Dextrose Character?

[jzani]

Recent moves into extract brewing have left me wondering about dextrose. Is the only reason you add this to a brew because it is cheap and fermentable? Surely if this is the case, if I am trying to make a high quality brew (without investing in all grain setup- yet) then using better quality ingredients like malt extract etc. would result in a nicer drop.

I know that adding dextrose will up the OG and therefore the final ABV, but is this the only reason you would add Dextrose to a brew, or does it impart any sort of characteristic also?

I know some of the more experience AG brewers will have opinions on this and I'm interested to know what people reckon

Juz :icon_cheers:

 

[Verbyla]

Yeah as far as I'm aware dectrose is just used to try and up the ABV%.

It's easy to make a great beer at a slightly lower than desired ABV% so dextrose is used to bring it up to the desired mark.

Could be wrong but this is the understanding I've had when using it

 

[black_labb]

it will increase the fermentables without incresing body or adding/changing flavour. good if you dont want too much body to the beer. can be quite useful when using malt extracts as they tend to have less fermentability than an all grain wort.

 

[jyo]

Dex is fully fermentable, so adds no sweetness to beer, it dries out a beer, without adding colour or flavour. Some AG recipes may involve the use of a little dex to up the alc and dry out the finish of the beer also.
Cheers, John.

Edit- beaten by Blacklab

 

[jzani]

Dex is fully fermentable, so adds no sweetness to beer, it dries out a beer, without adding colour or flavour. Some AG recipes may involve the use of a little dex to up the alc and dry out the finish of the beer also.
Cheers, John.

Edit- beaten by Blacklab

Thanks guys, quick off the mark as usual.

If the malt sugars are still in the beer, how does this increase the "dry" qualities of the brew? Balancing with the alcohol content perhaps? I thought "dryness" was the absence of sweetness.

 

[manticle]

It's about the perceived balance as much as anything.

Also if you had a recipe that used 75% malt and 25 % dex, it would attenuate more than a beer that's 100% malt.

 

[Andrew Coleman]

I find dextrose is needed in extract brewing unless your doing a light or midstrength style of beer, where dryness can be achieved in the mashing process making all grain beers with a lower mash temp, kit and extract beers are aided by the highly fermentable 'dextrose' which doesnt leave behind anybody, id say atleast 200g, usually 500g of Dextrose is a good amount for kit beers but then again depends what style beer you're going for!

Hope these comments prove helpful mate!

Cheers Drewey :icon_drunk:

 

[Nick JD]

For my extracts I use 2kg LDME and 1kg Dextrose and it's still got a good amount of body. This will depend on your LDME though - I used to get the stuff made by Nestle in Switzerland and it's THICK if that makes sense.

Also, because dextrose turns completely to alcohol, which has an SG of 0.790 ... it actually decreases the overall body of your brew. Put it this way - if you only added dextrose you'd have an FG of 0.800. It thins you beer subtly even if you are only adding it for a couple more % of alcohol because alcohol is thin.

 

[jzani]

I knew Manticle would turn up at some point and make everything crystal clear ;-).

Thanks for the replies all, good food (or drink?!) for thought.

I feel a little experiment coming on...

 

[manticle]

Presuming you're not taking the piss (and I like to believe in the best in people) I like to impart the small amount of knowledge and experience I have because less than two years ago I was wondering the same sorts of things. Thanks to people making an effort (including me reading and brewing and critiquing where each one went wrong) I learnt stuff.

There are far more experienced brewers than me out there both on and off this forum. Unfortunately less and less of tthe former post in kits and extracts, if at all, but the information I impart comes courtesy of many of them. In so many ways I'm just another noob trying to learn and teach the tiny bit he knows at the same time.

For all my disagreements with him I think Nick is just as willing to pass on his knowledge/experience to new brewers. I think if people make an effort to do so and to be informative about the pros and cons of their position as well as open about their level of experience, resources and sources of information then that can only be a good thing.

 

[jzani]

Hey Manticle

I may have been taking the piss just a little bit (play on words with your signature quote?!?), but I have to say that you and Nick would be the two people I have learned most from on this forum and I really hope you keep it up.

Good to see us Noobs can rely on solid (if sometimes conflicting) info from the likes of you and Nick!

Best regards
Juz

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Presuming you're not taking the piss (and I like to believe in the best in people) I like to impart the small amount of knowledge and experience I have because less than two years ago I was wondering the same sorts of things. Thanks to people making an effort (including me reading and brewing and critiquing where each one went wrong) I learnt stuff.

There are far more experienced brewers than me out there both on and off this forum. Unfortunately less and less of tthe former post in kits and extracts, if at all, but the information I impart comes courtesy of many of them. In so many ways I'm just another noob trying to learn and teach the tiny bit he knows at the same time.

For all my disagreements with him I think Nick is just as willing to pass on his knowledge/experience to new brewers. I think if people make an effort to do so and to be informative about the pros and cons of their position as well as open about their level of experience, resources and sources of information then that can only be a good thing.

I dont post much but I read often and I appreciate all the posts here especially Manticles. I have learnt a lot from this site. Thanks guys, all of you.

 

[Nick JD]

Good to see us Noobs can rely on solid (if sometimes conflicting) info from the likes of you and Nick!

Most information conflicts in some manner.

When information doesn't conflict it's either 1+1=2, or worthy of consideration. When brewing is of concern, almost nothing is paramount.

But Manticle is most often correct. B)

 

[bullfrog]

Even though it's well off topic, I have to say that I love seeing posts in this section from Manticle, Nick JD, Bribie G, Warra and Dr Smurto (wish I could still add Butters to that list, but he's taking some time off) [also sure I'm missing out a lot of accomplished brewers who are very helpful here.] All very accomplished brewers that do impart a lot of their own experience and help new brewers a shit-load.

There has been many a time where I've read one of their posts and it's not quite married up to my own experience, but at least they're sharing their experiences.

Back on topic, Dextrose, in my experience, adds to OG and detracts from FG. Whilst this doesn't alter any hop or malt schedule you've got going on, it comes down to perceived bitterness (Manticle hit it in one). Don't throw Dextrose into an all malt brew that is tried and proven, just to up the abv% -- you'll be poorly disappointed. I speak from sad, sad experience.

 

[dexter.rose]

I am cheap and always bring more alcohol to the party.

Some say I'm a bit dry. But sometimes dry is what you want.

 

[Dazza_devil]

I am cheap and always bring more alcohol to the party.

Some say I'm a bit dry. But sometimes dry is what you want.

That's highly fermentable of you Dexter.