Homebrew-Fi

[Davesrose]

Originally Posted by KyPeN

It does indeed have candied sugar in it. That is the essence of a Belgian, I'm told. The purpose of adding the sugar is to make the brew sweeter. The yeast is not capable of eating it, that's why you don't just add more malt and use the candied sugar.

Kind of figured yours had sugar as well: I did read that it's really used in the high gravity Belgian beers......and at least one beer kit that a certain brewing supply store sells!

I think I'm also going to have to argue about yeast not eating sugar. This Scottish Ale kit just has the regular dose of malt extracts, with 1lb of candied sugar. Raised my OG to 1.07. Papazian says that in fermentation, yeast converts sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide. A higher gravity beer gets more alcohol because it either has more malt (which has its own sugars) and/or sugar additives. My imperial stout has a higher gravity because it did use twice as much malt extract as my other recipes have been

To eleborate, I'll even include some quotes about sugar (in his Joy of Homebrewing book)....I'm that much of a nerd!:

" Sucrose (and invert)-Sucrose is rapidly fermentable by beer yeasts. It occurs naturally in malt. Commercially it is available in crystalline form, usually as common white table sugar. Invert sugar is a type of sugar that is made from an acide treatment of sucrose. The name "invert" refers to the optical effect that a solution of invert sugar has on light.
Like sucrose, it is a combination of one glucose and one fructose molecule. Pure invert sugar is as fermentable as sucrose; because of by-products that are produced during the acid treatment, inver sugar may be 5 to 10 percent less fermentable then sucrose and can contribute unusual (both desirable and undesirable) flavor characteristics."

"Candi sugar- Used by Belgian brewers in several traitional strong ales, Candi sugar is nothing more than slowly crystallized pure sucrose. The crystals are large and clear, coming in white, amber, and brown colors. The darker colors are the crytallization of caramelized sugar and add a degree of flavor to the beer. These sugars are commonly used to lighten the body of stronger beers while producing more alcoholic strength".

The sugar that came with this kit was pretty dark: so on top of adding alcohol, it probably explains that really sweet smell too

I gotta find a beer smiley BTW!!

[KyPeN]

Thanks for the write-up, Dave! That's interesting. I stand corrected.

Yes, we need a beer smiley. With headphones on. And a camera around its neck.

What do you think our chances are of talking Jahn into adding one?

[Joeywhat]

I've homebrewed on and off for about 2 years now...I don't do it now because I lost most my equipment during a move, and I can't justify spending money on it right now. Plus, my kitchen is REAL small and I don't have a good place to ferment (living in an apartment now).

I've made a few "good" beers...my friends liked them, but I thought they were weak, needed more body. My nut brown ale is the best thus far. I've also made a damn good raspberry hefe.

If I end up starting up again in my apartment I think I'll also try brewing some root beer...that's always looked like fun. When I grab a house sometime soon I'll be making a LARGE investment into some high quality equipment, and will switch to all grain. It also helps being 21 since I can't go out and try new beers very easily to get ideas (I'm 20).

[Joeywhat]

I definitely suggest "The Complete Joy Of Homebrewing" for anyone who homebrews and hasn't read it yet. Even for the advanced user. I bought it straight off the bat and was really happy I did. Saved me a lot of trouble.

Reading through the advanced section really got me going, too. VERY advanced stuff going on...you better have done well in chem class to be reading that. As the book states, one of the advantages to going all grain is having COMPLETE control over your brew. You get to choose exactly how the malt turns out, and even slight temperature changes or cooking times will yield different tastes in your beer.

I'm actually thinking of making a career out of homebrewing...open up a brew pub with some of my chef friends. I think I'll actually be grabbing a chem degree in the future, just so I can understand all the processes going on inside the beer.

In any event, that book is a good read for any homebrewer at any level.

[Davesrose]

Oh, I also picked up another Papazian book that's good for every homebrewer. He goes around visiting lots of microbreweries and actually gets recipes. What's especially good is that he includes an all grain recipe as well as a malt extract counterpart. "Microbrewed Adventures", Charlie Papazian

It's got more then 50 recipes....including Sam Adams tripple bock. Eventually I'll find the space to try out all grain brewing.....for now, I'm content with my malt extract concoctions. The candied sugar has mellowed out a bit in my Wee Heavy. It's still foaming, and is now smelling like beer!!

[nylan8301]

I will definitely have to join the ranks. I haven't made a lot of batches recently, but I do enjoy brewing my own beer. Mostly wheat ales and brown ales. Easy stuff, really. Tried using fruit extracts, as well. Didn't turn out quite how I wanted it, but it was worth a shot. Next batch is probably going to be a porter. Always wanted to try some darker stuff.

Anybody here catch the Alton Brown "Good Eats" episode on brewing beer? One of my fav's and extremely informative to the newbie brewer.

Once I get over my illness, I'll have to brew up another batch of some Brown ale. MMMmmmmm...

Nylan