Home made Candi Sugar

[HebridesRob]

Granted, there may be other factors at play here, but the mouthfeel is different. It's always been better with candi sugar over granulated sugar (sucrose). As for the off flavours produced by using granulated sugar, never had them, but I think it needs to be over 20% of the malt bill for any to come through.

I do use sucrose or dextrose for other beers though. Sometimes in IIPAs I'll rather use them as they're cheaper to acquire.

I would like to do some tests to see side by side whether there is a big difference in clear candi sugar Vs table sugar/dextrose/GS for flavour or mouthfeel. But I don't want to end up with 100 litres of the same beer :lol:

Me too. With the added obstacle that I have no-one to go to for more opinions.
Perhaps we should try that Brulosophy bloke?

 

[jceg316]

Me too. With the added obstacle that I have no-one to go to for more opinions.
Perhaps we should try that Brulosophy bloke?

I quite like his tests, I wonder if he'd be up for doing this.

I might make different types of Belgian style beers but use different sugars. Not the most scientific but it's a way of getting a good range of Belgian beers without getting the same beer, and having an idea if there's a difference.

 

[HebridesRob]

I quite like his tests, I wonder if he'd be up for doing this.

I might make different types of Belgian style beers but use different sugars. Not the most scientific but it's a way of getting a good range of Belgian beers without getting the same beer, and having an idea if there's a difference.

I've got enough remaining ingredients for two brews, (postage is expensive so I order for 4-5 recipes at a time). Next week will be heather ale (been waiting for the heather to flower), after that, about four weeks, will be a Tripel. I guess I could make it and post you a bottle or two.

 

[jceg316]

I've got enough remaining ingredients for two brews, (postage is expensive so I order for 4-5 recipes at a time). Next week will be heather ale (been waiting for the heather to flower), after that, about four weeks, will be a Tripel. I guess I could make it and post you a bottle or two.

I've wanted to make a heather ale as I'm surrounded by the stuff, but have no idea what quantities to use, when to use it etc. Do you have a recipe I could see please?

 

[MyQul]

I've wanted to make a heather ale as I'm surrounded by the stuff, but have no idea what quantities to use, when to use it etc. Do you have a recipe I could see please?

There's a heather ale (Fraoch) reciepe in GH's book. Here's Cwrw666's crack at it

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=55387&highlight=heather

 

[HebridesRob]

I've wanted to make a heather ale as I'm surrounded by the stuff, but have no idea what quantities to use, when to use it etc. Do you have a recipe I could see please?

Obviously not going to follow exactly but here's an historical one. Lost the site I got it off.

HEATHER ALE (Fraoch) RECIPE FOR HOMEBREWING

Wild Heather Ale (makes 30 pints)

Ingredients: 2.5 kg milled pale malted barley
250 g milled crystal malt
Cold water
Small pieces of fat (animal or vegetable)
8 large handfuls heather flowers
2 handful bog myrtle leaves
2 teaspoons baker's yeast or beer yeast
1 level teaspoon sugar or honey per bottle

Method:
Put the milled pale malted barley and crystal malt into a 3 gallon jam or
jelly pan. Mix with cold water, then add more water to cover grain and stir
into a slack, sloppy mixture.

Heat very slowly, over 3 hours, until warm. Do not allow the temperature to
go above 70 degrees centigrade - the use of a small piece of fat (animal or
vegetable) will indicate the temperature:
solid = cold, runny = warm, small beads = too hot.

If it gets too hot remove from heat and mix until cooler. Mix every half
hour, removing the fat with a spoon each time whilst mixing.

Peg a coarse dishcloth over a second pan or bucket and strain out liquor,
rinse the grains with several kettles of hot water and leave to drain. Boil
this liquid for one hour with 5 large handfuls of heather flowers and 1
handful of bog myrtle leaves.

Rinse the dishcloth and peg over the fermentation bucket, place 3 handfuls
of heather and 1 of bog myrtle in the cloth and then pour the hot liquor
over this into the bucket, make up the bucket to 30 pints with cold water
and leave to cool to body temperature.

Add 2 teaspoons of bakers yeast or a sachet of beer yeast and leave for 6-8
days to ferment. (Adding more wild heather flowers will ferment the ale but
the flavour will be more sour and wine-like.)

Once the ale has stopped fizzing pour it into returnable strong screw top
lemonade or beer bottles. Add one level teaspoon of sugar or honey to each
bottle, replace top and store in a cool place until clear.

SLAINTE

So, use it when it flowers.

These guys use First Gold hops in their commercial version, which I intend to copy.
http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/beer/fraoch

... but there's loads of Lochans with Bog Beans around here, which are used for bittering in Icelandic gruit, considering them instead of hops.

 

[jceg316]

Thanks for the recipes!

@MyQul that looks like an easy recipe which I'll add to my list. I've wanted to brew a gruit ale for a while and this is a good recipe to get me into that style.

@HebridesRob that's certainly an interesting recipe with some interesting measurements! I may also substitute the animal fat for a thermometer.

I had an idea for testing different ingredients out, like different sugars, without having to make huge amounts of the same beer. I might start a forum threat about it but I'm about to go away for 3 weeks. I was thinking if someone wants to see the different effect different sugars have in the boil, or compare MO to Halcyon etc, then they should post a recipe on the forum and see who wants to brew the variation. Once it's finished they can swap a few bottles. There are issues such as people having different water profiles in different parts of the country, or using different maltsters, but this can be corrected.

 

[HebridesRob]

Thanks for the recipes!

@MyQul that looks like an easy recipe which I'll add to my list. I've wanted to brew a gruit ale for a while and this is a good recipe to get me into that style.

@HebridesRob that's certainly an interesting recipe with some interesting measurements! I may also substitute the animal fat for a thermometer.

I had an idea for testing different ingredients out, like different sugars, without having to make huge amounts of the same beer. I might start a forum threat about it but I'm about to go away for 3 weeks. I was thinking if someone wants to see the different effect different sugars have in the boil, or compare MO to Halcyon etc, then they should post a recipe on the forum and see who wants to brew the variation. Once it's finished they can swap a few bottles. There are issues such as people having different water profiles in different parts of the country, or using different maltsters, but this can be corrected.

I think there's something in that idea. Especially so if you can get a big enough sample from lots of people doing it.

 

[BeerCat]

Here is another one to have a go at. I just bought a tin of Lyles Golden Syrup for the Troi Pistoles clone i just did and its not cheap.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksIHlV9T17U[/ame]

Will be giving this a go tomorrow as i want to make some more high ABV Beers ready for Xmas.

 

[MyQul]

Here is another one to have a go at. I just bought a tin of Lyles Golden Syrup for the Troi Pistoles clone i just did and its not cheap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksIHlV9T17U

Will be giving this a go tomorrow as i want to make some more high ABV Beers ready for Xmas.

Superb! I'm deffo going to have a go a that. Hopefully It'll be more successful than my crap efforts at trying to make candi suger

 

[BeerCat]

Well to be honest i got sidetracked making the last lot and it went up to 300F straight away, i just added more water and carried on as normal but you really have to keep an eye on it. The cheap analog thermometer i bought seems to do the job. Best to do it in bulk though. The golden syrup seems more my style, stir it and leave it. Would be nice if we came up with some recipes using them for the winter months. Decided to experiment with 10l batches of strong beers. I wonder if you could add syrup to mead or make a type of barley wine using it. Forgot what they call it. :)

 

[MyQul]

Loads of the reciepes in BYOBRA use white sugar. You can just sub GS for it. I used 10.5% in a bitter reciepe I made up a few months ago and it came out REALLY nice. I used it to dry the beer out a little as I was using a low attenuating yeast (MJ Dark Ale)

 

[BeerCat]

Made some today but be careful with the heat. My first lot was dark brown as got the pan too hot so i ditched it and started again. I used 1/4 a lemon and squeezed it a few times. The flavour has passed over into the syrup but don't think that will matter for beer. Either don't squeeze it or try citric acid. Not a lot of effort really and saved some money. Will start a thread in the recipes section for a Belgium style recipe to use it all up.

 

[MyQul]

Made some today but be careful with the heat. My first lot was dark brown as got the pan too hot so i ditched it and started again. I used 1/4 a lemon and squeezed it a few times. The flavour has passed over into the syrup but don't think that will matter for beer. Either don't squeeze it or try citric acid. Not a lot of effort really and saved some money. Will start a thread in the recipes section for a Belgium style recipe to use it all up.

What are the amounts like? have you found a certain amount of sugar corresponds to a certain amount of GS produced?

 

[BeerCat]

What are the amounts like? have you found a certain amount of sugar corresponds to a certain amount of GS produced?

Well i followed the recipe and for .5kg sugar i have roughly 550g possible a bit more. Mine however is not really a syrup, its very thick. I think i should of watered it down a bit at the end so its gonna be fun trying to get it out of the jar. Will let you know later. Got a 9.2% Belgium dark ale on the go. Will be using 500g of this and 200g dark candi sugar. Using some Special B, smells amazing. Will get more sugar tomorrow and try simmering on an even lower heat. 2 or maybe even 1. Not hard though compared to making the candi sugar.

 

[MyQul]

Well i followed the recipe and for .5kg sugar i have roughly 550g possible a bit more. Mine however is not really a syrup, its very thick. I think i should of watered it down a bit at the end so its gonna be fun trying to get it out of the jar. Will let you know later. Got a 9.2% Belgium dark ale on the go. Will be using 500g of this and 200g dark candi sugar. Using some Special B, smells amazing. Will get more sugar tomorrow and try simmering on an even lower heat. 2 or maybe even 1. Not hard though compared to making the candi sugar.

Cheers BC. I'm making a 55L parial mash soon and will need 800g of GS so I thought I have a go at making it rather than buying

 

[dad_of_jon]

Cheers BC. I'm making a 55L parial mash soon and will need 800g of GS so I thought I have a go at making it rather than buying

just bought a couple of 500g bags from geterbrewed for £1.88ea. :grin: not much dearer than a 454g can of GS from Tescos for £1.15

if you run a bit low on the candi you could always make up the diff from a can of GS :whistle:

 

[MyQul]

just bought a couple of 500g bags from geterbrewed for ��£1.88ea. :grin: not much dearer than a 454g can of GS from Tescos for ��£1.15

if you run a bit low on the candi you could always make up the diff from a can of GS :whistle:

I see you've scouted all known sources of (partial) invert sugar in case there's some sort of world sugar drought :lol:

 

[dad_of_jon]

I see you've scouted all known sources of (partial) invert sugar in case there's some sort of world sugar drought :lol:

noooooooooooooooo!

my cunning plan for world domination by distribution of high abv% beverages is out :twisted:

 

[BeerCat]

Has anyone made the Golden Syrup yet. Mine is really thick, almost breaks the spoon. Very happy with the beer i brewed with that and the Candi Sugar though. Wont be ready til Xmas but first taste was very promising for a 10% ABV. No rank solvent taste. I will be using the rest of the bits up with a tin a malt extract and maybe a partial mash. Going to be called "Rogers Old Todger". Might need some help designing the recipe.