Corn Sugar

Clean ABV Boost • Crisp Dry Finish • The Standard Priming Sugar

Corn Sugar (dextrose) is brewing's most trusted simple sugar, prized for boosting alcohol and drying out a beer without adding any flavor of its own. Because yeast ferments it completely and cleanly, it raises gravity while actually lightening the finished beer's body — the secret behind crisp, drinkable big beers.

At 46 PPG, Corn Sugar packs more fermentable gravity per pound than any malt, and at 0 °Lovibond it contributes no color whatsoever. It is also the gold standard for bottle conditioning.

Flavor & Aroma Profile

• Completely neutral — no flavor contribution
• Dries out the finish
• Lightens body and boosts ABV
• Ferments fully and cleanly
• Zero color impact

Modest additions raise alcohol invisibly while crisping the finish; larger additions noticeably thin the beer, which is exactly what high-gravity styles like Belgian golden strong ales and brut IPAs rely on. Overdo it and the beer can turn watery, so keep it in proportion.

Brewing Applications

Corn Sugar is a staple ingredient in many crisp, high-attenuation styles, including:

• Belgian Golden Strong Ale
• Belgian Tripel
• Double IPA
• Brut IPA
• Cream Ale
• Light Lager
• Saison

It is also the standard priming sugar for bottle conditioning, producing reliable, predictable carbonation.

Usage Recommendations

In the kettle, use Corn Sugar at 5–10% of total fermentables (roughly 0.5–1 lb per 5 gallons) — the low end crisps the finish, while the high end meaningfully boosts ABV and dryness in big beers. For priming at bottling, use about 4–5 oz per 5 gallons dissolved in boiled water.

In double IPAs, a pound of Corn Sugar raises gravity while keeping the body light enough for hops to dominate — a trick borrowed from the West Coast playbook.

Specifications

• PPG (Points Per Pound Per Gallon): 46
• Color: 0 °Lovibond
• Flavor Notes: Neutral, dries out the finish, boosts ABV
• Usage Rate: 5–10% of fermentables (0.5–1 lb per 5 gal); 4–5 oz per 5 gal for priming
• Beer Styles: Belgian strong ales, double IPAs, brut IPAs, light lagers

Whether you're drying out a tripel, lightening a double IPA, or carbonating bottles with confidence, Corn Sugar provides the clean fermentable boost brewers have relied on for generations.