Sugar question

[sheffieldlad]

Hi all,

Whats the difference between brewing sugar and the white sugar you get from supermarkets?

Is the brewing sugar more refined?

Brewing sugar is expensive but I'm willing to fork out for it if you guys tell me it's worth the extra cash.

Thanks.

-Paul

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[snail59]

I never use brewing sugar. The stuff from the supermarket is just fine. Try and get Beet sugar if you can I cant remeber the reason why but in the past I was told it was better than Cane sugar for brewing.

 

[sheffieldlad]

I never use brewing sugar. The stuff from the supermarket is just fine. Try and get Beet sugar if you can I cant remeber the reason why but in the past I was told it was better than Cane sugar for brewing.

Thanks snail.

Someone told me that brewing sugar is just smashed up to a finer powder so it disolves quicker but I wasn't sure if he was correct.

Thanks for the advice.

-Paul

 

[Moley]

White sugar you get from the supermarket is sucrose, that's a sugar molecule with 12 carbon atoms.

The first thing the yeasties have to do before they can use that is to break it in half into two 6-carbon sugars called glucose and fructose.

Wine yeasts are quite capable of doing that.

Beer yeasts are also quite capable of doing that but they are lazy and would prefer you to give them glucose in the first place.

Brewing sugar is glucose.

I am sure there will be plenty of others who will tell you that brewing sugar is better, but in my opinion there's absolutely nothing wrong with good old Tate & Lyle or Silver Spoon.

 

[sheffieldlad]

White sugar you get from the supermarket is sucrose, that's a sugar molecule with 12 carbon atoms.

The first thing the yeasties have to do before they can use that is to break it in half into two 6-carbon sugars called glucose and fructose.

Wine yeasts are quite capable of doing that.

Beer yeasts are also quite capable of doing that but they are lazy and would prefer you to give them glucose in the first place.

Brewing sugar is glucose.

I am sure there will be plenty of others who will tell you that brewing sugar is better, but in my opinion there's absolutely nothing wrong with good old Tate & Lyle or Silver Spoon.

am I right in thinking the yeasties just have to put more work in to turn the fructose into alcohol as well as smashing the 12 carbon sugars apart?

-Paul

 

[Moley]

am I right in thinking the yeasties just have to put more work in to turn the fructose into alcohol as well as smashing the 12 carbon sugars apart?

No, glucose is your brewing sugar and fructose is a fruit sugar, they are made up of the same bits, but just put together slightly differently.

There is no work involved in splitting the C12 sugar, they just do it.

Someone told me that brewing sugar is just smashed up to a finer powder so it disolves quicker but I wasn't sure if he was correct.

Caster sugar is just granulated sugar smashed up to a finer powder, but it's still just sucrose.

There is no difference between cane and beet sugar, it's still just sucrose.

 

[sheffieldlad]

am I right in thinking the yeasties just have to put more work in to turn the fructose into alcohol as well as smashing the 12 carbon sugars apart?

No, glucose is your brewing sugar and fructose is a fruit sugar, they are made up of the same bits, but just put together slightly differently.

There is no work involved in splitting the C12 sugar, they just do it.

Someone told me that brewing sugar is just smashed up to a finer powder so it disolves quicker but I wasn't sure if he was correct.

Caster sugar is just granulated sugar smashed up to a finer powder, but it's still just sucrose.

There is no difference between cane and beet sugar, it's still just sucrose.

Thanks Moley :

-Paul

 

[snail59]

There is no difference between cane and beet sugar, it's still just sucrose.

There goes my theory. I was sure I had been told that yeast found it easier to convert Beet sugar than Cane Sugar. Oh well wrong again

 

[sheffieldlad]

There is no difference between cane and beet sugar, it's still just sucrose.

There goes my theory. I was sure I had been told that yeast found it easier to convert Beet sugar than Cane Sugar. Oh well wrong again

we're all learning mate, especially me :)

 

[Moley]

There goes my theory. I was sure I had been told that yeast found it easier to convert Beet sugar than Cane Sugar. Oh well wrong again

I'd always been told that cane sugar was better than beet sugar, but I think that bias is more down to the fact that cane grows in hot and exotic places, while beet is a grubby old root crop, and until they closed the refinery recently I was regularly held up by tractor loads of the filthy stuff, and the refinery stank if the wind was in the wrong direction. Provided quite a few jobs in our area though, now lost.

 

[snail59]

we're all learning mate, especially me :)

Every day is a school day mate and a day when you learn nothing is a day wasted (to quote evenvine I think)

and the refinery stank if the wind was in the wrong direction.

I miss our local beet factory I love the smell

 

[rocket ronnie]

On the topic of vraious white sugars in there any difference in brew flavours if white sugar is substituted for either soft brown or demerara. I remember 'Dave Line s' Brewing beers like you buy' using them

 

[The Goatreich]

I was told by my LHBS that using brewing sugar helps get rid of the homebrew taste, and also the fusal alcohols that cause hangovers. Is this a load of codswollop then?

 

[graysalchemy]

I was told by my LHBS that using brewing sugar helps get rid of the homebrew taste, and also the fusal alcohols that cause hangovers. Is this a load of codswollop then?

I think someone was trying to sell you expensive sugar. Fusal alcohol is due to temp so keep your beer below 21c when fermenting and I can't remember about the 'homebrew taste' but I think it is down to how old the malt extract used is. If I was the shop owner I would be trying to sell you DME or at least Kit enhancer and tell you the reason why. Either he had a shed load of brewers sugar to sell or he knew sweet FA about brewing.

 

[The Goatreich]

Excellent to know. Thanks for that info :)

 

[StrangeBrew]

I have two questions to throw into the white sugar / brewing sugar debate...

1. Beer kit manufacturers and I am thinking especially of the ones that don't sell sell brewing sugar as part of their range. So have nothing to gain. Almost all advocate the use of brewing sugar in preference to white sugar ... Why ?

2. Beer Kit Enhancer manufacturers never use white sugar in their sugar / malt extract blends. Some will even substitute the malt extract with maltodextrin but none ever substitute the brewing sugar with cheaper sucrose. Now if white sugar is just as good as is claimed in this thread and all manufacturers are looking to save costs. Why do they universally use the more expensive sugar ?


I currently use brewing sugar myself purely on the basis of that's what's recommended, if anyone can successfully answer both the above questions I will certainly consider switching to white sugar if it's just as good ... Up until now saving a quid on a 40 pint brew by using white sugar hasn't seemed attractive enough to go against the general advice to use brewing sugar...

Convince me the manufacturers are wrong...


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[graysalchemy]

Now if white sugar is just as good as is claimed in this thread and all manufacturers are looking to save costs. Why do they universally use the more expensive sugar ?

Perhaps when you buy it buy the lorry load then it is cheaper?

If you are brewing ale kits you are better off using Malt extract either liquid or dry instead of sugar as it will give you more body and flavour to the beer. Sugar is a flavour and body dilutent as it ferments out completely. I think I read on a thread the other day that sugar is better for lager kits as DME would add unwelcome colour and flavour. This may be a figment of my imagination :hmm: :hmm:

 

[StrangeBrew]

Perhaps when you buy it buy the lorry load then it is cheaper?

Current global prices are:

White Sugar $350 ~ 500 a ton
Brewing Sugar $580 ~ 650 a ton

If you are brewing ale kits you are better off using Malt extract either liquid or dry instead of sugar

I do use some malt extract in most of my brews but the questions above where why do manufacturers universally use / recommend brewing sugar, when it's called for, over white sugar if it's just as good ?

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[graysalchemy]

Ask me a question on sport :wha: :wha:

 

[StrangeBrew]

Ask me a question on sport :wha: :wha:

hehehe...

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