Priming with DME

[metalmushroom]

I seem to have come across some conflicting information regarding the use of Dry Malt Extract, particularly when it comes to its use as priming sugar...

My question is: How much Dry Malt Extract should be used to prime a normal 5 gallon batch of beer when bottling?

On the packet of the Munstons DME + in a book I'm reading (The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian), it says you can use DME as a 'pound for pound' replacement for sugar.

So lets say priming using normal sugar for a 22L brew is about 80g - 90g ish.

The same book then says use about 300ml DME for a 19L brew, so about 330ml scaled up for a 22L brew... when weighed this is about 240g of DME.

Thats almost 3 times as much? I have read other posts that say you should use a bit more DME than normal sugar, because it is not fully fermentable, but 3 times as much seems a bit excessive!

Thanks
:S

[floydmeddler]

Calculators are better

http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipa ... ation.html

[metalmushroom]

Thanks... thats damn handy!

The default 'Fermentability' value for Dried Malt Extract looks a bit low I would think... 55% ?

I've read elsewhere it is more like around 80% ?

Anyway, it allows you to adjust this figure manually, so good to have a play with, and get a reasonably good idea.

Thanks!

[HighHops]

Don't bother priming with DME, you can use any type of fermentable. Priming with sugar or dextrose won't affect the taste of your brew IMO and spraymalt is expensive and it leaves a scummy ring around the inside of the kneck of the bottle. You won't have to worry about that if you prime with 330ml (or g I think you mean) because within a couple of weeks the bottles will have blown to smithereens. Be careful with priming. It can be dangerous. 80-90g of sugar should be fine. I use about 50g, because I find over carbonating masks the taste of the beer.

[metalmushroom]

No, it was 330ml (240g) DME as mentioned... theyre in plastic 2L PET's and havent exploded... theyll be fine, although damn fizzy I would imagine.

I recently tasted a previous brew of mine primed with 90g DME... it was very undercarbonated

But yea, I take your point... it is probably an unnecessary step... one which I am slowly losing favour with...