Brew enhancer

[YeastieBabe]

Hi me again 

do I have to use brew enhancer or can I just use the dextrose? 
I thought the can with yeast was all I needed with dextrose and now it’s suggesting brew enhancer which I don’t have. 
If I can use dextrose only how many grams? 

Edited July 16, 2023 by YeastieBabe

[DavidM]

If Dextrose is all you have, then a kilo will do.

However, Light Dry Malt or Brew Enhancer 3 (BE3) will make a better brew.

As a starting guide, 1-1.5 Kilo of Sugars, the above, and you will get a good brew.

[Aussiekraut]

3 hours ago, YeastieBabe said:

Hi me again 

do I have to use brew enhancer or can I just use the dextrose? 
I thought the can with yeast was all I needed with dextrose and now it’s suggesting brew enhancer which I don’t have. 
If I can use dextrose only how many grams? 

You can brew with dextrose and it will make beer but it you want better beer, use a brew enhancer. Dextrose completely ferments out, so it will not add body or mouthfeel and all you get is a thin beer. Brew enhancers contain varying amounts of maltodextrin or dried malt extract, which will enhance the beer significantly at the expense of a little alcohol. It all depends on what you want.

Edited July 16, 2023 by Aussiekraut

[Classic Brewing Co]

3 hours ago, YeastieBabe said:

Hi me again 

do I have to use brew enhancer or can I just use the dextrose? 
I thought the can with yeast was all I needed with dextrose and now it’s suggesting brew enhancer which I don’t have. 
If I can use dextrose only how many grams? 

If you read the back of the can it says use BE2. Different brews have different ingredients however it is more of a guide, you can vary them to suit your needs but if you are starting out I would suggest stick to the basics for awhile.

[jennyss]

20 hours ago, YeastieBabe said:

do I have to use brew enhancer or can I just use the dextrose?

I agree with all the above comments.

My husband's first brews were all extract can plus dextrose only. Now he is experimenting by adding BE2 and 500g dextrose to increase the alcohol level. He is also adding a small amount of hops. He says the taste is improved. My brew choices have been guided by our first Coopers brewing kit: gone from the lager to pale ale with BE2 and dry malt and hops. Best wishes for your brewing.

[ChairmanDrew]

12 hours ago, jennyss said:

I agree with all the above comments.

My husband's first brews were all extract can plus dextrose only. Now he is experimenting by adding BE2 and 500g dextrose to increase the alcohol level. He is also adding a small amount of hops. He says the taste is improved. My brew choices have been guided by our first Coopers brewing kit: gone from the lager to pale ale with BE2 and dry malt and hops. Best wishes for your brewing.

I'm pretty much in the same boat. Still brewing with extract, but adding extra additions of things to improve the flavour. At this point I don't think I'll be adding any dextrose unless it's to intentionally dry the beer out, or I've just run out of other adjuncts around the house and can't wait

Still using basic table sugar for priming, don't see any point changing that anytime soon.

Edited July 17, 2023 by ChairmanDrew

[Oldbloke]

35 minutes ago, ChairmanDrew said:

I'm pretty much in the same boat. Still brewing with extract, but adding extra additions of things to improve the flavour. At this point I don't think I'll be adding any dextrose unless it's to intentionally dry the beer out, or I've just run out of other adjuncts around the house and can't wait

Still using basic table sugar for priming, don't see any point changing that anytime soon.

Nothing wrong with table sugar for priming. Very popular. And you can't go wrong by simply adding some malt.

[ChairmanDrew]

3 hours ago, Oldbloke said:

Nothing wrong with table sugar for priming. Very popular. And you can't go wrong by simply adding some malt.

Yeah, what I meant is that I will continue to keep using sugar for priming, cos there's no reason (that I'm aware of) not to.

I used some light dry malt in a couple of brews, but I've since changed to using Maltexo, because it's basically just light liquid malt extract, and way cheaper. It's also readily available at the supermarket, which nothing else is (need to courier in anything else where I am).