substitute for corn sugar (priming sugar)?

Corn sugar is a simpler molicule and easier utilized by the yeast. You can substitute white sugar but it is not recomended, I have heard that white sugar can give the beer an off (undesirable) flavor.

It is completely fine to use plain table sugar instead of corn sugar.

For the last couple of years I've been using table sugar exclusively and there is absolutely no difference in taste. I've used it in extremely light beers - and there is NO off-taste. I'm not positive about the volume measurement difference since I weigh it. I weigh out 4 oz of either one.

Table sugar's molecule contains both a glucose (corn sugar) and a fructose molecule in combination. It seems to take the yeast a *tad* longer to break this apart and then ferment both. For carbonation, it might be a day or two longer if you were comparing two identical beers, one with each sugar (that's what I did). STILL, I usually have significant carbonation after about 3 days.

Most people now believe that the "old wisdom" that table sugar gives cidery taste is wrong. Cidery taste probably comes from old/stale liquid malt extract. When the recipe called for additional sugar and old LME was used, the sugar got blamed for the off-taste. ANYWAY, the tiny amount used for carbonation is insignificant (the cidery taste was alledged to come from using POUNDS of sugar in a recipe). If you have cidery tasting beer, first make sure you have FRESH LME.

Derric

This is a myth that's been around a long time. In short, using table suagr in amounts less than 25% of the total fermentables will not cause any off flavors.

---------->Denny

-- Life begins at 60...1.060, that is.

Is 'Corn Sugar' what the homebrew suppliers in the UK call 'glucose powder' or 'brewing and winemaking sugar'? If so, I've used both with no obvious difference in taste. The table sugar which I do use is cane sugar, though.

I,ve used table sugar made from beets as well with no ill effects. I'm sure the LHBS would rather sell you the sugar. :)

Regular table sugar is ok, it just takes a bit longer for the yeast to ferment it when compared to corn sugar (dextrose).

Also, corn sugar has some water in it, thus the difference in amounts used. The stuff they sell here claims to have

10% water.

thanks for all the advice, guys. it'll save me an hour of driving this weekend.

In January I will find out what powdered cane sugar does for bottling one of my standard ales. Found myself in a simular situation where I couldn't get corn sugar or dextrose on a Sunday.

Thanks for the correction. From what I read from several articles I had the impression that any use of white sugar was not recomended and only less than

20 percent of corn sugar. I'll start using sucrose (white sugar) in the future for priming, it's a lot cheeper.

Well I couldn't wait till New Years to try one of my ales that I used Cane instead of Corn sugar for priming. I am happy to report that as far as carbonation it has done well. I can't tell that there is any problems with flavor but the head retention is almost non existant. Of course the head is probably no fault of the priming sugar but rather the old hop plugs I was using. This last batch of the year was kind of done with whatever I had left around the house just to clear the way for next year.