Narfin Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Hey guys - I have been brewing the Aussie Pale Ale with the Brew Enhancer 2 for a while now. All good. I was wondering if adding 500g of dextrose to bump up the Alcohol on top of the brew Enhancer would ruin my next batch. Has anyone here done a similar thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 That would be a kilo of dex in the brew which is a fair bit. Probably better to add 500g LDM. It won't be quite the same alcohol hit but should be a nicer tasting brew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Hairy is right in saying that an extra 500gm of LDM would give you a better tasting beer. It would add body, taste and a more satisfying mouthfeel, but homebrewing is all about personal taste and you mignt really like APA with the extra dex. It will bump the ABV, but only to 6 to 6.5% which is not really outrageous. Go for it, if it works do it again, if not you will drink it anyway. BTW, i like your username, it reminds me of my daughter....when i ask what she has done today, she says "narfin" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Narfin, it is definitely about personal taste so do what you will think you will like. Adding 500g dex won't ruin your beer and plenty of people before you have done it. My advice was based on my personal taste. To help you decide here is the break up and ABV of the two recipes which I plugged into the Brewcraft calculator. Extra Dex 1.7kg Coopers APA 1kg Dextrose 250g LDM 250g Maltodextrin 23 litres 5.8% ABV Extra LDM 1.7kg Coopers APA 750g LDM 500g Dextrose 250g Maltodextrin 23 litres 5.4% ABV There isn't a huge difference in the alcohol between the two but the 1st beer will be thinner and possibly a little more cidery. The 2nd beer will have a fuller body and mouthfeel, as mentioned by Nick. Nick's alcohol numbers are a little higher, probably because he was working off a lower volume, say 20-21 litres. So another option to increase alcohol is to reduce the volume of the brew. You do get less beer that way though [biggrin] Good luck mate; there's Narfin to it [innocent] I would still go with the LDM though. Sorry, I couldn't resist throwing my opinion in there at the end [bandit] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 I would agree with you Hairy, if you want beer that tastes like beer, use extra LDM, if you want it to taste like cider, use extra dextrose.[lol] But yes, it is entirely up to you which one you choose - or you could even do one brew with one and one with the other and see which you like better. Experimenting is what it's all about![biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveM33 Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 A friend of mine religously uses 1kg LDM and 500g Dextrose in almost everything he does and this comes out at about 5.8% ABV bottled. Not a real bad drop for a "kit" either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minenza Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 could u please explain the terms, dme, ldm, btw, abv, and what is the difference between simple sugar and dextros Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Hi Minenza. Welcome to the forum! You sure have dug up an old thread. DME = dry malt extract which comes in light, amber and dark. People usually mean "light" dry malt extract, which some folks shorten to LDM. You did not ask what LME is, but that is another one you'll see a lot of. It means liquid malt extract, which again comes in light, amber, and dark. ABV = alcohol by volume, as a percentage. BTW = by the way. Dextrose is an example of a simple sugar. Don't hesitate to ask more questions. Cheers, Christina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waylon Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Any fermentable sugar will bump up the ABV If you want better quality beer add malt extract to increase Alcohol... Refined sugars such as dextrose and plain white cane sugar will thin the beer down making it watery and cidery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spelldorado Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 i like using csr dark brown sugar with an LME as well. pushed the abv up to 8% & tastes nice with the added molasses in the dark brown sugar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 i like using csr dark brown sugar with an LME as well. pushed the abv up to 8% & tastes nice with the added molasses in the dark brown sugar. Re: dark brown sugar. In my experience using more than about 250-300gm can cause the iron in the molasses, in the sugar, to give the beer a metallic/rusty taste. Check the nutrition label of the sugar you are using as brown sugars do vary by producer; some come with more iron than others. Brown sugar is probably most suited to English Bitters and Stouts. A brewing rule of thumb is to limit sugar to 20% of the ingredients; this is generally no more than 500-650gm, depending on the gravity of the recipe. If you use more than 30% sugar not only will you have a thin, alcoholic brew, you will stress the yeast, as there won't be enough nutrition in the wort. This can result in a rotten egg smell coming from your fermenter. In beer making dextrose is preferred to table sugar (sucrose); note that brown sugar is sucrose. If you are going to use 30% or more sugar, which I don't recommend, it is best to 1.) be sure to pitch the proper amount of yeast/do not under-pitch, 2.) add a teaspoon of tan coloured "yeast energizer" when the krausen starts to develop, 3.) wait with adding the sugar until fermentation starts to subside, like on day two or three. Cheers, Christina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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