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Old DME?

Hello group; I brewed my first all grain beer two weeks ago (just a simple brown ale with an infusion mash) and all went surprisingly well. Fermented for 8 days and bottled it up. The only problem that arose was the fact that I had a mishap with my corn sugar and was forced to use 1+ yr old DME for priming - it was all I had and the nearest store is 20+ miles away. Now, after almost two weeks in the bottle, the carbonation is weak. Should I wait longer, or is it possible that the DME I used wasn't up to par (too old)? In the past I have drank brews after only 1 week in the bottle with excellent results, but this is rather disappointing to say the least. I mean it's good beer, just not carbonated enough for my liking. So, any ideas? Can DME go "bad"? Or am I just not being patient enough? BTW: 1.25 cups DME/pint of H2O; conditioned @ 68 degrees F. Thanks in advance for any responses/ideas. JL

Reply to
BluesBrews
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"BluesBrews _scott_ _yahoo.com>" Hello group;

Why didn't you just use cane sugar? What temperature are they carbonating at?

Mike

Reply to
Mike

Mike- Well, it never dawned on me that I could use cane sugar! I've just always used corn sugar or DME. Besides, I didn't realize that DME could "go bad" or otherwise be ineffective for bottle conditioning. I've never encountered this before. Would cane sugar affect the taste in the bottle, or no? Do you use the same amount as corn sugar (3/4c to pint of water)? I guess it is something to keep in mind for another time. Meanwhile, I guess I'll ditch the old DME. It's funny that the old DME seems to work okay for yeast culturing, that's why I thought it would be okay for bottling. Guess not. Oh yeah, for what it's worth: the bottles are carbonating at 68 degrees F; I think I'll try to raise the temperature a bit and see if that makes a difference. Anyway, thanks for the tip Mike. Jarrod

Reply to
BluesBrews

DME may not ferment out completely, which if you were using it 1:1 for sugar, it would not be the correct measure...

For the last year or so I've always used table sugar for priming. There's no taste difference at all. If you measure by weight, it is exactly the same as corn sugar. By volume, I think you need a bit more table sugar... ask Google! :) I just weigh mine - 4 oz by weight. I once did a side-by-side priming and it seems that it takes the yeast a couple more days to break down the table sugar and get started, but by two weeks in the bottle, there was no difference. (Table sugar is a "double" sugar, corn is a single. Yeast break the double bond, then ferment the two single sugars.) It's just one less thing to remember to buy!

It should be OK... just remember that it doesn't all ferment... so you need more DME than you do sugar. Seems like I remember 1.25 cups of DME mentioned for priming???

Derric

Reply to
Derric

1 1/2 teaspoons/litre is plenty for lager type brews. 1 teaspoon for for darker brews. Adjust to taste.
Reply to
Mike

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