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In craft brewing, the use of brewing sugars is not limited to simple priming before packaging. Incorporating 100% fermentable sugars – led by dextrose (glucose monohydrate) – is a major technological and economic tool.
Whether you want to push the original gravity (OG) of high‑alcohol styles without overloading your mash tun, dry out a recipe to maximise drinkability, or achieve priming with surgical precision, mastering sugar calculations is essential.
To supply your brewhouse, explore our catalogue of professional malt extracts and brewing sugars.
1. Boosting the gravity of strong beers: Space savings and yeast relief
When brewing very dense styles (Belgian Triples, Imperial Stouts, Barleywines, Double IPAs), the physical capacity of your mash tun quickly becomes the main limitation. Filling the lauter tun with extremely low mash ratios drastically reduces malt extraction efficiency and increases the risk of stuck sparges.
- Exceeding the limits of your brewhouse: Replacing a portion of base malt with dextrose at the end of the boil allows you to increase the original gravity (OG) by several points without adding a single gram of grain to the mash. You save malt while maintaining high extraction yields.
- Reducing osmotic stress on the yeast: A wort saturated exclusively with complex maltose exerts strong osmotic pressure on yeast cell membranes at the start of fermentation. Adding simple, highly assimilable sugars (like dextrose) helps kick‑start fermentation and reduces the production of hot higher alcohols and stress‑related off‑flavours.
- Adjusting body and drinkability: Malt contributes unfermentable sugars (dextrins) that add body. In a Double IPA or a high‑ABV Belgian Triple, a 100% malt wort can produce a heavy, syrupy, cloying beer. Dextrose, fermented 100%, provides the desired alcohol while keeping the finish dry, crisp and refreshing.
2. Calculation formulas for sugar additions
To integrate dextrose or malt extracts accurately into your brewing sheets, two basic calculations must be mastered:
A. Calculating the increase in Original Gravity (OG) during the boil
Glucose monohydrate contributes approximately 380 gravity points per kilogram per litre (a potential of about 1.038 for 1 kg in 10 litres, or +3.8 gravity points per kg/hL).
Simplified formula:
OG point increase = (Weight of Dextrose (kg) × 380) / Volume of hot wort in kettle (L)
Example for a 10 hL batch (1000 L): adding 10 kg of dextrose provides (10 × 380) / 1000 = +3.8 OG points (e.g., from 1.060 to 1.0638).
B. Calculating dextrose for bottle/keg carbonation
Dextrose monohydrate contains about 9% crystallisation water. To achieve the same carbonation level as with table sugar (sucrose), apply a multiplication factor of 1.1 to 1.15.
Conversion rule:
Dextrose mass = Equivalent sucrose mass × 1.12
Example: if your recipe targets 6 g/L of table sugar, use 6 × 1.12 = 6.72 g/L of professional dextrose.
3. Comparative table of brewing sugars and extracts
Here is an overview of available sugar inputs to adjust the texture, colour and profile of your beers:
| Sugar Input | Fermentability | Impact on Final Profile | Ideal Professional Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dextrose (Glucose Monohydrate) | 100% | Increases alcohol, dries the finish, zero colour or flavour impact. | Priming, West Coast IPA, Imperial Stout, Abbey beers and Triples. |
| Dry Malt Extract (DME) | ~75% to 80% | Adds alcohol while retaining body, roundness and foam proteins. | Quick OG correction in case of low malt yield, yeast starters. |
| Candi / Specialty Sugars | 95% to 100% | Caramelised notes, dried fruits, colour adjustment (EBC). | Dubbel, Quadrupel, Christmas ales and strong Belgian ales. |
Rolling Beers Pro Technical Team Insight
Add your dextrose at the right moment during fermentation! For very high‑alcohol beers (above 9–10% ABV), adding all the dextrose directly into the boil kettle is not the most efficient method. To avoid shocking the yeast with an excessively high initial gravity, apply the “feeding” technique (progressive addition): start fermentation with a 100% malt wort. Once active attenuation is well underway (after 48–72 hours), dissolve your dextrose in a small amount of sterile boiling water and inject it directly into the fermenter under CO₂ purge. The yeast, already vigorous and well developed, will consume this simple sugar instantly without osmotic stress. Any technical questions about brewing sugars or need a quote?