Carbonation: Dextrose vs. DME

[inturnldemize]

I'm not sure if this is in the right forum, so I apologize in advance! lol.

I have a batch of IPA fermenting as we speak and I decided to stay away from dextrose this time around. When the time comes, I will be carbonating using dried malt extract. Is the difference noticeable considering i'm only using it for carbonation? I have read that people overwhelmingly prefer dme to corn sugar. What are some of the benefits?

For a 5 gallon batch, I was told to use 3/4 cup of corn sugar or 1 1/4 cup of dme. If i'm not exatly at 5 gallons (took some beer out to taste, hydrometer reading for 3 days, etc), does it matter if I still use 1 1/4 cups? I don't want to overcarbonate and/or create bottle bombs. Should I use just a bit less considering i'm not at the 5 gallon mark anymore?

Last one I promise lol: When I add the dme to the beer, should I boil it first and put it into the beer when it's still hot? If I mix into the beer, won't that disrupt the sediment on the bottom and make my beer cloudy? How long should I wait before bottling after adding the dme?

Thanks guys!!

 

[Double_D]

I think it's a personal preference on the dme/corn sugar thing.

You'll be fine with the 1 1/4 cup even after even after your tasting and readings. At most you only took out a couple cups of beer and the equivalent is like a teaspoon in priming sugar. So you don't have to worry because it's only just barely more than you need.

I'd boil it just to get it to dissolve and sanitize it. Then let it cool before adding. Transfer your beer off the sediment and into a bucket. Then when you add your priming sugar you don't have to worry about mixing up all that yeast. When you add the dme make sure it's mixed into the beer well. Then bottle. Then give it two weeks at room temp and try one. And then you'll probably want to give it another two weeks before you drink the rest.

 

[Clanchief]

Rather than go by volume, I would recommend actually weighing out whatever it is you are using, either DME or corn sugar. Exactly how much you use depends on the volume of your batch as well as the volume of carbonation you are aiming for. An IPA, I would assume something in the 2 - 2.3 carbonation range. Assuming a 5-gallon batch, I would boil 5.18 oz. of DME in water to dissolve it (that's for 2.2 volumes, according to Beersmith), let it cool completely, then pour this into your bottling bucket. Rack your beer on top of it once that is done, as that will give you all the mixing you need, and then just bottle.

Give it at least two weeks in the bottle, maybe a bit more. Of course, with an IPA, they generally have lower shelf life for their prime, as those wonderful hoppy aromas will start to dissipate. I love IPA's so much, I usually can't keep a batch longer than 2 months before it's gone.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Check out this calc for amounts of DME to use for your batch. I personally really like the difference DME makes over dextrose for priming, I switched to DME several months ago and don't see myself using corn sugar again anytime soon. It takes a little longer to carb up, but it's well worth the wait, IMO.

 

[ChessRockwell]

I personally really like the difference DME makes over dextrose for priming, I switched to DME several months ago and don't see myself using corn sugar again anytime soon. It takes a little longer to carb up, but it's well worth the wait, IMO.

Can you explain why? I've never understood this. It seems to me the only difference should be the dextrose drying it out a little, as compared to DME, and in the case of an IPA this should really help rather than hurt (at least that's my thinking). Why do you prefer DME? Haven't yet tried it myself just curious as to the possible benefits...

 

[badbrew]

I don't really pay much attention to the difference between dex priming, force carbing and pressure ferment carbing. I guess the pressure fermenting allows the head to hang out and stick to the glass but it really doesn't make enough difference to me to think about atm.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Can you explain why? I've never understood this. It seems to me the only difference should be the dextrose drying it out a little, as compared to DME, and in the case of an IPA this should really help rather than hurt (at least that's my thinking). Why do you prefer DME? Haven't yet tried it myself just curious as to the possible benefits...

Sure. Basically, once I started kegging my beer last year, I started noticing a slight flavor/feel in my bottled beers. It wasn't a bad flavor, just a different flavor, and a bit thin. I played around with process, and finally decided to brew a big batch and keg half, bottle half. Viola, the bottled beer had it but the kegged beer didn't. I assumed something was wrong with my bottling sanitation, and made sure to shore that up. Still there. Now this flavor/feel I'd ben experiencing was basically in the finish and aftertaste, a tartness. Knowing that dextrose can cause tart, apple like flavors when used in a malt bill, I wondered. I decided to carb a batch with DME and the flavor/feel was gone. So I decided to split a batch of one of my regular brews, an APA, half got DME and half got corn sugar to carb. Guess what?! Yep! It was for sure the corn sugar causing this flavor/feel.
The way I describe the difference is that the corn sugar left my beers just a bit off of what I knew they should be, just thin and sometimes tart in the finish. This went away with using DME to prime. My keg beer always tasted great, just like I hoped, and on par with commercial craft beer, but my bottles while being good, just lacked something.
With DME, the co2 bubbles seem tighter and more like a bottled brand of beer. The head was thicker and more dense, and the retention improved. And best off, the thin aftertaste/feel, which was something that was really turning me off of bottling, was gone.
I'd recommend giving it a try, maybe split a batch and do half w/DME and half w/corn sugar, and see what you think. Not everyone's palate can pick up the slight aftertaste I was, some people I asked about it when drinking my beer said they couldn't but others pointed it out. But see what you think, you may be as pleased with it as I am. Just remember, DME can take a bit longer to ferment out, so plan on 4-5 weeks at 70 instead of 3-4.

 

[ChessRockwell]

Hmmm, that sounds like it might be worth a shot, I may have to try splitting a future batch. Thanks for the explanation!

The calculator you linked to earlier gives amounts for dextrose though, I would think with DME only being about 75% fermentable you would have to use more of it to get the same carbonation... no?

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

The calculator you linked to earlier gives amounts for dextrose though, I would think with DME only being about 75% fermentable you would have to use more of it to get the same carbonation... no?

No, the TastyBrew calc will give you amounts for dextrose, sucrose and 3 brands of DME (i use extra light DME for priming the bulk of the time). According to tasty brew, you use more DME, but how much more depends on the brand and the beer.

 

[ChessRockwell]

Ah you're right! I was expecting an option in the menu, didn't realize it gave you all the amounts after you calculate.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Ah you're right! I was expecting an option in the menu, didn't realize it gave you all the amounts after you calculate.

Yeah, Tasty Brew's a great site. I use the bottle and keg priming calcs mostly, but it's a useful site to have tabbed on the desktop.