Priming sugar

[lafamillecarrington]

I have always used DME to prime bottles, but am thinking of changing to glucose/dextrose as DME is such a pain.
Does the priming sugar affect the beer? I am mostly brewing pale ales.

 

[dmtaylor]

DME gives you improved foam and retention. Not to say you can't get good foam with other priming sugars, but there is a small difference.

I've been using regular white cane sugar or beet sugar for the past 20-something years. Works great. You'll need to use much less compared with DME. Just 5/8 cup per 5 gallons (19 liters) will give you a good moderate level of carbonation. Or in ounces this would be about 4.1 oz, or for non-Yanks I guess that's about 115 grams.

Dextrose offers no advantages, unless you can get it for free(!?). Otherwise, just use table sugar.

 

[lafamillecarrington]

That's very helpful, thanks.
I live in the middle of fields full of sugar beet, so I feel that I should stick with that!

 

[IceQueen]

hi

I always used to use sugar, so much easier to handle and considered how little you add, nobody will be able to tell if you used sugar or dme. Taste/head changes only come from using dme in your main brew, if you use sugar or brewing sugar (biggest ripp off in the wrold) in the main, you get a flafour reduction.
And sugar gets eaten up, dme not, be carefull how you calculate the priming amount.

LG Maddy