Is there a difference between using carbonation drops and regular sugar?
A lot of people swear by carbonation drops, and others don’t see a need in using them. A question that I saw the other day was asking if you can tell a difference in your beer between using one or the other?
The short answer to this question is no, you cannot. Or at least it would be very difficult to tell. It such a small amount of sugar that you are adding to the bottles that it's not going to have a big impact on your beer.
The main reason for carbonation drops is their ease of use. When using our Mr. Beer 740mL bottles you just drop 2 in the bottle and your good to go. That’s it, no measuring or fussing with sugar.
Now we have heard that carbonation drops can help with head retention in some cases, but that is often hard to tell between 2 fully carbonation and well-made beers.
So I think it is just a matter of perception but you really can't tell the difference between using carbonation drops and sugar when it comes to bottling.
But I think what everyone can agree on is carbonation drops sure make the bottling process a whole lot easier.
Cheers,
Robert