Corn sugar vs. DME
- Thread starter mayo6155
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
celticcolorado
Well-Known Member
Basically DME just costs a whole lot more. My.opinion is that when your just making bubbles, go the least expensive route.
bknifefight
Well-Known Member
I have never understood people wanting to prime their beer with other sugars. They cost more money, the amount used is so small that it will make very little difference (if any) in the flavor of the finished beer. And there is always the question of how much to use. Corn sugar is cheap, will do its' job very well and it is documented very well how much to use.
TyTanium
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2011
- Messages
- 3,976
- Reaction score
- 612
And table sugar is even cheaper.
Prime with what you like. For me, table sugar is cheapest and doesn't require a special trip to the LHBS - I always have some. Some say there's a difference; maybe so, but I've never noticed a difference. If I want more flavor/malt, then I'll just change my original recipe.
I ran a test on this years ago. DME taakes longer to carb and you have to know how fermentable it is to use it. It offered no advantages I could find. Sugar is tasteless, reliable an inexpensive.
Is there really any advantage of using corn sugar over cane sugar? I always use corn sugar but it would be nice to know if there is a difference. Like somebody mentioned above, the amount of sugar we are adding at bottling is so small I'd be surprised if it affected the taste much. It would be interesting if somebody had ever tried an experiment testing corn sugar, sucrose, honey and DME.
There is no advantage to corn sugar over cane sugar. I have done the experiment you describe, and also included force carbing, brown sugar' and I think one or two other things (hey, it was 15 years ago!). I tried to get them all carbed to about 2.5 vol. of CO2. After 2 months of aging I asked 4-5 homebrewers to do a blind tasting. None could tell which was which or had a preference for one over another. The bottles primed with DME were inconsistent, though.
bknifefight
Well-Known Member
I have heard that corn sugar makes for a better head retention while cane sugar will give you larger bubbles. I think it's bull**** though.
Great, one less thing I need to worry about running out of when bottling!
I don't want to take this thread too far off-topic but...
Just so my mind doesn't get blown too much with this thread, if I want to add 1-2 lbs of sugar to my IPA to dry it out, corn sugar is better than table sugar, right? Plain old sugar makes things taste worse than corn sugar if you use large amounts or is this false too? For bottle conditioning its ok to use sucrose because its only a few ounces. If we added more we'd get some sort of cidery taste or am I just living a life in fear and myths?
Just so my mind doesn't get blown too much with this thread, if I want to add 1-2 lbs of sugar to my IPA to dry it out, corn sugar is better than table sugar, right? Plain old sugar makes things taste worse than corn sugar if you use large amounts or is this false too? For bottle conditioning its ok to use sucrose because its only a few ounces. If we added more we'd get some sort of cidery taste or am I just living a life in fear and myths?
MaddBaggins
cervisiam vitae
DME only for me. When I first started brewing there was a taste I didn't like and I thought it was the sugar. As soon as I went to DME, that taste went away. That was about 13-14 years ago. I've used only DME since.
joshualoomis
Well-Known Member
most DME also contains some crystal malt and even some carapils. it is my belief that this is the major difference when people swear DME is better than corn sugar. it is what is being left behind after the yeast finish eating the fermentable sugars in the DME that creates the perception of a smoother mouthfeel (or 'tinier bubbles'). although at five ounces per five gallons, this would be pretty minimal.
CO2 is CO2; DME doesn't make a different gas in the beer than corn sugar.
since corn sugar is fully fermentable, that is what i typically use when bottling.
cheers.
-disclaimer: i am no chemist, so this all could be hogwash.
CO2 is CO2; DME doesn't make a different gas in the beer than corn sugar.
since corn sugar is fully fermentable, that is what i typically use when bottling.
cheers.
-disclaimer: i am no chemist, so this all could be hogwash.
MaddBaggins
cervisiam vitae
TyTanium
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2011
- Messages
- 3,976
- Reaction score
- 612
Myth. Doesn't matter. If cane/beet sugar is good enough for the Belgians, it's good enough for me. Table sugar is a disaccharide, so some effort is expended to break it apart, but the yeast are fully capable of doing so (assuming healthy yeast). If added during the boil, the acidity & heat start breaking it apart too (process called inversion).
The cider thing is a remnant of the "Kit & Kilo" days where 50% plus of the fermentables were sugar and the yeast was of questionable health. Home & Pro brewers today use plenty of table sugar with no issue and no cider.
Of course, corn sugar is totally fine too. But for me, table sugar is ridiculously cheap and available, so I'll continue to use it.
TyTanium
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2011
- Messages
- 3,976
- Reaction score
- 612
I don't doubt your account, but I wonder if it was simply a process improvement on your part? A lot has changed in 13-14 years too, so I wonder what would happen if you tried sugar again. Worth trying I guess, if you're at all interested in saving some pennies. If not, prime away with DME.
If you do try it, and the taste comes back, I'd be interested to hear it.
Table sugar will work every bit as well as corn sugar in your beer. I've done it dozens of times. You have fallen victim to an old myth that has been disproven.
Prime some with sugar and some with DME. Wait a month or so then do. blind triangle tasting.
lpdjshaw
Well-Known Member
If you're after consistancy/acuracy corn sugar is the way to go. DME can be different based on type, producer, age, .....
MaddBaggins
cervisiam vitae
Denny said:
I don't think I could bring myself to use sugar again.
I rarely bottle anymore also, so its a moot point for me.
Nope, you need more DME because it's less fermentable.
Do you like Belgian beers? Do you know that most Belgian brewers (and many British brewers) use sugar in their beers? I think you're unduly prejudiced. It's your beer but I would hope that curiosity would drive you to at least double check your theory.
MaddBaggins
cervisiam vitae
For curiosity's sake, I will have to try sometime. I'm actually planning on bottling a Saison I have fermenting. It's been 4 weeks, I may bottle it this weekend.
Table sugar always.
If there is something in the DME that you want in your beer, adjust your recipe.
If there is something in the DME that you want in your beer, adjust your recipe.
Palmers guideline is 3/4 cup of corn sugar weighs 4 oz(113g), approximately equivalent to 2/3 cup table sugar or 1 1/4 cups DME.
According to Kai, by weight, Corn sugar is 91% of the strength of table sugar and DME is roughly 68%.
Back to our example, 113g of corn sugar is equivalent to 103g table sugar or 155g of DME.
If that seems off, its because of the different densities. ½ cup of sugar is about 100g, corn sugar 89 and DME is 50. Scales are more accurate than measuring cups.
I dont see any reason to use DME for priming. Corn sugar and table sugar are nearly the same, except for cost.
Slainte
According to Kai, by weight, Corn sugar is 91% of the strength of table sugar and DME is roughly 68%.
Back to our example, 113g of corn sugar is equivalent to 103g table sugar or 155g of DME.
If that seems off, its because of the different densities. ½ cup of sugar is about 100g, corn sugar 89 and DME is 50. Scales are more accurate than measuring cups.
I dont see any reason to use DME for priming. Corn sugar and table sugar are nearly the same, except for cost.
Slainte
harrymanback92
Well-Known Member
So I typically use corn sugar to carb, however I ALWAYS use DME for light beers. You can argue that there is no noticeable difference, however it's undeniable that DME has unfermentables. In my experiences DME lends a "creamyness"(best way I can describe what I perceive) that you simply don't get with sugar, as sugar is totally ferment able.
So, for example I made a hefe I wanted to finish out at 1.011-1.014. It finished at 1.010. Priming with DME brought me up to 1.012, exactly what I wanted. I also recently made an IPA that I wanted to finish at 1.015, and it finished at 1.014. For that beer I used sugar because it was pretty much exactly what I wanted.
Also, people say sugar is cheaper than DME, which is true, but (in my case) you're talking about the difference between 1 dollar and 3 dollars; if you can't cover a two dollar difference this probably isn't the right hobby, IMO.
Use DME when you want to have a slightly fuller beer, and sugar when your numbers are right on the marks.
Cheers.
So, for example I made a hefe I wanted to finish out at 1.011-1.014. It finished at 1.010. Priming with DME brought me up to 1.012, exactly what I wanted. I also recently made an IPA that I wanted to finish at 1.015, and it finished at 1.014. For that beer I used sugar because it was pretty much exactly what I wanted.
Also, people say sugar is cheaper than DME, which is true, but (in my case) you're talking about the difference between 1 dollar and 3 dollars; if you can't cover a two dollar difference this probably isn't the right hobby, IMO.
Use DME when you want to have a slightly fuller beer, and sugar when your numbers are right on the marks.
Cheers.
