculation? The only reason people speculate is because you don't provide an answer yourself (at least not through the website). That is very frustrating for newbs and intermediate brewers who want to learn.

Call it a "kicker". Call it whatever will sell it. But give us beer geeks a little more of an explanation please. I don't think it's too much to ask and, in fact, I think it'd be a good business practice.

Just my humble opinion. Honest discussion here. Not trying to get into an argument, I'm just saying what I think.


Cheers! :mug:
 
Austinhomebrew said:
It is simply a product that people want. I am not defending the product per se. Once a month on some forum someone asks what it is without asking us. Then everyone posts answers that are wrong. I am just trying to explain what it is.

No offense taken. We don't hide what the ingredients are. You should know exactly what goes in your beer. I am with you 1000%. It is a blend of 55% Maltose and 45% Glucose. It is a highly fermentable sugar. Simply that.

It is an extremely popular product. Over 6000 sold so far this year. A customer told us about it and said he would like us to carry the product. I didn't think it would be that popular, but you never know.

The product is not a necessity for sure. People just want it. You don't have to buy it. But when people misrepresent what the product is by just guessing, I feel I need to explain. I am not trying to push the product, it takes care of itself. But as you made clear, people should know what the product is, not speculation from people that haven't used it.
Click to expand...

A suggestion: add the full product description with the option to add it to a kit.

This is where most people see it and if there is no question about what it is, there will be no questions about what it is:D And no one will guess and misrepresent your product. I answered (incorrectly as you pointed out) based on what I remeber reading on this forum from you (or some from AHS).

BTW, I think you are the only big online supplier that monitors this forum and answers specific questions...that is great.:mug:

EDIT: I see Damn Squirrels had the same idea and types faster than me.
 
Austinhomebrew said:
Once a month on some forum someone asks what it is without asking us. Then everyone posts answers that are wrong. I am just trying to explain what it is.
Click to expand...
So, why not end that problem once and for all by putting the full product description on the website, as Damn Squirrels suggests? I'm aware that it's described on the product (BrewVint Alcohol Boost) page, but I'm sure most shoppers come across it while selecting options for a kit...that's where you need full disclosure. It's easy to see why people would assume it's just a bag of dextrose. A single additional sentence there, and you'd never have to defend the product in public forums.
 
You are right. Thanks for the suggestion. I knew that the description was on the website and I thought it was on the recipe kits as well. I see now that it isn't. I will put a description there. I am certainly not trying to hide anything.
 
Austinhomebrew Thanks for the answer! And I'm new round theas parts, but I to am glad to see you on here. I asked for peoples thoughts and did not expect to get an answer from the source. If I see the ? posted another time I'll send them your way! Thanks everyone!
 
Austinhomebrew said:
You are right. Thanks for the suggestion. I knew that the description was on the website and I thought it was on the recipe kits as well. I see now that it isn't. I will put a description there. I am certainly not trying to hide anything.
Click to expand...


That's fantastic. Thanks for being around HBT. I'm all for supporting the brewshops that try to do their best for their customers. :mug:
 
Wow, it's always nice to see store owners engaged in the community and to take feedback! IMHO those are always the most successful stores. Please stick around AHS, we'd love to hear more from you!
 
I'm new here, but couldn't you achieve the same type of alcohol content increase through the use of Candi Sugar? I have made some at home and got a higher ABV and it didn't seem to effect the beer flavor at all.
 
fluteguy53 said:
I'm new here, but couldn't you achieve the same type of alcohol content increase through the use of Candi Sugar? I have made some at home and got a higher ABV and it didn't seem to effect the beer flavor at all.
Click to expand...

Using candi sugar in a beer recipe will almost certainly affect the color of the beer. Also, it will affect the flavor profile. Both are suicide if you're looking to compete with your beer recipe.

I've ordered four kits from AHS with the alcohol boost (i like a kick) and i haven't noticed a significant change in the flavor profile. The alcohol is certainly more apparent, but with appropriate conditioning that will mellow in time. My batches rarely last more than 6 weeks in the bottles!
 
You could use candi sugar but it would affect the flavor a little. More importantly the Alcohol Boost is only $1.99 for 14 oz. It is the least expensive way to increase the alcohol.
 

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