Brewing sugar, and re-using bottles.

[mysterio]

Hi guys,

I brewed my first batch of lager a couple of months ago and it turned into the best damn thing i've ever tried, so i'm pretty much addicted now.

I used regular white granulated sugar in my first and now second batch, should I be using something else, such as a brewing sugar? What effect will it have? My beer also didn't have much of a head to speak of, could this be why?

Also, I used screw top glass bottles which worked out great, is it ok to re-use bottles or should I be wary?

Thanks.

 

[God Emporer BillyBrew]

Corn sugar is better. It seems to give better head and table sugar has been known to give a cidery taste. I used it once and didn't notice, but I know some other people have had a problem with it.

I've never used twist off's, but I've heard they'll break sometimes during capping.

 

[Darth Konvel]

I take it the lager was your first brew ever? No offense, just trying to get where you're coming from.

I'd recommend using dry malt extract (DME) in place of plain table sugar. This will make a difference in the body of the beer, as well as head retention.

It's fine to reuse bottles as long as you clean them out and sanitize them before bottling. Most folks stear clear of the twist-off types (problems getting a good seal usually), but if they work for you, more power to ya.

 

[mysterio]

Yeah, first time ever - I should've posted in the beginner forum, I only just noticed it. Thanks for the tips by the way.

Corn sugar... Is that like glucose syrup? I'm Scottish so alot of things like that are a bit unfamiliar. Right enough, table sugar does make it abit cider-ish.

What is dry malt extract exactly? Should I use anything in conjunction with it?

 

[Darth Konvel]

Yeah, first time ever - I should've posted in the beginner forum, I only just noticed it. Thanks for the tips by the way.

I'd say this is as good a place to post as any. I don't think most of us are overly particular where posts are made.

Corn sugar... Is that like glucose syrup? I'm Scottish so alot of things like that are a bit unfamiliar. Right enough, table sugar does make it abit cider-ish.

Sure is.

What is dry malt extract exactly? Should I use anything in conjunction with it?

DME is flash dried wort, what we call the brew before it's fermented. Extract is made by mashing (steeping in hot water) malted grains and boiling it down, at which point it's either canned (Liquid Malt Extract, or LME), a sprayed into an blast chamber resulting in the dry variety.

A number of recipes that use extract also call for specialty grains, which are usually carmalized or roasted grains. The extract works as you base, and the specialty grains give you added flavor and color.

 

[AllHoppedUp]

I'd agree with previous posts about the re-use of twist off bottles. I've never used them because of warnings from those who have about bad seals and breakage. So much care goes into brewing your own that the loss of even a couple beers would be a big disappointment, at least for me. I've read that the breweries who use them have special capping devices. Then again, like Lupus said, I guess if it's workin' for ya then go for it. You might at least consider phasing them out of your collection as you get more non-twisties.

 

[mysterio]

I was under the impression that re-using glass bottles means they're more likely to explode because of the stress, am I being lied to?

Lupus, I don't quite follow you with the whole DME thing. I'm just using cans of hopped wort, and obviously I need some kind of sugar to go along with this to ferment - are you saying I should use DME instead of sugar?

 

[Darth Konvel]

I was under the impression that re-using glass bottles means they're more likely to explode because of the stress, am I being lied to?

Lupus, I don't quite follow you with the whole DME thing. I'm just using cans of hopped wort, and obviously I need some kind of sugar to go along with this to ferment - are you saying I should use DME instead of sugar?

I can't say I've heard of that concerning the bottles.

That can of hopped wort would be LME (liquid malt extract). It contains sugars that the yeast love to eat, mainly maltose. If you repeated the same recipe, but used some DME in place of the sugar, or another can of LME, you'd have a beer with a fuller body and a little bit better head retention.

I'd advise checking out this page: www.howtobrew.com. Lots of great info. With one batch under your belt already, you're off to a good start.

 

[Truble]

Lupus, I don't quite follow you with the whole DME thing. I'm just using cans of hopped wort, and obviously I need some kind of sugar to go along with this to ferment - are you saying I should use DME instead of sugar?

Like Lupus said, subbing DME for sugar will give a fuller beer, with better flavor. The kit you used comes without the sugar for shipping/packing purposes, and makes the kit cheaper. Fermenting the gran. sugar will produce off-flavors, have a different head retention, just like you stated. Somewhere on the site is a conversion I believe...ie...some amount of gran. sugar = some amount corn sugar = some amount DME = some amount LME...etc etc etc.

congrats on the brew though!!!that is the most important part!

 

[mysterio]

Thanks!

So I should be using a different volume of DME than I do table sugar? For example I use a kilo of table sugar (2.2 pounds I think), should I be using the same of DME?