When to add dextrose?

[rowyourboat]

Hi

I'm attempting my second all grain recipe. The mash roll includes some dextrose/corn sugar. I'm fairly certain it doesn't need to actually be mashed though!

But when should it go in - should I add it to the boil at the start, or dissolve it at the end, or just add to the FV around the same time as the yeast?

Wasn't sure if boiling the sugar would alter the flavour and if so, what would you experts recommend?

Cheers!

[Dave S]

Hi

I'm attempting my second all grain recipe. The mash roll includes some dextrose/corn sugar. I'm fairly certain it doesn't need to actually be mashed though!

But when should it go in - should I add it to the boil at the start, or dissolve it at the end, or just add to the FV around the same time as the yeast?

Wasn't sure if boiling the sugar would alter the flavour and if so, what would you experts recommend?

Cheers!

I usually add mine around 5 or 10 minutes before the end of the boil by drawing off a jug full of wort and disolving the sugar in that, then adding it back to the boiler.

[rowyourboat]

Thanks Dave, I will try just that.

Much appreciated.

[ash99s90]

Sorry to jump on your thread but I have a dextrose related query, hope you don't mind.

I was given some dextrose, but not sure what benefit it will add to a brew (I've recently started BIAB), also how much to add to a 23L brew, out does it depend on the recipe?
Anyone got any advice on this please?

[Pinto]

Dextrose is a mostly unfermentable sugar - will add little to the abv but improves the mouthfeel of the brew.

[Morten]

Dextrose is a mostly unfermentable sugar - will add little to the abv but improves the mouthfeel of the brew.

Dextrose is highly fermentable.
Dextrin is mostly unfermentable.

[Morten]

Hi

I'm attempting my second all grain recipe. The mash roll includes some dextrose/corn sugar. I'm fairly certain it doesn't need to actually be mashed though!

But when should it go in - should I add it to the boil at the start, or dissolve it at the end, or just add to the FV around the same time as the yeast?

Wasn't sure if boiling the sugar would alter the flavour and if so, what would you experts recommend?

Cheers!

I prefer to add my simple sugars during fermentation.

The yeast will attack the simplest sugars first (dextrose) and might not convert the more complex sugars (maltose) very well.

But it is all down to your preferences and the style of beer you're aiming at.

[rowyourboat]

@Ash
I actually thought it was the opposite to Pinto - highly fermentable - and used to add strength rather than body. When I started out on kits I read a lot about ignoring the instructions on 1-can kits saying using sugars of any kind and use malt extract instead as it will give better body and taste.

Too much of it can impair flavours (a cidery taste?) but i can't quantify it on 23l as I'm very much a newbie myself.

I'm using best part of a kilo of it it in a Belgian recipe I have but thats quite strong with just the grain I'm using already (more than your average British bitter anyway!) and I think it's too give it a bit of extra "kick"...

[rowyourboat]

@Morten
Thanks for sharing. I think I'm going to try at the end of the boil this time as I'm using a Saison yeast and from reading up on it it seems to be pretty hard working stuff!

Good to know it's a preference thing though and could be useful to chuck some in the FV if gravity comes out a bit low in future.

Cheers

[Dave S]

In general using more than about 10% of the total fermentables of any adjunct can start affecting quality. I don't usually go beyond 0.5kg of sugar in an average strength beer. In fact, come to think of it I don't often use it at all.

[6470zzy]

Dextrose is a mostly unfermentable sugar - will add little to the abv but improves the mouthfeel of the brew.

Dextrose is highly fermentable.
Dextrin is mostly unfermentable.

+1

[Matt12398]

Dextrose stems from an old name for glucose and is a highly fermentable monosaccharide. It's a very simple sugar.

When using sugar I've adds mine 45 minutes before the end of the boil.

[ash99s90]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I think I'll have a little play with it on the next batch and see what difference it makes. [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH]

[Pinto]

My bad - misread the original post....

Lots of commercial brewers add dextrose to their beers for mainly financial reasons - simple fermentable sugars bump ABV and are cheaper than malt sugars. For some styles of beer, simple sugars are a key component (think belgian beers and ales) - where the flavour is all about the yeast, and where the sugar helps to keep said yeasts happy and vigorous.

DEXTROSE is indeed totally fermentable - otherwise known as brewers sugar - It wont add any character to your beer and will be converted to alcohol. This stuff actually needs to be used with care because one thing it WILL do is "thin" your beer, removing the mouthfeel and making the brew "spirity". DEXTRIN (in our case ,Maltodextrin) does the polar opposite - lots of mouthfeel but little in the way of ABV due to its lack of fermentability.

Mr Happy Medium is a 50:50 mix of both and is marketed as BKE (Brew Kit Enhancer) by most of the big suppliers.

I've experimented with these myself on numerous occasions - surprisingly, purified maltodextrin is excellent when used in turbo ciders which can be very "thin"

[Dave S]

Dextrose stems from an old name for glucose and is a highly fermentable monosaccharide. It's a very simple sugar.

When using sugar I've adds mine 45 minutes before the end of the boil.

I think the conclusion is inconclusive. I guess it boils down, (pun not intended) to what works for you. I seem to recall that early additions can affect hop isomerisation, but I could be wrong. I know that with Worthington White Shield for instance, the dextrose gets added at the whirlpool stage