[oscarvan]

OK, the wife may get a little concerned if one of those shows up, and it's a little large to hide..... I mean, I could but eh, no.

Again. I have boiled plant matter in water and have a perfectly strained liquid that appears to have a SG higher than 1000, I need to measure, and it tastes somewhat sweet, so I suspect that there are starches and/or sugars in solution.

[oscarvan]

Well, this thick sirupy liquid had a SG of.........1000   

So, since I don't have what I was hoping for I'll 'splain what it is and where I was hoping to take this. It's marshmallow root. I drink it as a tea on a daily basis for medicinal purposes, and I like the flavor. I would like to make a gallon or two and add it to a beer. So, if there would have been sugar in there it could have been perfect. But, it turns out not to be sugar. I have been told that it is a protein. (think gelatin, but vegetarian) Marshmallows were made as early as ancient Egypt, where they took the sap from the root and added nuts and honey.

Sooooo, now the question is..... what would this stuff do to the beer? I know, try it and find out. But, short of that, any insight from the learned here?

[euge]

Interesting. What does it do for you?

[beerocd]

Well, this thick sirupy liquid had a SG of.........1000   

So, since I don't have what I was hoping for I'll 'splain what it is and where I was hoping to take this. It's marshmallow root. I drink it as a tea on a daily basis for medicinal purposes, and I like the flavor. I would like to make a gallon or two and add it to a beer. So, if there would have been sugar in there it could have been perfect. But, it turns out not to be sugar. I have been told that it is a protein. (think gelatin, but vegetarian) Marshmallows were made as early as ancient Egypt, where they took the sap from the root and added nuts and honey.

Sooooo, now the question is..... what would this stuff do to the beer? I know, try it and find out. But, short of that, any insight from the learned here?

How about making kombucha out of it? fermented tea; only maybe 1% alcohol. Then maybe you can mix it with your beer afterwards like a radler.

[oscarvan]

Interesting. What does it do for you?

The mucous like qualities are alleged to help maintain/restore the lining of the bladder. I may, or may not, depending on which doc you believe, have a liner that is less than optimal, allowing acidic urine to get to the bladder wall which leads to pelvic discomfort and "quantity gauge" issues. Diet controls a lot of this and I'm doing just fine staying away from certain foods and beverages. (Coffee, citrus, vinegar to name a few) Beer is on the "no" list but fortunately I am tolerating it just fine.....

[tubercle]

But, it turns out not to be sugar. I have been told that it is a protein.

 Its a plant so it has "sugar". Its just in the form of starch. It needs to be mashed with barley to convert the starches to simpler forms, ie...sugars.

 Grind some up, boil it for a few minutes, the let cool to 150f or so and add about 25% crushed 2 row or 6 row malt. Barley has much more enzymes than it need to convert itself and all that extra will work on the starch in the roots.