How much sugar?

[ThirstyMike]

I'm making beer from a Coopers Mexican Cervaza can, but there is no info about how much sugar to add.

In the old days I think we just added one kilo to about 20~25 litres in the fermenter.

I don't want to get too technical about this, just to know whether 1 kilo would be a good approx. amount.

Thanks in advance

Mike

[Lab Cat]

A kilo would give you a beer around 4.2%. When you say sugar, you're not using plain white sugar are you?

[ThirstyMike]

Thanks for the info. I put it in, mixed with a couple of litres of hot water, put in a can of suitably warmed mix, rolled it around for a while then pitched in the yeast and it's gone to bed now. Overall temp before the yeast was about 24 degrees.

Yep, just garden variety Woolies sugar.

Might get a bit more fancy with the next one. Will have a look for malt supplies now. I still have a couple more fermentation drums to get going, but I'm staggering them a week apart. Two down now. Will aim to use malt for the remaining two. But to honest, I'm not terribly fussy - as long as it is wet and relaxing. :-)

[Lab Cat]

I don't think it will taste very nice.  Plain sugar is what gave a generation of home brewing a bad name. A quick trip to Dan's you could have got a Coopers brew mix to put in.

[ThirstyMike]

Well, as I said, I'm not too fussy - as long as it doesn't have the coronas or anything else alien that should never have gotten in there.

Did you know that beer was widely drunk during times long gone by because its integrity (easily determined by flavour) was testament to a lack of harmful bacteria which were often found in ground water?

[Malter White]

On 5/24/2020 at 5:00 PM, ThirstyMike said:

Did you know that beer was widely drunk during times long gone by because its integrity (easily determined by flavour) was testament to a lack of harmful bacteria which were often found in ground water?

I didn't know this.
I do know beer makes me a better singer and everyone around me more beautiful.  

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yeah it's because the wort was/is boiled for adding bitterness with hop additions or whatever else was used historically. 

I'd agree that a kit and kilo of white sugar probably won't taste great especially fermenting in the mid 20s. My first batch was a bit like that, tasted more like cider than beer

[ThirstyMike]

7 hours ago, MUZZY said:

I didn't know this.
I do know beer makes me a better singer and everyone around me more beautiful.  

Lolol I've noticed the same thing! My guitar gets all excited about it all too and writes new songs for me AUTOMATICALLY - but I must say she prefers whiskey.

Then again, I haven't been putting that magic malt in my beer, I've been pondering all this and I reckon I've just learnt the secret of Elvis' success!

Now I'm REALLY keen to get my hands on some of that stuff!

Edited May 25, 2020 by ThirstyMike

[Hairy]

If I had a choice between beer made with 1kg white sugar and contaminated water, I guess I would choose the beer.

Not really an endorsement of the beer though 

[Lab Cat]

On 5/25/2020 at 8:42 PM, MUZZY said:

I didn't know this.
I do know beer makes me a better singer and everyone around me more beautiful.  

I found it makes me more beautiful and everyone around me a better singer.

[JoeB7]

They found adding malted barley grain prevented it stagnating