Is Brewing Sugar really better?

[mancer62]

Is brewing sugar really better than white or brown granulated? Or is it just a snobby thing creating an industry where companies can produce a product claim it is so much better and charge a far bigger price. Deep down is there really any difference or does the 'I am a home brewer so I need a specialist ingredient to make me better than Joe Blogs who uses a bag of Tate & Lyle' come into it?
If anyone thinks regular sugar is better brown or white I'd be interested to know. Equally be interested to hear from those who swear by brewing sugar and why. cheers

 

[EddtheBrew]

Hi Mancer ,
This one`s a bit of a minefield , as brewers used all sorts of different sugars in different qualities / types of beer ( where they used sugars ) , and if you`re replicating a hisorical recipe or , brewing a paricular style that calls for the use of sugar I`d say use it ; as I really believe it will alter the profile of the beer if the sugars are just replaced with a main extract malt such as Maris Otter or a Lager Malt ; I`ts why i dont mind using sugars and usually have them in my recipies ; both old and new !!

Cheers ,

Edd

 

[Pavros]

I think that you have to compare brewing sugar and white granulated sugar. If you bring brown/demerara/golden syrup/treacle into the argument then it confuses things. I have used all of these darker sugars/syrups in dark and Belgian beers and they all bring a different sweetness element to the finished beer.

I cannot really tell the difference between using granulated sugar and brewing sugar except that I used granulated when I first started and my beers were thinner tasting. I switched to brewing sugar even for priming (don't know why really as the amount used won't affect anything) and my beers tasted better - but also my brewing skills, knowledge and experience were improving so the perceived better taste would not be down to the use of brewing sugar alone.

Also there is a difference in types of granulated sugar (or there always used to be). Some is cane sugar and some is beet. Tate and Lyle used to be cane and Silver Spoon used to be beet. I don't know if there is a difference in taste but if you dissolve some in water, cane sugar solutions will stay clear whereas beet sugar solutions have a yellow tint to them.

 

[foxbat]

The darker a sugar is the more of the original molasses remains within it - that's what you're tasting and it's quite desirable in some darker beers.

 

[VW911]

Apparently, with brewing sugar, part of the yeasts job is already done.
Something about splitting the sugars down into is base components - fructose and sucrose, allowing a quicker start to the fermentation.

Something like that, anyway...

 

[-Bezza-]

Is there not also a question of usage here. I'm assuming the question is for the purpose of fermenting rather than carbonating - I did have a homebrew shop convince me to buy brewing sugar for the carb which was frankly a waste of money compared to good old caster.

 

[chthon]

There are three kinds of sugars of note for brewing:

• The most simple is dextrose or glucose, yeast can metabolise this very easy
• Sucrose, which is a more complex sugar, and yeast needs to metabolise this in two steps. Castor sugar and cane sugar are mostly this.
  
• Invert sugar, which can be made from sucrose, and which consists of glucose and fructose

Taste and colour of different sugars are derived from impurities (cane sugar), molasses and different types of caramels (classification of caramel colour)

 

[Covrich]

I only use it in carbonating.. I have used brewing and normal can sugar for this and well its fine makes no difference IMO..

As for a main fermentation I don't ever really add sugar apart from specific adjuncts, like golden syrup or honey or brown sugar in a brown ale maybe..

If I was for some reason going to use any siginicant quantity of white sugar in a brew I may lean towards brewing..

 

[Drunkula]

Chris White (White Labs) says that brewing sugar is a crock and just use normal sugar. The yeast produce invertase when they split the yeast but I can't find anything about it having a taste threshold but I'm not saying there isn't.

I read a few posts about a few brewery tours and if they're using sugar then it's just standard sucrose, not brewing sugar / dextrose.

If you haven't seen it before this is worth a look at for the funsies:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...ng-to-make-it-taste-like-freakin-cider.90498/

I'd never buy priming tabs but the other day found out they're 50 times the cost of table sugar. Priming 5 gallons of beer with 115g of sugar will cost under 6p, with priming tabs £2.88. No thankyou, Mr. Cooper. Move along.

 

[Slid]

An invert sugar may be useful to a commercial brewery, who needs to churn out beer to a strict timetable.

White table sugar is fine, but I do like the observations about raw or molasses sugar.

 

[Wouter]

There is absolutely no difference between brewing sugar (glucose) and plain old table sugar.
Many have compared and found no difference in FG.

Plus from a practical side. Do you really think large breweries would use such a specialised product?

 

[AdeDunn]

I use brewing sugar, for the simple reason that I managed to buy 9 kilos of it for about the same as 9 kilos of cane sugar would cost me. Plus there's less chance of the kids nicking it to put on their cereal in the morning... lol

 

[Nicks90]

I buy sugar cubes for priming. So much easier than loose granulated and still vastly cheaper than carb drops.
Although in my next TC I will be using Yorkshire mix or pear drops for priming. Might add a certain quality to the flavour

 

[terrym]

Is there not also a question of usage here. I'm assuming the question is for the purpose of fermenting rather than carbonating - I did have a homebrew shop convince me to buy brewing sugar for the carb which was frankly a waste of money compared to good old caster.

Agreed. But caster sugar is finely milled granulated sugar. So if you use caster in brewing why not use granulated instead? Typical price 1kg caster £1.65, granulated £0.65, saving £1.00.

 

[-Bezza-]

Agreed. But caster sugar is finely milled granulated sugar. So if you use caster in brewing why not use granulated instead? Typical price 1kg caster £1.65, granulated £0.65, saving £1.00.

They don't sell granulated in Surrey.

 

[terrym]

They don't sell granulated in Surrey.

Granulated sugar = table sugar = the cheap sugar you get from any supermarket or corner store or wherever you buy your groceries, whether its cane or beet derived, by T&L, BSC Silver Spoon or supermarket own brand. If you have it in your tea or coffee that's the stuff. :thumb:

 

[-Bezza-]

Granulated sugar = table sugar = the cheap sugar you get from any supermarket or corner store or wherever you buy your groceries, whether its cane or beet derived, by T&L, BSC Silver Spoon or supermarket own brand. If you have it in your tea or coffee that's the stuff. :thumb:

I was being ironic. :thumb:

 

[AdeDunn]

Granulated sugar = table sugar = the cheap sugar you get from any supermarket or corner store or wherever you buy your groceries, whether its cane or beet derived, by T&L, BSC Silver Spoon or supermarket own brand. If you have it in your tea or coffee that's the stuff. :thumb:

I have sucralose in my tea and coffee.... So that aint gonna work... :thumb1:

 

[terrym]

I was being ironic. :thumb:

Shame about that. Your comedic talents are obviously wasted on me.

 

[-Bezza-]

Shame about that. Your comedic talents are obviously wasted on me.

Ha, if only that were the case. Unfortunately my comedic talents are simply lacking!