Effects of cane sugar (table sugar)

Grains, malts, hops, yeast, water and other ingredients used to brew. Recipe reviews and suggestions.

Moderator: slothrob

Post Reply
river water brewing
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2009 11:34 pm
Location: Sacramento CA

Effects of cane sugar (table sugar)

Post by river water brewing »

Hello, other than increasing the gravity, what other kinds of effects from table sugar can i expect if i add it to my beer? For instance, mouth feel, flavor, color?

How much do i add?

At what point in the boil do i add it?

Thanks!!!
JG
Just trying to find the perfect batch!!!
river water brewing
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2009 11:34 pm
Location: Sacramento CA

Post by river water brewing »

meant to mention in my original question that i brew extract / grains.
JG
Just trying to find the perfect batch!!!
User avatar
slothrob
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1831
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 1:36 pm
Location: Greater Boston

Cane sugar

Post by slothrob »

Pure sugar will lighten the color (if you use it to replace malt) and lighten the body because it has no color of it's own and will ferment completely to alcohol. The result will be a drier mouthfeel. It will tend to reduce the malt flavor of the beer since it has no flavor of it's own, once fermented to alcohol.

Some people feel that it adds a cidery taste, but that is probably a myth unless you add enough to stress the yeast. I'd probably keep it to 10% or less, but friends have made good Belgian beers with around 20% sugar.

You can add the sugar late in the boil (say 5-15' from the end), to boil it just long enough to sanitize it, or boil it in a small volume of water and add it to the primary. Sugar is so nearly sterile, however, that many people add it dry to the primary fermentor.

If you add it to the primary, you can wait until fermentation has started to slow, add it and get a newly vigorous fermentation. This way there will be more yeast around to ferment it and the chance of stressing the yeast is reduced.
BTP v2.0.* Windows XP
river water brewing
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2009 11:34 pm
Location: Sacramento CA

Thanks Slothrob!!!

Post by river water brewing »

Great ideas!!!
JG
Just trying to find the perfect batch!!!
User avatar
slothrob
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1831
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 1:36 pm
Location: Greater Boston

your welcome

Post by slothrob »

Good luck with the beer!

What are you thinking of making with a sugar addition?
BTP v2.0.* Windows XP
river water brewing
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2009 11:34 pm
Location: Sacramento CA

Post by river water brewing »

i have just seen it in a few recipes not sure yet, any suggestions?? Lager vs Ale?
JG
Just trying to find the perfect batch!!!
User avatar
slothrob
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1831
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 1:36 pm
Location: Greater Boston

sugar

Post by slothrob »

No suggestions, really. I tend to avoid sugar additions, because I'm afraid of diluting out the malt flavors and prefer lower alcohol beers. However, sugar is often added to Belgian ales, British Bitters, and big IPAs. I think a sugar addition would be a good way to make a Cream Ale from extract without having to deal with mashing flaked corn or cereal mashing corn meal.

In all these beers the addition is to lighten the body and make it crisper, in some cases allowing a stronger beer that isn't heavy and sweet. I try to accomplish this same task by manipulating mash temperatures. I think, if I was still making beer from extract, I would consider replacing some extract with sugar, because I always had difficulty getting my extract beers dry enough for my taste. I don't have that problem now that I have control over the mash conditions.
BTP v2.0.* Windows XP
Post Reply