Golden syrup, any good for fermenting?

[Spud]

Ok today I was in Makro, getting some stuff, and passed by the sugars section, when something caught my eye. Near the honey and caster sugar was a catering tub of Lyles Golden syrup, (7.25kg for £12.85) which equates to about the 5ltr size of tub you get engine oil in.

This set me thinking how fermentable is the golden syrup? Could I have a go at some form of artificial mead type recipe, substituting the syrup for the honey? Would it alter the flavour of a finished drink in comparison to using white sugar? And has anyone got an idea of the amount of golden syrup needed if I was looking to substitute for 1kg of white sugar? I'm basically after ideas on its application in home brew, and weather buying a bulk amount like that would be worth it.

Any hints ideas and thoughts are very welcome. There was also black treacle at the same price as the golden syrup, which I believe is commonly used in some stouts, so it has to be a possible use with the syrup.

 

[Twostage]

Looks like treacle is better than golden syrup :-

http://byo.com/grains/item/1441-sweetness-brewing-sugars-how-to-use-them

Quote :-

Invert sugar syrups, such as Lyle's Golden syrup, are made from sucrose that has been hydrolyzed to separate the glucose and fructose. This has two effects: first, it makes the sugar more syrupy and less likely to crystallize. Secondly, it makes it sweeter. Invert sugar syrup is like artificial honey without the characteristic honey flavors. Golden syrup type products tend to be a bit salty tasting due to the acid -base reactions during manufacture. Treacle is partially inverted molasses combined with other syrups. The flavor contributions from treacle can be strong, so it is best to use it in heavier bodied beers like English strong ales, porters, and sweet stout. One half cup per 5-gallon (19-L) batch is a recommended starting point.

 

[Spud]

So now it's established that syrup will work, does anyone know the convertion rate to get the right amount to replace white sugar?

 

[Spud]

Found it: add 15% to the weights...

Linky

 

[Chippy_Tea]

How much more does it cost to use syrup instead of sugar and what is gained by using it?

 

[Spud]

To be honest in comparison to the 1kg bags of brewing sugar at £2, it comes in at £1.77 a kilo, so add in the 15% extra its £2.03 for a kilo of fermentables. So price wise it's about the same.

As for what's gained? Well it'll satisfy my curiosity. The only way to discover if it can be done is running an experiment and seeing what the end result is. From what I've read on the forum this morning, it'll impart a golden colour, and add a caramel flavour which could be a useful thing.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I thought it would have been a lot more expensive than sugar (you can tell i don't do the shopping) as its not it has to be worth a try, let us know how it turns out and i will give it a go. :thumb:

 

[Spud]

Thing is its Makro, so it's a caterers cash and carry. Some other example prices they had were:

£5.49 for a kilo of honey,
£12 for 10kg of Tate and Lyle caster sugar, if you go for a 25kg bag it becomes around £20

Because the sucrose in the golden syrup is already broke down into fructose and glucose, it's one less step for the yeast to do, so it ferments quicker.

 

[Covrich]

I have heard using honey is pretty good in lighter beers? anyone got any opinion on that?

 

[mickthetrick]

in my kit brewing days i used golden syrup pretty regularly. i used to stock up when it was cheap after pancake day lol. i never really noticed a difference in taste and it always fermented out ok.
if i had a recipe that asked for candy/ invert sugar, ie. a Belgium beer id just use golden syrup.

 

[Beerlover]

I used a can of it in a festival golden stag kit but preferred the end result when I hadn't used it.

 

[Spud]

Seems like it could be the marmite of home brew ingredients then

 

[LarryF]

I've used Lyons Golden Syrup in conjunction with BE on a couple of brews now to bump up the ABV to my preferred 5.5 - 6.0% and I've quite liked the results. At £1.15 for 454g, it's a nice solution to bumping up the ABV and you end with with a really nice tin at the end.

 

[Spud]

I'm hoping it's going to work, soon as I've cleared the WOW's I've a Geordie mild to start. I've a pack of dark spray malt, a full tin of syrup, a half tin of black treacle, and a liquorice stick to add to the mix. Hoping it'll become something special ready for early summer evenings in the garden.

After that it's back to messing about with ikea saft.

 

[Rockuronium]

I need 57g of golden syrup for batch priming, can I add a little warm water to loosen it?

 

[bquiggerz]

Rock I don't see why not but I'd wait for others to answer before you take my word for it

 

[Gorty]

Evil Freddie has beaten you to it I'm afraid.

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=23396&highlight=golden+syrup