1 can beer kits - can I add 1Kg granulated sugar instead of brewing sugar

[MagnusTS]

I've been doing a couple of cheap beer kits for my son and his mates.
They say to add 1Kg brewing sugar, but could I just use granulated?
By the time I've bought brewing sugar or DME to add to a £12 kit, and paid postage, I think I'm probably not far off the cost of one of the more expensive kits.

Do you have any recommendations for good beer kits?
He's after a blonde next.

(...I think he was talking about beer )

 

[danmac]

Yes you can use sugar some people like it some don't. Try it and see if you notice a difference

 

[GhostShip]

Depends on his beer preference, but if you want a golden ale with a good hop aroma, it's difficult to beat the Youngs American IPA. You're paying a bit more, but you'll notice the difference in quality.

 

[Slid]

I came to the conclusion with one can kits that the best way to improve the product was doubling them up. So why not just buy a premium kit?

To answer the question, ordinary sugar is fine, or put another way, brewing sugar is overpriced!

 

[damienair]

Coopers Canadian Blonde done with 1Kg of Spraymalt would be a nice low cost kit. I did the Coopers Hefe Wheat kit with wheat DME and it is a beautiful beer. Personally I'd use the brewing sugar instead of table sugar. But would use a beer enhancer or DME over sugar. Not that much more expensive and really lifts the quality of the beer kit.
To keep costs down just order a couple of kits with the spraymalt, brewing sugar etc at the same time. You only have to pay postage once then.

 

[Random Badger]

Coopers Canadian Blonde done with 1Kg of Spraymalt would be a nice low cost kit. I did the Coopers Hefe Wheat kit with wheat DME and it is a beautiful beer. Personally I'd use the brewing sugar instead of table sugar. But would use a beer enhancer or DME over sugar. Not that much more expensive and really lifts the quality of the beer kit.
To keep costs down just order a couple of kits with the spraymalt, brewing sugar etc at the same time. You only have to pay postage once then.

Or even order enough kits/malt/brewing sugar/equipment in one go that you qualify for free postage, which most online brewing supply shops seem to offer if you meet a minimum spend (e.g. £60).

 

[Ezza]

You can, it makes beer..... but tastes very meh IMHO.

 

[The Baron]

If you use ordinary sugar it is ok but it will give the beer a thinner taste i.e lacking body, it also can make your beer ferment slightly lower which again will thin it out. Having said that as long as the beer is for your son and his mates I am guessing they are not craft connoisseurs so go with the sugar they would never notice but use the good stuff for yourselves

 

[chris-s]

The young these days often go for relatively expensive stuff like Leffe. Might be worth checking.

Festival do a Belgian Ale which I have but haven't yet made up. £22 - premium kit.

If it is just a light/golden ale, I quite like the St. Peter's Golden Ale for summer. £20 - 2 can kit.

If you want to go really cheap, the Simply lager is drinkable but uninspiring. £10. Plus 50p for 1kg sugar.

 

[Hopperty]

Coopers Canadian Blonde done with 1Kg of Spraymalt would be a nice low cost kit. I did the Coopers Hefe Wheat kit with wheat DME and it is a beautiful beer. Personally I'd use the brewing sugar instead of table sugar. But would use a beer enhancer or DME over sugar. Not that much more expensive and really lifts the quality of the beer kit.
To keep costs down just order a couple of kits with the spraymalt, brewing sugar etc at the same time. You only have to pay postage once then.

That has been my favourite brew so far, (my 4th hefe is underway right now) I have been adding 1kg wheat spray malt and 250g of brewing sugar. It needs to stay in bottle for 10 weeks to get to its best.

 

[damienair]

That has been my favourite brew so far, (my 4th hefe is underway right now) I have been adding 1kg wheat spray malt and 250g of brewing sugar. It needs to stay in bottle for 10 weeks to get to its best.

I am definitely going to do that kit again. I have a Bruphoria James Blonde Ale in my FV at the moment. When that is bottled in just over a weeks time I will be sticking on a Mangrove Jacks Bavarian Wheat Kit with 1Kg of Wheat Spray Malt with 250g of brewing sugar. I've held back about 8 bottles of the Coopers Hefe Wheat kit so as to do a comparison.

 

[dwhite60]

If it is just a light/golden ale, I quite like the St. Peter's Golden Ale for summer. £20 - 2 can kit.

£20, that's like USD $28, and for a two can kit. Canned kits, Coopers for instance, here in the states start at about USD $19, about £14.

We don't get the same pricing on canned kits you Brits and especially the Aussie's get.

 

[Hopperty]

I am definitely going to do that kit again. I have a Bruphoria James Blonde Ale in my FV at the moment. When that is bottled in just over a weeks time I will be sticking on a Mangrove Jacks Bavarian Wheat Kit with 1Kg of Wheat Spray Malt with 250g of brewing sugar. I've held back about 8 bottles of the Coopers Hefe Wheat kit so as to do a comparison.

Be really interested to hear how the Mangroves Jack turns out - see what I have for my next brew, LOL

it will probably be June before I open my first bottle.

 

[Libigage]

it will probably be June before I open my first bottle

I bet it won't be june

 

[Nidger]

£20, that's like USD $28, and for a two can kit. Canned kits, Coopers for instance, here in the states start at about USD $19, about £14.

We don't get the same pricing on canned kits you Brits and especially the Aussie's get.

I saw an American complaining via YouTube that Cooper's kits were expensive in USA. Maybe your import tax is more ?

That said.
A cousin of mine who lived in Texas once said "if your going to the US with pound sterling then you obviously get more dollars, but if you live in the US then think of $20 as £20. Still expensive as you say.
Cooper's kits here are anything from around £11 up to £19 for the same kit.
Are there any kits made in the USA, out of interest ?


In answer to the op.
I use normal sugar with Cooper's lager kits and they taste great.
I'm yet to try brewing sugar and enhancer. I probably will but I'm tight, just started again last year and happy enough with normal sugar.
I've just done a Cooper's Mexican cerveza and it's very good.
Around £11.50 from brew2bottle.
I order over £59 worth at a time for free postage.
Though I've just ordered a Cooper's Canadian blonde through a bloke from work as his order was short of £59

I've seen a video of a bloke double up on Wilko lager kits so about £20 but the Cooper's kits are i think 1.8kg compared to the likes of Wilko's 1.5kg.

 

[chris-s]

I'm yet to try brewing sugar and enhancer.

I tried brewing sugar years ago when Wilko were offering it free with a kit. It was slightly better but not enough to pay an extra £2.
It may depend on the actual kit though.

Around £11.50 from brew2bottle.

That's interesting. Have they dropped in price recently. The last time I bought a Coopers kit I think it was £16 so too near the cost of a two can kit.

 

[Hopperty]

I bet it won't be june

I'm actually very good these days, too often in the past I have stared a couple of weeks after bottling, and 5 or 6 weeks later when there is nearly none left I have realised how it has improved significantly with a little maturing. So a minimum of 2 months now from bottling before I sample my first.

The Hefe in the FV now won't be bottle for a fortnight, then it will be another week till I get the Mangrove Jack underway, so that won't get bottled until mid April, so could well be late june before a sup my first one..

I plan well in advance these days, just started a lager I set off before xmas

 

[damienair]

I'm actually very good these days, too often in the past I have stared a couple of weeks after bottling, and 5 or 6 weeks later when there is nearly none left I have realised how it has improved significantly with a little maturing. So a minimum of 2 months now from bottling before I sample my first.

The Hefe in the FV now won't be bottle for a fortnight, then it will be another week till I get the Mangrove Jack underway, so that won't get bottled until mid April, so could well be late june before a sup my first one..

I plan well in advance these days, just started a lager I set off before xmas

Ha Ha, snap! I started in December and with the help of my next door neighbor I got through my first two brews far too quickly. First was a Simply Lager Kit made with 1Kg of brewing sugar. It was the kit which came with all my starter gear. I have saved 5 bottles. I then bought a Coopers Hefe Wheat Kit which I made with 1Kg of Wheat Spray Malt and 500g of brewing sugar. It finished at just over 5%. It was really nice, my first kit turned out lovely, but the Coopers kit was a big step up. At the weekends I am buying 6 bottles of various craft beers in 500ml bottles so as to sample different beer styles and collect bottles. I have bought some craft Wheat beers and done side by side comparisons with the Coopers Wheat Kit and it is great, stands up very well against commercial craft offerings, maybe it's because I brewed it myself, but I prefer it.
I have 41 x 500ml bottles of Mangrove Jacks Pink Grapefruit IPA conditioning in my garage, 41 x 500ml bottles of Festival Oaked Apple Cider in secondary fermentation and in a week they will be moving to the garage so as to condition and I have a Bruphoria James Blonde Ale from The Home Brew Company in my FV which I will be adding hops to on Tuesday and bottling next weekend. After that the Mangrove Jacks Bavarian Wheat beer kit will be going on with 1Kg of Wheat DME and 250g of brewing sugar.
My Birthday is in the middle of May. I am saving the brews until then. I still have a few bottles from my first and second brews. So my plan is to have a lovely BBQ on my Birthday, beside the garden tables and chairs will be a cooler box full of ice. And in that cooler box will be a selection of my own home brewed beers. I'm going to do a sample test, starting with the first brew I made. Looking forward to it. The Cider kit might blow the head off me, that is around 8%.
My plan is to have enough bottles collected for 5 brews. I have cleared out storage space in my garage. That way I'll have a good healthy home brew supply.

 

[Nidger]

I tried brewing sugar years ago when Wilko were offering it free with a kit. It was slightly better but not enough to pay an extra £2.
It may depend on the actual kit though.


That's interesting. Have they dropped in price recently. The last time I bought a Coopers kit I think it was £16 so too near the cost of a two can kit.

Cooper's Australian lager is currently £10.95,
The Canadian blonde i just ordered through a lad in work is £11.45.
They are out stock on Mexican cerveza at the moment but I'll probably buy a couple when back in, along with a beaverdale 30 bottle wine kit for £43 which easily gets over the £59 free post mark.


https://brew2bottle.co.uk/collectio...ucts/coopers-beer-kits?variant=15195492024435

Interesting comment on the sugar thanks, I've heard others say there is little to no difference and as I say I'm happy with results from normal sugar so not worth the extra for me.

 

[chris-s]

I just found my notes from first lockdown and I had £14 down for Coopers so none made it to the (long) list of brews to do while grounded.

I'm surprised that I didn't notice the Brew2B prices as they tend to be my first port of call.

Maybe I'll tack one on to the next order.

Trouble is I have become too fond of the premium kits, particularly the Festivals.