I think that's one of the benefits of "inverting"? Once there is a decent amount of fructose you can start easing off on the boiling. Fructose begins to be caramelised at a much lower temperature (I think you mean "burning" in your last post, not caramelising!). With the oven at 110-120C you shouldn't be in danger (unless you set and "really" forget!).
Yes, that is why I keep at the stove during the whole process, with my thermometer in my hand. I have an induction stove, I have the impression this makes it simpler to control the process, at the end I only need to switch a bit between settings 1 and 2 to keep it more or less at the right temperature.
Reading that linked document @scomet posted does give the impression economy was involved. But that's the problem of reading too much into a 120 year old document: Appears we developed quite a taste for these sugar additions and we kept them going even when economic arguments failed, and now us home-brewers better understand the mechanisms behind those flavours and hanker after it some more.
Possibly not? I think "holds the heat well" goes easier on us amateurs.
I've been thinking along similar lines, but using Golden Syrup as a base (it can be had in "catering" size quantities). But both share a problem. Neither will be produced from raw sugar which is important to support Maillard reactions (which are apparently important for creating the right flavours, and colouring). The "raw" bits provide the necessary proteins (amino acids). Both should caramelise at lower temperature, and both avoid seething pots of boiling sugar syrup because the syrup is already inverted and reduced (the fructose also allows high concentration of sugar, sucrose solutions can crystallise, and often do, at above 67%).
That’s a good point. I think I’ll give it a go anyway for my next brew as I have a few hundred grams of invert left and some molasses - if I have time this week I may try it and will report back!
Well I can my feelings to that:
Well apart from snobbery, then, let's say you dig a bit deeper in your pocket and use baker's invert, which is going to be pretty much the same, chemically, once the acidity of the wort has inverted the sucrose, do you think colourless invert (or a good dollop of Tate and Lyles) plus an appropriately coloured crystal malt would work?
There's still a great love of kicking off for a tasteful bit of rowdy behaviour, smashing up banks and torching cars, but it's just boys and girls having fun. Keeps everyone on their toes and makes the old bill earn their francs instead of beating up girls at candle-lit vigils. (There's more than an element of wind-up here for those not accustomed to by sepulchral humour, but there's an element of truth, too). Crystal and caramel malts also undergo Maillard reactions. I think a side-by-side experiment is required. trouble is that so many of the old recipes contain invert of some description.
I thought all this about making your own was because brewers inverts were unavailable in home brew quantities, but you sound as though you've got a supplier. Could you tell us where you get this "Ragus" stuff? Thanks.
