Help me set up

[Bigrus]

Hi there,
I'm about to embark on my first brew tomorrow. Keeping it simple with a coopers sparking ale. I was also given a kilo bag light dried malt extract. My question is as I'm Kegging should I use the whole amount of extract? I recall reading somewhere that kegging doesn't need as much sugar as bottling.
Thanks in advance-I'm sure this won't be the last time you will hear from me

 

[Deano26]

Hi there,
I'm about to embark on my first brew tomorrow. Keeping it simple with a coopers sparking ale. I was also given a kilo bag light dried malt extract. My question is as I'm Kegging should I use the whole amount of extract? I recall reading somewhere that kegging doesn't need as much sugar as bottling.
Thanks in advance-I'm sure this won't be the last time you will hear from me

Good afternoon Bigrus I’m just getting back into brewing again after a long break from it. I’m on my second brew and I used the whole kilo bag. I just kegged and it on the weekend and it looked great. The first one I did was Morgan’s blue mountain larger and added a 1.7kg can of black rock light malt and it was incredible so I would be using the whole thing. Good luck I hope it goes well.

 

[Sidney Harbour-Bridge]

Welcome Bigrus

With kegging you can carbonate in the keg with CO2 from a gas bottle, with bottling you carbonate by adding sugar to the bottle and allow fermentation to continue in the bottle, is this why you think you need more sugar for bottling than kegging?

 

[Vic]

Hi there,
I'm about to embark on my first brew tomorrow. Keeping it simple with a coopers sparking ale. I was also given a kilo bag light dried malt extract. My question is as I'm Kegging should I use the whole amount of extract? I recall reading somewhere that kegging doesn't need as much sugar as bottling.
Thanks in advance-I'm sure this won't be the last time you will hear from me

If kegging add an extra 150g to 200g. This makes up for the priming sugar you would otherwise use when bottling. If you are not force carbonating in the keg then add the extra sugar to the keg and condition at approximately 20C for 3 to 4 weeks. Cool and enjoy. If you are making a Coopers Sparkling, Pale or Mid I suggest taking the extra time to keg condition. it’s worth it.

 

[bradmcm]

Yes, add the whole bag. You are getting adding malt or sugar to prime after fermentation has finished with the fermentation malt itself.

 

[Bigrus]

Thanks for your time guys

 

[antoRCB]

Hey Bigrus,
Congrats on starting your first brew! When kegging, you don’t need to add extra sugar for carbonation like you do with bottling since you’ll be force carbonating using CO2. That’s probably where the confusion comes from.
As for the light dried malt extract (LDME), it’s not really for carbonation but more for boosting the body and flavor of your brew. If you're using a kilo of LDME, you’re adding extra malt to the brew, which will give it a bit more richness and potentially a slightly higher ABV.
Go ahead and use the whole kilo of LDME. It should make your Coopers Sparkling Ale a bit more flavorful. Since you’re force carbonating, you won’t need any extra sugar for priming, so just focus on getting the fermentation right, and the kegging should go smoothly.
Good luck with your first brew! Let us know how it turns out.