Should i use dextrose with coopers kit?

[johnnyboy847]

Hi! I'm about to brew a coopers australian pale ale, and i'm just wondering what kind of fermentables would give me the best result.

I'm looking to make a beer about 5% abv. I have 1kg (2.2lbs) of light dry malt extract, and the rest would be dextrose. If i use all the dme, how much sugar would i need to add?

Or would i be better off just using the dme? Is the dextrose going to make a noticeable (negative) difference to my beer?

Cheers!

 

[Schol-R-LEA]

There shouldn't be any negative effects of adding the dextrose, but at the same time, the only positive effect would be to boost the alcohol content and possibly make it seem a bit drier. You should be able to leave it out with no problems.

OTOH, assuming that the original kit is 1.5Kg (the usual size for these kits), then adding just 1Kg of DME is still going to leave it fairly light, around 1.045 specific gravity. That's right at the low end of the range for a pale ale, and if you want it around that, it should work, but you might want to consider getting an additional 250g to 500g of DME to add to the body. Just a quarter kilo of DME would increase the gravity to 1.050, which is a significant increase, while half a kilo would bring it to 1.054.

 

[unionrdr]

I typically used 3lbs of plain light DME with Cooper's cans,& maybe 2ozs of hops. That usually got me around 5%.

 

[Gitmoe]

I typically used 3lbs of plain light DME with Cooper's cans,& maybe 2ozs of hops. That usually got me around 5%.

+1

That's what I suggest as well. The 3lb bag is a great way to go. If it was any other kit than the Pale ale or IPA I would say avoid the Dextrose, but with those kits it could actually help the flavor profile by using a little bit.