Do I have to use corn sugar to bottle?

We often field this question at the last minute after a brewer realizes they don't have corn sugar. In a pinch, you can use other sugars to bottle with. We recommend, and use, corn sugar because it is easily digested by yeast which are already in a semi-dormant state. If you use another type of sugar the amounts will be different. Cane sugar for one is slightly more concentrated than corn sugar so you may want to take that into consideration. If using DME we can recommend that you use 1 to 1.25 cups. You can use light, amber or dark DME to bottle within a pinch. Try to have corn sugar on hand and eliminate any worry. Common table sugar or sucrose is actually made up of one molecule each glucose and fructose. The yeast must produce an enzyme to break that bond before it can ferment it. The bond naturally breaks in a very acidic environment, so mixing sugar with lemon juice will make the sugar more digestible but can leave a lemon flavor in the beer.

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