Why Are Coopers Brewing Sugars So Expensive?

[bignath]

so Nath what would you recommened for the new brewers like myself???

What's in the brew enhancers are excellent for brewing with. It's not what gets me frustrated. It's just how they are marketed that gives me the shits...

When i was newer to brewing, i found out about the brew enhancers and immediately thought they should be so much better than using dextrose, light dry malt, and maltodextrin combinations. Little did i know that's exactly what coopers brew enhancers are....

as mentioned by other posters, i'd look into buying the ingredients in bulk. Will save a fair bit.

Different style of brewing i know, but since making the shift to all grain, i used to buy my grain per recipe already cracked for me. Costs around $4-5 per kilo. Then i bought a mill and now buy grain in bulk and crack it myself. Works out at around $2.20 a kilo.

Should be able to apply the same process of saving to Kit brewing?????

 

[beerbog]

yes, there is clearly a scam happening at woolies

and it's against all HB's! :beerbang:

 

[JestersDarts]

I personally hate the term "enhancers" or "improver" or any other bullshit term that makes (in particular) newish brewers think it contains some all conquering ingredients that will make great beer everytime.

From an ingredient point of view i reckon it's one of the biggest scams, and area of potential pitful for most new brewers....

And as mentioned above, if anything at woolies or coles every scans at the checkout for higher than it is listed on the shelf, then you are entitled to have the item for free.

Spent the best part of a decade in the supermarket industry paying my way through uni.......

here here.

I often read on here new brewers stating that they have used brew enhancer 14, special mix no.2, magic powder 10, fairy dust type 4, guinneess replicating potion, for their particular brew,
and all along it is a mix of dextrose and malt powders.

 

[MHB]

This may be wandering slightly OT, but its fine to rail against the names some products are called, and I can see the point. Conversely it might encourage supermarket shoppers to stop using Sugar and let's face it, that's a step in the right direction.

I make all my own "Brewing Blends", three main reasons. 1/ because I don't like Maltodextrin and think it's overused in most blends. 2/ some of the suppliers aren't very forthcoming with information about what's in the packs. I have found that some even list the ingredients in the wrong order. 3/ you need to know what's in the blends so you can help people make the beer they want, that's very difficult when the contents are a mystery.

MHB

 

[Bribie G]

Maltodextrin is God's gift to LHBS / suppliers because it sounds so nice and malty. The malto part of the name has nothing to do with it actually being produced from malt, that's just the chemical name, as it consists of various lengths of glucose-glucose chains and Maltose itself is a double glucose-glucose molecule and is indeed the main product of a malt mash. However Maltodextrin is more than likely produced from potatoes, wheat, maize or gawd knows what starch slurry that was going cheap at the time and wouldn't recognise a grain of real malt if it got jumped by it in a dark alley.

In small quantities it does indeed give a bit of foaming and body, but it's really in the same category as adding Tatrazine yellow food dye to make your curry look more appealing or feeding your toddler with red cordial to save money on fruit juice.

 

[rich_lamb]

Here here Bribie,

I used maltodextrin in a couple of my first beers and all it did was give me very high finishing gravties - doing little to improve the beer. I suspect it's used in these products to balance the "thinning" effect of the dextrose. Really they're using one inappropriate ingredient to balance another.
The lesson here is to go with all-malt products wouldn't you say? ie. DME
DME is more expensive than sugar yes, but it makes better beer - nuff said.

Now the counterpoint - I've found a new use for maltodex that may be valid. I use it in "fringe" brews like ginger ale where the ingredients are highly fermentable and I need some control over the body. I expect a cider could also use it; but I'm no cider expert.

 

[michael_aussie]

If the product scans higher than the marked price, it should be free.

+1
If you point it out they will give you the first one free, and the choice to buy the rest at the scanned price.

You're claiming there's some sort of invisible tax or mark up specifically for brew enhancer? Double check the tag vs product and my guess is that it's a simple error.

+1
99% of the time when I think a supermarket has duped me, its because I read the shelf prices wrong, or the item I pick up was in the wrong position.
There is no supermarket conspiracy especially against brewers.

I got a secret for you:

Coopers Brew Enhancers contents:
Brew Enhancer 1 - 60% Dextrose + 40% Maltodextrin
Brew Enhancer 2 - 50% Dextrose + 25% Maltodextrin + 25% Light Dry Malt

ty .. Ive always wondered what the actual break down was. How did you find that out??

Both Woolworths and Coles (and most supermarkets) are part of the Scaning Code of Practice. Therefore if you get charged at a higher than advertised price you can return and get the item for free.

I hardly think Woolworths are going to bother to 'scam' their customers when they already fleece you legally

++++100 Fil.
They have the game legally sown up. They dont need to cheat you as well.

This may be wandering slightly OT, but its fine to rail against the names some products are called, and I can see the point. Conversely it might encourage supermarket shoppers to stop using Sugar and let's face it, that's a step in the right direction.
.

I think for a new brewer the BE kits are a great small step.
They do make a difference compared to straight dex (or heaven forbid cane sugar), and they are an easy no risk step for people starting off.

If there werent kits and then as the next step BE and the more developed pre-packaged mixtures, I can guarantee far few brewers would take the quantum leap to all grain. No one would ever start brewing by them selves if the first step was AG.