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Author Topic: White Table Sugar  (Read 6615 times)

Offline bonjour

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Re: White Table Sugar
« Reply #15 on: March 28, 2012, 10:42:58 am »
Pet Peeve time

First, there is no problem is using sugar.

The Peeve,  Adding Sugar does NOT thin or lighten a beer.  It is the removal or reduction of malt, which is only partially fermentable, that thins or lightens beer.  We remove the malt to allow us to add the sugar to retain a targeted OG with less malt. 
Fred Bonjour
Co-Chair Mashing in Michigan 2014 AHA Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan
AHA Governing Committee; AHA Conference, Club Support & Web Subcommittees



Everything under 1.100 is a 'session' beer ;)

Offline bigchicken

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Re: White Table Sugar
« Reply #16 on: March 28, 2012, 11:21:23 am »
I've used table sugar and I've used corn sugar with no noticeable differences in the finished product. But I swear I read once that white table sugar created headache inducing alcohol and corn sugar does not. Is there any truth to that?
TJ Cook

On Deck: Planning
Fermenting: Nothing
In bottles: It's All About MEAD!

Offline bo

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Re: White Table Sugar
« Reply #17 on: March 28, 2012, 11:29:02 am »
For the most part I agree with the thinning theory. However, if you add a pound of sugar to your wort, you are adding volume to that wort. The sugar will ferment 100%, so there is less malt in a slightly higher volume, thus it's thinner.


Will you taste that it's thinner or that it has more alcohol. My guess is that the alcohol will outweigh the thinness in terms of flavor.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2012, 11:31:23 am by bo »

Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: White Table Sugar
« Reply #18 on: March 28, 2012, 11:41:53 am »
I dunno, maybe it's six of one - half a dozen of the other.

I typically use sugar to achieve a higher gravity without having an overwhelmingly sweet or malty beer.

Is it "thinner" or lighter in body than it would be if it was all malt?  Sure.

But if it was all malt, it would have too much body and probably be unbalanced.  And less quaffable.

So, yes, using sugar will produce a thinner/lighter body beer at a given gravity.  But not necessarily a thin beer.

If I'm making any sense.
It's all in the reflexes. - Jack Burton

Offline Jimmy K

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Re: White Table Sugar
« Reply #19 on: March 28, 2012, 11:52:01 am »
I've used table sugar and I've used corn sugar with no noticeable differences in the finished product. But I swear I read once that white table sugar created headache inducing alcohol and corn sugar does not. Is there any truth to that?

Probably not, but if you had really unhealthy yeast and also used sugar (which has no nutrients) you'd probably end up with more of whatever off-flavors those yeast were producing. This is probably where most of those stories come from.
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Offline weithman5

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Re: White Table Sugar
« Reply #20 on: March 28, 2012, 12:14:35 pm »
Coconut - my wife hates coconut.

When I buy mixed chocolates, I have to be sure there's no coconut.

i love coconut and don't live far away, just a quick trip and you could drop them off 8)

i have had a bag of sweetened coconut i got at an amish store, thought about brewing with it but haven't yet. any one with any ideas?
Don AHA member

Offline weithman5

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Re: White Table Sugar
« Reply #21 on: March 28, 2012, 12:16:06 pm »
For the most part I agree with the thinning theory. However, if you add a pound of sugar to your wort, you are adding volume to that wort. The sugar will ferment 100%, so there is less malt in a slightly higher volume, thus it's thinner.


Will you taste that it's thinner or that it has more alcohol. My guess is that the alcohol will outweigh the thinness in terms of flavor.

i don't think the sugar itself will add any appreciable volume.  it will add to the og.
Don AHA member

Offline bonjour

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Re: White Table Sugar
« Reply #22 on: March 28, 2012, 12:18:00 pm »
I dunno, maybe it's six of one - half a dozen of the other.

I typically use sugar to achieve a higher gravity without having an overwhelmingly sweet or malty beer.

Is it "thinner" or lighter in body than it would be if it was all malt?  Sure.

But if it was all malt, it would have too much body and probably be unbalanced.  And less quaffable.

So, yes, using sugar will produce a thinner/lighter body beer at a given gravity.  But not necessarily a thin beer.

If I'm making any sense.

yea,  for a GIVEN gravity more sugar means less malt, and less malt will produce a thinner/lighter body beer.
Fred Bonjour
Co-Chair Mashing in Michigan 2014 AHA Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan
AHA Governing Committee; AHA Conference, Club Support & Web Subcommittees



Everything under 1.100 is a 'session' beer ;)

Offline bo

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Re: White Table Sugar
« Reply #23 on: March 28, 2012, 12:18:38 pm »
For the most part I agree with the thinning theory. However, if you add a pound of sugar to your wort, you are adding volume to that wort. The sugar will ferment 100%, so there is less malt in a slightly higher volume, thus it's thinner.


Will you taste that it's thinner or that it has more alcohol. My guess is that the alcohol will outweigh the thinness in terms of flavor.

i don't think the sugar itself will add any appreciable volume.  it will add to the og.


How do you not raise the level of the wort when you add a pound of.... anything?

Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: White Table Sugar
« Reply #24 on: March 28, 2012, 12:24:45 pm »
I think the key word was "appreciable."

You're not going to get an extra gallon of wort from a pound of sugar.  Or even two pounds.

I don't know the displacement, but a 5 lb bag of sugar ain't that big.  Five pounds might displace 1/2 gallon.  But that would be a LOT of sugar.
It's all in the reflexes. - Jack Burton

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: White Table Sugar
« Reply #25 on: March 29, 2012, 01:05:42 am »
I am out in wilds of Afghanistan and don't have my notes, but I thought the general concept of "inverting" the sugar alleviates the problem of yeast spitting out a particular phenol when it has to convert the sugar itself - or perhaps when it eats non-inverted sugar?  Any of the chemists out there please chime in.
I wish you had your notes!

I'm not aware of any pathway that would cause this to happen.  The yeast make maltase and sucrase/invertase pretty easily.  There are several enzymes that could be involved and some strain dependency, but some of the enzymes are being made whether there is any sucrose present or not.

If you ever track down that reference please post it.
Tom Schmidlin