Author: Matt Del Fiacco

The use of simple sugar to make beer stretches far back in the history of brewing, with Belgian brewers known for using a decent portion to assist in making their relatively high alcohol styles deliciously dry. Indeed, the primary sugar produced from malt during the mashing process, maltose, is quite fermentable, though not nearly as much as widely available simple sugars, namely dextrose and sucrose.

It’s not uncommon for brewers to view dextrose and sucrose as interchangeable, despite the fact the former comes from corn while the latter comes from either sugar cane or beets. This assumption makes some sense considering both sugars are 100% fermentable, though dextrose does contribute slightly fewer points per gallon (ppg)– 42 ppg compared to sucrose’s 46 ppg. However, there are some who avoid using sucrose due to concerns i can result in a cider-like off-flavor in their beer, a claim that is often repeated on homebrew forums and at club meetings.

I use simple sugar in a few styles such as Double IPA and Belgian Golden Strong Ale where my goal is to amp up the ABV without producing a chewy body, and my sugar of choice has always been dextrose. Surprised by the results of another recent xBmt on simple sugar, I couldn’t help but wonder what impact the type of sugar used in brewing might have and figured I’d check it out for myself!

| PURPOSE |

To evaluate the differences between beers made with either dextrose (corn sugar) or sucrose (table sugar).

| METHODS |

Wanting to stick with a simple grist to emphasize any differences, I went with a Belgian Golden Strong Ale for this xBmt, a style known for being made with a decent portion of simple sugar.

Radar Phone

Recipe Details Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV 5 gal 90 min 30.4 IBUs 2.6 SRM 1.080 1.007 9.8 % Actuals 1.08 1.007 9.8 % Fermentables Name Amount % Pilsner (2 Row) UK 11.5 lbs 82.88 Corn Sugar (Dextrose) / Table Sugar (Sucrose) 2.375 lbs 17.12 Hops Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha % Magnum 18 g 60 min Boil Pellet 12 Czech Saaz 30 g 15 min Boil Pellet 3.5 Yeast Name Lab Attenuation Temperature Gnome (B45) Imperial Yeast 74% 65°F - 75°F Notes Water Profile: Ca 54 | Mg 11 | Na 25 | SO4 81 | Cl 65 Download Download this recipe's BeerXML file

I started my brew day by collecting two identical volumes of RO water and adjusting them to the same profile before turning on the elements to heat them up.

While the water was warming up, I weighed out and milled the grains for each batch.

With the water properly heated, I mashed in and checked to make sure each batch hit the same target mash temperature.

While the mashes were resting, I measured out the kettle hops for each batch.

Once each 60 minute mash was complete, I removed the grains then began heating the wort. At this point, I weighed out identical amounts of dextrose and sucrose, one for each batch.

The worts were boiled for 60 minutes with the sugars being added at the 30 minute mark.

At the completion of each boil, the wort was quickly chilled with my CFC and run directly into sanitized fermentation kegs.

Using extra wort from each batch, I made vitality starters with Imperial Yeast B45 Gnome.

Hydrometer measurements revealed a very slight difference between the worts, confirming claims that sucrose contributes more gravity points per gallon.

The filled fermentation kegs were placed in a chamber controlled to my desired fermentation temperature of 64°F/18°C and left for a couple hours before the yeast was pitched.

Both beers were actively fermenting just hours later. After 4 days, I began ramping the temperature in the chamber to 80°F/27°C over the course of 5 days, at which point I let them finish up for another week. Hydrometer measurements at this time showed similar attenuation between the beers.

I pressure transferred the beers to sanitized and CO2 flushed serving kegs, which were placed on gas in my cool keezer. After a period of burst carbonation and a week of conditioning, the beers were ready for participants!

| RESULTS |

Special thanks to both P.A.L.E. Homebrew Club and Club Wort for allowing me access to members for data collection! A total of 30 people of varying levels of experience participated in this xBmt. Each participant was served 1 sample of the beer made with dextrose and 2 samples of the beer made with sucrose in different colored opaque cups then asked to identify the unique sample. While 15 tasters (p<0.05) would have had to identify the unique sample in order to reach statistical significance, 18 (p=0.002) made the accurate selection, indicating participants in this xBmt could reliably distinguish a Belgian Golden Strong Ale made with corn sugar from one made with table sugar.

The 18 participants who made the accurate selection on the triangle test were instructed to complete a brief preference survey comparing only the beers that were different. A total of 8 tasters reported preferring the dextrose beer and 10 liked the sucrose beer more.

My Impressions: I had an easy time telling these beers apart, accurately identifying the odd-beer-out in 5 out of 6 semi-blind triangle tests. I perceived the beer made with sucrose to have an almost harsh character to it with what seemed to be a somewhat sweeter aroma and flavor, characteristics that were absent in the dextrose version. While I enjoyed both beers, my preference was for the beer made with dextrose.

| DISCUSSION |

With both dextrose and sucrose being white, powdery, and perceptibly sweet, it makes sense people would think they’d have a similar flavor impact when used in the relatively small portions called for in some beer recipes. Then again, they do come from different sources, so claims that each imparts a unique characteristic are also completely understandable, and the fact tasters in this xBmt were able to reliably distinguish beers made with either dextrose or sucrose supports this notion.

Without getting too chemistry heavy, there are some interesting differences between dextrose and sucrose, namely that the former is made of just a single sugar molecule while the latter consists of both a glucose and fructose molecule. Perhaps the additional molecule of fructose, a sugar found in fruit, is what’s responsible for the cider-like flavors some claim to perceive when brewing with sucrose, and possibly the subtle harshness I detected in the batch I made with table sugar.

Dextrose has tended to be my go-to when using sugar in beer, but I never really harbored strong feelings either way and admittedly didn’t expect this xBmt to return significant results. Because I was able to consistently tell the beers apart and preferred the one made with dextrose, I’ll stick with what I’ve been doing, though I’d certainly have no issues substituting sucrose in a pinch.

If you have any thoughts about this xBmt, please do not hesitate to share in the comments section below!

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