BELGIAN BEER SPECIALTY SUGAR

[Peter Bradshaw]

I purchased a 500g packet of this in my local HBS.

It reads: This pack contains a specialty sugar made from sugarbeet. Designed to add to the fully imported Belgian fruit beers and ales.

Can any body tell me:

Should I use it in other brews
Does it have any special qualities
Is it the same as candi sugar (a recipe for which I have noticed here)

Cheers, Pete

[Chris]

It might be candi sugar, but you haven't got enough info. It is sugar derived from beets rather than cane or another source. As for how it is 'specialty,' I can't say without more information.

[Peter Bradshaw]

Chris,

Everything I know I included.
Should I use it to make an extra strong in preference to say: Dextrose.

Cheers, Pete

[Chris]

It is most likely designed to make strong ales. It would likely be used with at least 1kg of malt. It sounds like an alcohol booster.

As for adding it to other beers, you could, but I can't see why you would.

[Rod]

My guess is you have some candi sugar sourced from USA

they use beets to make a lot of their table sugar

the candi version is made as per the recipe from this site , which sayes the candi sugar gives a dense mousse-like head to Belgian style beers

It has also said that candi sugar can be used instead of dextrose and not get the old home brew taste in your beer which was the main compliant years ago , not unlike cider . Maybe good to use some in place of dextrose if it gives a " dense mousse like head " which some K&K preparations lake

made some candi sugar yesterday as per instructions , works a treat , and now have a Brewferm Tripple bubbling away as we speak

I got two cans from my local HBS for $10 per can , he was deleting the stock

[mark_68]

I was interested in making candi sugar myself at one time to use in a saisson recipe but after reading around on a couple of american forums i found that candi sugar can't be made using citric acid and heat,or so they reckon,instead it is made by heating with a strong mineral acid such as sulphuric acid which accordingly breaks the chemical bonds and converts the sucrose.This obviously shouldn't be tried at home,but there are just as many sites claiming that citric acid and heat will do the job and as i am no chemist i don't know if this will work or not.Any budding chemists know otherwise?

[lethaldog]

It works fine, just remmember back to when you were a kid and mum or nan made toffee, same principle but with a little citric in there as well

[mark_68]

No worries mate,i didn't think it was that difficult to make candi sugar as otherwise the cost of making it would prohibit most normal brewers from using it.I will be making some pretty soon to make a saisson,hope it works.

[lethaldog]

Its very cheap to make, just sugar, water and a pinch of citric

[Rod]

as the dog said

kiss

as in the instruction , please read fully to understand what you are doing

500g sugar enough water to make a solution , a pinch of citric

need a sugar thermometer , about $5 at kitchen shop

boil at 130'C for 15 mins ( keep at this temp by adding teaspoons of water ) and then bring to 150'C , tip onto a greaseproof paper lined tray and cool

[bobbioli]

I made some "candi sugar" for my last two brews. Have no idea if it was cane or other.Would it make a diff? Also don't dump candi sugar while it is super hot into your boil, you will not like the results

[Rod]

I ran my candi sugar onto some grease proof paper and let it cool till the next day

I could not break it up as it was too sticky , so I added it too the fermenter as a piece , took alot of stirring to get it dissolved , probably good aeration

next time I will add some hot water and let it cool a little before adding to the fermenter in the same day

[Boonie]

as the dog said

kiss

as in the instruction , please read fully to understand what you are doing

500g sugar enough water to make a solution , a pinch of citric

need a sugar thermometer , about $5 at kitchen shop

boil at 130'C for 15 mins ( keep at this temp by adding teaspoons of water ) and then bring to 150'C , tip onto a greaseproof paper lined tray and cool

Q1 Can you get the Citric Acid at Coles??
Q2 Which isle? Kidding I meant would it be with the spices?
Q3 Does it really give a great head in normal K&K (My Brewferm Triple did, but have not tried in anything else)

Cheers

Boonie

[KEG]

1: yes
2: yes
3: somewhat

[Boonie]

1: yes
2: yes
3: somewhat

Do you have a brand name?? Easier to find

Looked today and I could not find any....maybe I'll ask someone tomorrow

[drtom]

McKenzie is the most common brand. Based on my Safeway experience, it will either be next to the spices, or next to the baking ingredients (with cooking chocolate, baking powder, 100s&1000s, etc).

For making invert sugar, any food acid will do. You could use lemon juice it that's handy.

cheers,
T.

[Boonie]

McKenzie is the most common brand. Based on my Safeway experience, it will either be next to the spices, or next to the baking ingredients (with cooking chocolate, baking powder, 100s&1000s, etc).

For making invert sugar, any food acid will do. You could use lemon juice it that's handy.

cheers,
T.

Cheers Doc, found it.

I went in and asked where it was this morning before work and before your post, and she told me it was in the cleaning section .

Cheers

Boonie

[drtom]

FWIW, I made invert sugar last year for a brew and deliberately allowed it to caramelize to a deep orange. The resulting brew was almost the colour of Fanta.

T.

[Chris]

Nice colour! What was the flavour like? Did it have that butterscotchy taste?

[drtom]

Not really. The flavour was dominated by other factors: the honey, the yeast (T-58), and the high alcohol content (10.6%).

T.