How much sugar goes into a beer kit, and what more of it does
The number on the tin, and what happens when you go past it
Nearly every 1.7kg beer kit is built around you adding about 1kg of fermentable sugar and topping up to 23 litres, and that isn't an arbitrary figure, it's the number the recipe on the tin was balanced against. Plenty of people decide to add more than that on the theory that more sugar makes a better beer, and what it actually makes is a stronger and thinner one, so it's worth understanding the trade before you make it.
Why 1kg, and what it's doing
The malt extract in the tin brings the flavour and the colour and most of the body with it, but on its own it won't get you to a normal drinking strength in 23 litres. The added kilo of sugar is there to make up the alcohol without piling on any more malt character, so the balance between the two is what decides whether your beer tastes like beer or like something else wearing beer's clothes.
What extra sugar actually does
Simple sugars ferment out almost completely, so every extra 100g you add goes to alcohol and leaves nothing behind. Go 500g over and you'll pick up maybe half a percent of alcohol, and you'll also have a beer with the same amount of malt spread across the same volume of a stronger liquid, which reads on the tongue as thinner and drier. That's the whole trade in one sentence, and knowing it is what lets you make the choice on purpose instead of by accident.
Which sugar, once you have settled how much
Coopers Dextrose is the straightforward option, it dissolves easily and ferments out cleanly, and a kilo of it is the standard starting point. If you would rather keep some body in the beer, a blend such as Coopers Brew Enhancer 2 puts part of that kilo in as malt instead of pure sugar, so you get the alcohol without giving away as much mouthfeel.
Going the other way, for a lighter beer
You can also go under. Dropping to about 750g gives you a lower alcohol beer that still tastes balanced, which is a genuinely good option for a summer batch you plan to drink across an afternoon. What you shouldn't do is cut the sugar and keep the volume at 23 litres while expecting the same beer, because at that point you have watered the whole thing down rather than made it lighter.
Shop related products
- Coopers Dextrose 1kg. The standard clean fermenting sugar for a kit beer.
- Coopers Brew Enhancer 1 1kg. Dextrose with some maltodextrin for a touch more body.
- Coopers Brew Enhancer 2 1kg. More malt in the blend again, for a fuller finish.
- Coopers Light Dry Malt 500g. All malt, when you want body rather than alcohol.
Did you know we also keep the two scale hydrometer with test jar, heater belts, no rinse sanitiser and carbonation drops in the shop. A fair bit of the brewing gear isn't listed online, so ring us on (08) 8536 4333 and we'll check the shelf.
The rest of it is in our beer supplies collection.
Our homebrew adviser Brewhilder will talk you through your own setup if you would rather work it out that way.
Read next
- What a Coopers Brew Enhancer actually does to your beer
- Coopers Dextrose or Brew Enhancer, which sugar your kit wants
- Why your homebrew tastes cidery, and what the sugar did
The urge to add a bit extra because it's sitting right there in the cupboard is one I understand completely and resist about as often as I give in to it.
Cheers,
Candeece
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